This was something I struggled with growing up. I would start a “diet” or try to go to the gym, but I always ended up back in my old routine, shoving handfuls of Goldfish crackers in my face and watching hours on end of Gossip Girl.
So what changed? A whole lot.
Here are some reasons you might be going through the same thing.
You haven’t found the type of exercise you like yet. This is crucial. If you see exercise as a chore you constantly have to do, you will never want to do it. It’s like making your bed or doing the laundry. But worse. The solution? Try out different workouts. I tried pilates, running, biking, kickboxing and yoga classes, recreational sports, you name it. Lifting, for me, was what stuck. They say if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life. Same applies to working out.
You see it as a punishment to your body. Working out is a way that we show our bodies we care about them. Yes, it hurts. But our bodies crave physical activity. You have to see it as a form of self-love and self-care.
Your diet sucks, so you’re still not seeing any results. Diet plays the #1 factor in how you look. If you go to the gym everyday but still smash mozzarella sticks and pizza every night, you’ll either look the same, or gain weight.
You haven’t given the gym a fair shot. This means you either haven’t penciled in the time for it, treating it like an appointment with yourself, or you haven’t tried to stay consistent long enough to see results. You cannot expect to workout for a day and wake up with abs the next morning. (If it were that easy, none of us would need washing machines since we’d all have washboard abs.)
You’re relying on extrinsic motivators rather than intrinsic motivators. Everybody might feel an extra burst of motivation after their ex dumps them, or Spring Break is coming up, or they ate one too many cupcakes at the birthday party last night and it’s time to reverse a little damage. Newsflash: that is the QUICKEST way to get burnt out. You need to want this for yourself. Not to impress anyone else, “fix” anything you’ve screwed up on, or to get revenge on anyone. DO. THIS. FOR. YOU. And the results will come.