You are more than excuses

There are a million things that try to get in the way of our health and fitness journey. Information overload, misinformation, uneducated people, and any number of other things.

But today, we’re talking about ourselves.

Oh yes, we often get in our own way of achieving our goals – knowingly or unknowingly.

To me, I see it most in two ways: either we assign blame to something personal but out of our control or we self-sabotage subconsciously.

The latter is more complicated. If you suspect you’re self-sabotaging in this way, I would highly recommend to seek out a certified professional who is in a position to work with you through this behavior. Self-sabotage is often a sign of a deeper problem or stressor that you may not even know exists.

But the former is what we’re talking about today.

You may now be thinking to yourself: “Emily, you’re saying I’m blaming something personal but out of my control. What do you mean?”

Just a few examples include: age, genetics, medication, metabolism, injury or movement deficits, or dietary restrictions.

Perhaps things are sounding more familiar now?

Before we go on with the rest to today’s article, I do want to make a disclaimer: These can be very valid in their influence on our health and fitness journey. I’m not going to discount that fact.

However, at the same time, we can over-emphasize the influence of these factors on our journey.

We can fall victim to thinking that these are blocking our path and there’s nothing we can do about it. But that’s not necessarily true. Of course, they can influence, but when we focus on these things that are often out of our control, we forget about the things that are within our control.

Are we eating in a calorie deficit if we’re trying to lose weight?

Have we been in this deficit strictly for at least 2-3 weeks?

Are you measuring progress only in scale weight or are you using progress pictures and measurements?

Are you eating enough protein to preserve or build muscle mass?

Are you drinking enough water?

Is there a variety of fruits and veggies so we can ensure we’re eating enough micronutrients?

Are you supplementing with anything, if necessary?

Are you putting emphasis on both quantity and quality sleep?

Are you getting in your training sessions each week?

Do you have a program that is designed to get you to where you want to be?

Are you actually treating your cardiovascular training as such and pushing yourself when the program calls for that to happen?

There are quite a few variables that I could list, but the bottom line is when we focus on the uncommon, we ignore the common – and the controllable variables.

Too often, I see this get in the way of someone’s journey.

It’s disempowering. They feel helpless because they’re focusing on all that is out of their control, while forgetting about all the aspects that they are able to influence.

It’s one of the most frustrating things as a coach to watch people get in their own way.

Because in this case, it’s not the misinformation or the information overload that gets in the way. It’s you.

Instead of taking action, you’re at a standstill. You begin to believe that you are the victim and that you don’t have control. But the truth is, often that control is there – you just have to take it.

EMPOWERED ACTION

Today, I’m going to challenge you to do just that. To take action despite the things that people say will stop you. To pursue the life you want to life and take just one step toward the goals you want to achieve.