Getting Fit is Tough? – Then Wear a Cup

You Can Let Go Now Fellas © Tim Pannell Photography

I know what it’s like to be so heavy that it hurts just to get out of bed in the morning.  Joints that scream and whine as I walk.

I guess being a ninja is out of the question for me.  I couldn’t sneak up on anybody for an assassination attempt without my knees and ankles popping loud enough to alert an entire neighborhood.

I’m proud to say, I no longer have that problem.  It’s not that I’ve lost ALL my weight.  I’ve lost almost half of my goal.  It’s just that all the working out, bike riding and P90X has helped strengthen my muscles which has strengthened my joints.

I wake up and get out of bed in the morning PAIN FREE.  That is significant.

Ok, so what if you’re heavy.  Get over it.  If other people give you crap about being fat, that says more about them than it does about you.  Don’t get healthy and fit because of others.  Get fit and be healthy for yourself.

The judgmental looks and comments from people get old quickly and sometimes it can cause us to look for unrealistic approaches to weight loss to avoid those situations as quickly as possible.

I know it would be nice to take a magic pill that would help you lose 50 pounds overnight, but it’s just not realistic, and it’s definitely not healthy.  If you’re heavy, you need a “life change” moment, not a get skinny quick scheme.

What if you only lost 2 pounds every month?  That sounds like a pretty sucky goal doesn’t it?  That’s hardly any weight at all, you must not be trying hard enough if that’s all you lose…….

At the end of 1 year you would have dropped 24 pounds, at the end of 2 years – 48 and the end of 3 years 72 pounds.  Tell me again that 2 pounds a month is insignificant.

Here’s the cool part……..if you lose all that weight that gradually, the idea that you’ll put it back on is ridiculous.  You will have been successful at changing your lifestyle.

No gimmick diets, no get skinny quick pills here, I’m talking about real change of attitude and choices and preferences.  Change for life, not just for swimsuit season or somebody’s wedding.

Just resolve to start today by doing something, anything to be more active and to eat healthier foods.  Don’t wait until tomorrow or next week.  Do it now.

If you think it’ll be too hard, let me tell ya, it’s a lot harder to do nothing at all and progressively experience more and more pain just getting around doing your daily routines.

Think about what you will gain by eating healthier whole foods and how much more energy you’ll have for things that are important to you if you spend even just 30 minutes a day with a fairly intense workout.

In reality, getting fit isn’t that tough unless we insist on making it difficult.  I know what I’m talking about here because I’ve done just that for over a decade.  I made things overly complicated to justify my lack of action.

Make some healthy choices about the food that you will no longer eat.   Make some healthy choices about the kind of exercise that you ARE going to do continuously and commit to it for life.

At least commit to a lifelong journey towards a healthier you.  You can change things up as your weight changes or other circumstances change.  Just don’t settle for doing nothing because you think it’s hard.  If it’s tough…….wear a cup!