You may be making some significant gains in terms of your health and fitness and noticing changes to your body composition. You may be lifting heavier weights than you were a little while ago, or you may have lost quite a few kilos and cms. Some of you may be thrilled at your progress, however, others may feel like you are not achieving the results you intended and are a little disappointed at your progress. You may be experiencing a weight loss plateau, or an increase in weight or have a period of time when you are not performing at your optimum. This is OK as we are all going to experience these times every now and then –what’s more important is to take a step back and remind ourselves that any form of progress, big or small, is PROGRESS nonetheless!!
I know that some days I find myself being so much harder on myself than other days, which I’m sure you have all been there before. You feel guilty if you have eaten something unhealthy, or you might feel frustrated if you can’t put in “your all” in a fitness class or you miss a session or you can’t do a particular exercise, or you are critical of your weight and how your body looks, or how much time you are spending with the kids. The list goes on……And sometimes we find ourselves comparing ourselves to others whom we think are “perfect”.
BUT remember, we are all human beings and NOONE is perfect. When we think perfection, we can set ourselves up for failure and disappointment. So instead we need to focus on PROGRESS. Any little bit of progress is progress and one step closer to our goals. And sometimes we need to shift our expectations of ourselves a little and “cut ourselves some slack” or not be so hard on ourselves.
It’s not always about the weight on the scales, as this can fluctuate dramatically from week to week, but it may be how our clothes fit and our body composition, or how much stronger we are getting, or how much healthier we feel, or how much more energy we have when we are playing with the kids.
SO, pat yourself on the back for every bit of progress and remind yourselves that you are ALL AMAZING. Stay focused, be consistent and constantly challenge yourself by ramping up your efforts when you can and pushing yourself that one bit further. Also, be true to yourself so that you can realistically reassess and readjust your health and fitness goals when you need, and most importantly, don’t give up and don’t let your hard work fall by the wayside! Believe in yourself, be proud of yourself for every little bit of progress and remember small steps often equal a big difference down the track! Some progress is better than nothing and should be celebrated!
