4 things I would do differently just starting out on a health & fitness journey...
As someone who has been working towards health and fitness goals since high school, I wanted to take some time to think back on four things I would do differently if I was just starting my health and fitness journey all over again to hopefully help others not make the same mistakes I did.
Don’t get me wrong, every piece of my journey has brought me a new understanding and appreciation for health and my body and has been a heck of a learning opportunity along the way, but if I were to be able to go back in time, these would be the four things I would do differently:
1. Not start it out of hate for my body.
Remember that you can’t hate your body into a body that you love. I wish I would’ve learned to appreciate my body more, rather than hate being what drove me to make changes. Don’t get me wrong I know not everyone is going to love every part of their body, but I wish I would’ve worked on being way more neutral with how I viewed my body and how I took care of it and my mental health as a result.
2. Stop worrying so much about what everyone else is doing.
If it helps them, great! But it might not be what’s best for you and your goals. Comparison is hard to steer away from, but it truly can take so much away from you and your progress if you’re too wrapped up in what everyone else is doing. Mute accounts on social media that are triggering, don’t listen to the things that sound too good to be true (which believe me, they are). Focus on staying true to what you know is personally going to help you and your journey the most and don’t worry about anyone else.
3. Not try to eat as little calories as possible.
1200 calories are the needs of toddlers. Enough said 🙃 I wish we weren’t all conditioned to think that eating as little as possible was healthy. I’m grateful for all the other professionals out there working to change this message!
4. Focus more on how I feel rather than letting the scale dictate that for me.
Numbers don’t mean anything if you’re miserable! And might I also remind you that your health isn’t determined by a number on the scale. If you’re letting the scale dictate your emotions for the day, it might be time to put it in the trash can until you can work to have more of an objective view on what that data can provide you with.
Whether you are just starting out or have been on your journey for 10+ years, I hope some of my reflections in my experience are helpful to put things in a new perspective for you.
Coach Megan <3
