The Sustainable Path to Fitness: Avoiding the Mistake of Changing Too Much at Once
What is the key to sustainable weight loss and fitness? Let's dig into it. 💪
First, let's start with what doesn't work.
One thing that doesn't work is trying to change all the things all at once. Eeek - have you done this? I know I have…
Changing too much at once looks like..Declaring, “That's it. I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to exercise every day. I'm going to start a journaling practice. I'm going to cut out all carbs, no more alcohol, no more cookies, no more muffins. And I'm going go to bed early every night. And I'm going to start all of it right now.“
If this is the first time you’re meeting me, Hi! I’m Regis, I’m a certified health and life coach and I help women over 30 lose weight and live healthier longer…and look great doing it.
For me, when I was trying to change everything at once, it looked like this: I was going to go running every morning. I was going to stretch every day. I was going to cut sugar and cream out of my coffee and I was going to cut carbs.
This approach worked..for like 3 days!!! For 3 days I was able to make all those changes at once. But then it all went out the window.
It was just too mcuh to keep up with. It felt like I had a new job - on top of my other job..😩 And so 3 days later I threw my hands up and stopped doing anything.
If you’re reading this and this sounds like you, it’s ok! Many many women try this approach!
And when it leaves them hungry and overwhelmed, they think that there's something wrong with them. They think that they weren't disciplined enough.
They think “maybe there's something wrong with my body. Maybe I chose the wrong diet. Maybe I chose the wrong exercises. Maybe I'm not doing the exercises enough or with the right frequency or with the right weights.” But that's not what it is.
The truth is that the key to sustainable fitness and permanent weight loss is in making small changes one by one.
You do not have to overhaul your entire diet and exercise plan all at once to be successful. And in fact, the truth is that if you did it one by one, you'd be way more successful.
This is how real change happens and this is how we make weight loss permanent.
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I love the saying that small hinges swing big doors.
And in weight loss, this is true. As an example, I have a client that comes to mind. In the beginning, she was struggling to get moving, to begin exercising. That was something she wanted to do, but she was having a hard time implementing it. And so for her, her one small thing that she decided to start was to go walking a couple times a week.
And for a while, this is what she practiced and this is what she showed up for and this is the small change she made.
And eventually, when that became just part of who she was and just something that she did, she started to layer another small change on top of it.
Fast forward to now and she is doing strength training regularly a few times a week. Now that is the change that she is making permanent.
Taking it one small step at a time and one small change at a time works.
How to get started with this:
So how are you going to start this? I’ve created a resource for you where I break this down. It’s designed to address the five biggest hurdles that many women come up against when they start trying lose weight and improve their health. Not changing everything at once is on page 5 - grab your copy and start working through this now.
So your first step is choosing the first small change that you want to make. Then focus on doing that one thing until it becomes second nature- until it becomes something you just do.
Pro tip: While you're doing this, try not to get sidetracked. There's a lot of stuff out there, a lot of things telling you that this is the one diet that's going to work, the silverbullet exercises or foods that are guaranteed to be the piece you’ve been missing in your weight loss. Dont let the ads and posts on instagram derail you. Stick with your one change.
Trust me when I say that you will make progress way easier this way.
Now, I know you might come up against some chatter in your mind when you try to implement this. The chatter in your mind may say “this isn't going to work, you’re not doing enough, you need to do this and this and this and don't forget this!” But if you have that chatter, don't worry.
What I want you to do is repeat to yourself softly, “Small hinges swing big doors”.
Keep your eye on that one small change.
Trying to change everything at once or trying to change too many things at once is the first of the five hurdles that many women face when they try to lose weight. I designed this intro guide to help you combat all 5. Get your copy here and start making lasting change.
