Why Does Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Seem So Difficult?

Have you ever had such strong intentions to start up exercise or a better eating pattern?

Maybe you’ve even made the move to sign up to something to help you with this? But do you follow through with it? Do you MAKE the move?

• No, I don’t have enough time, OR, I can’t afford this extra help, OR something else that keeps you from starting.

• You make the move- you go so well for the first week or two, motivation is through the roof, then, all of a sudden it just seems like so much effort- your too busy, something comes up, can’t afford it and so on.

Ever wondered why it’s just so hard to reach that ideal health status you’re after?

We hear it all the time, to lose weight you just have to eat right and exercise consistently!

Well, if only it was so easy! Knowing what to do and actually doing it are very different!

That’s like saying why doesn’t every aspiring musician just make a song with a catchy chorus along with a great band and melody? Because its easier said than done!

If everyone knows “what to do” why are so many people overweight, out of shape and unhappy with how they look and feel?

If it was as simple as “just sticking with it”, don’t you think you would have “just” done it already?

The secret to weight loss is about three things:

1. Eating well

2. Exercising

3. Doing #1 and #2 consistently

It’s the consistency part that’s so hard.

So why is it so hard to stay consistent?

• The plan you’re trying to follow isn’t sustainable.

Forget about fad diets. We can only follow a cookie, shake or grapefruit diet for so long. We can only follow a non-fat, no carb, no sugar, no fun, no anything diet for so long.

The plan has to be practical, sustainable and healthy.

Before you start any diet ask yourself, “Can I see myself eating like this in five years from now?”, If the answer is no- then the diet you’re thinking about starting isn’t sustainable. This goes the same for your exercise, make it fun, make it promising!

When you have the right diet and exercise plan, it’s a lot easier to stick with it. This might sound like common sense but its not common practice. You can’t expect to stick with a plan that isn’t sustainable…Yet people keep attempting these crazy diets.

• You never change your relationship with food and exercise

This is critically important.

Here’s the problem:

Most people go on what I call a “food diet.” One month they’re only eating X. The next month they’re only eating Y. The following month they’re only eating Z. We all know people like this. They go from one “food diet” to the next. Or the new exercise challenge!

Sound familiar? Of course it does. We’ve all done it. We pick a diet and program and follow the rules for as long as we can using willpower.

However, if the only thing you’re changing is the food you’re eating and adding in some exercise, you’re not going to change for the long term.

It’s critical that you change your relationship with food and exercise. It’s critical that you change the way you think and react to food and exercise. It’s critical that you learn the right mindset along with developing the healthy habits and behaviors necessary to lose weight and keep it off…

Otherwise, you’ll keep going from one diet to the next. You’ll never be able to stick with anything.

We follow X plan by willing ourselves to stay strong for as long as we can…until we can’t take it anymore. We eventually lose steam, and revert back to our old ways.

Like motivation, willpower is not sustainable.

This is why people gain weight back. They never learn the right mindset along with the habits and behaviors necessary to keep it off.

They just buckle down and try hard for a few months until they can’t take it anymore.

Most diets and challenges get more difficult to follow as time goes on. This is not a sustainable strategy.

• Daily and personal accountability + Daily Support

It’s too easy to make promises to yourself and break them. No one knows if you keep them or not…so you hardly ever do. We all know this feeling. The feeling of having been lied to. By ourselves. It’s an awful feeling.

Unless you’re being held accountable and being supported daily, it’s very hard to stick with it. It’s too easy to rationalize to ourselves. It’s also very hard to sustain the effort required to lose weight.

What does accountability really mean? It’s hard to explain the power of accountability unless you’ve experienced it.

Imagine…

It’s your first day of school.

The bell rings, and in walks your new physics professor.

He’s carrying a giant red physics textbook. He looks straight at the class, and slams the book down on the table with a big thud…….

He looks at the class and yells, “YOU HAVE 6 MONTHS TO STUDY. AT THE END OF THE 6 MONTHS YOU WILL HAVE A TEST. GOOD LUCK!”

He then walks out of the room.

Now let me ask you…who do you think will actually pass a class like this??

This physics professor has set the class up for failure.

INSTEAD, what if the same professor:

• Holds class every day.

• Has office hours.

• Lets you ask questions.

• Corrects you when you are wrong.

• Supports/guides you every step of the way.

What do you think the success rate will be? Very high obviously.

You see:

The big difference between everyone failing and everyone passing is the amount of support/guidance they got.

Same with a diet.

Traditionally you’re basically told, “Here’s a diet to follow. Go do it. Good luck.”

This is assuming a lack of knowledge is the big issue. (The real issue is a lack of consistent action aka compliance.)

This is a huge reason why people on traditional programs don’t lose weight.

We’re set up for failure from the beginning. (Just like that bad professor set up his class for failure.)

So if you’re sitting there reading this thinking this is you in a nutshell, then you should know exactly what do to, all you need now is to know whether you really want to make the move or not!

If you want it to work, do it the right way! Find a diet and exercise plan that is sustainable and fun therefore changing your relationship with food and exercise, grab a friend or someone in the health and exercise profession and keep yourself accountable with a number 1 support level!