Everyone has a different perspective of the definitions of health, fitness, feeling or looking good, based on their own values, belief systems and life experience.
There are people who are genetically blessed and do not have weight issues (and I'm talking either being able to lose weight or gain weight, because both can be unhealthy), so they may sometimes have difficulty empathising with people who do. For others, it's been a struggle all their lives, either due to metabolic or other medical concerns, or via self harm.
Now, you might think me using the words 'self harm' is a bit harsh, but whether it's conscious or not, that's what is going on, and it includes emotional, spiritual and physical harm, such as negative self talk, binge eating, fad diets, obsessive exercising, etc.
Health and fitness is as much a state of mind as it is the condition of your body, both inside and out. You can't make permanent change to and within your body without making a permanent change in your mindset.
I'm the same as you. I have good days and bad days. I have days when I lack motivation and find it hard to be positive about anything.
I know what it's like when you have one of those days where it's all so overwhelming and it feels like you're failing at everything and you wonder why you even bother.
I know what it's like when you're trying so hard to help everyone else and you feel guilty for even thinking about doing something good for yourself, or taking some time out to exercise, because so many other people are relying on you and you just don't have time.
I get it!
But while you're putting everyone else first, while you're making sure they're all happy as can be, and while you're neglecting yourself, your mindset and your body are suffering. If you run yourself into the ground trying to please everyone else, eventually, you're going to get sick. Don't wait till you're sick to decide to get healthy.
Just like eating a McDonalds burger today is not going to show on your body today, but six months of eating burgers every day will definitely show, taking care of yourself bit by bit every day will also show 3, 6, 12 months down the track.
Change always starts on the inside first, physically and mentally. In the first two or three weeks, you're getting your head in the right space, you're consciously preparing yourself to eat the right things in the right ways, and exercising how and when it's necessary. You can't really see a lot of transformation on the outside, but your energy increases, you feel happier and even your skin can improve in look and texture.
After the first few weeks, you'll notice you can do more, you're in a routine with your training and nutrition, you don't get tired as quickly, you're stronger and sleeping better, and your clothes are feeling more loose. You've probably lost some body fat and gained some muscle. People are complimenting you.
Depending on your regimen, it takes 8-12 weeks before you'll start to see real physical differences and changes in your body shape. Yes, these changes can be seen within a much shorter time if you're putting in the effort, but generally speaking at 8-12 weeks, your body will have changed. By that time, people will have already been commenting, but you may not have really seen or believed it yourself, because we tend to look at in the mirror and see the worst of ourselves. Photographs taken at this point, compared with 'before shots' will show change.
The change will also happen in your mind and you may not even know. You can't get to the change in your body without having positive change in your mind.
So what is health and fitness? To me, it's the putting together of a puzzle that will not work with only the mental or the physical - the picture (you) cannot be complete with only one or the other.
You can sit on the couch all you like and say how you're going to get fit and you're going to make change, but if you just sit there, nothing will change. Likewise, if you dread every jog, or every push-up, or every squat, even if you start, eventually you'll stop doing them at all.
And as I said in the beginning, it's subjective. I have my own health issues I deal with on a daily basis and I have to live with those forever. But I recognise there are people out there with missing limbs who are more active than me! I'm grateful that it's a choice for me to sit on my butt in front of the tv, or get out and move.
That choice is yours, too. So what's it going to be?
Change your mind, change your body.
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