Let’s talk.
I love you. I’m here for you. I’m cheering you on. But I really want to stop hearing the words I can’t or I’m too _____ fill in the blank. Seriously. Enough with it.
Let’s recap where I was before I decided to make this change.
I came into this journey with my own personal set of I cant’s. Here are some things I told myself on the reg.
I can’t get lean and strong, my body just doesn’t do that anymore
I can’t control what I eat, especially when we go out
I can’t resist sweets
I’m tired
I can’t plan ahead with meals
I can’t food prep, I’m too much of a procrastinator
I’m tired
I can’t workout like I used to, I don’t have the energy
I’m getting older and this must be my new normal
I’m not in good enough shape for a more demanding workout program
Oh yea, I’m tired
I don’t have time to be that disciplined
I just can’t run like I used to
I don’t have time for longer workouts
Does any of this sound familiar? Yea. I thought so.
I wasn’t just telling myself these things, I was believing them. And when you believe something long enough, you lose the desire to change it, because you no longer believe you can. I was taking all of this negative self talk for gospel. I was stuck, and I had just decided somewhere along the way that I needed to settle in and get comfortable being comfortable, because I wasn’t going to change. Or at least that’s what I thought. I really did think I had passed my prime, at 36. Eye roll to myself.
And here I am, 7 weeks later, living proof that change is possible if you decide to do it. It all lies in a choice. My results, both internal and external, are proof that I was capable(as capable as you are) of planning ahead, saying no, having self control, working out harder, making healthier food and enjoying it, and making the necessary time to commit to getting healthy. And it’s not because there is anything special about me.
The thing that has me literally ranting and raving and pleading and screaming (again, in love) in my own head are all of the EXACT SAME EXCUSES coming my way when asked about this process.
Oh, food prep? Yea, you lost me there. I can’t do that. I don’t have time.
Oh what’s that now, working out 6 days a week? Sorry, I’m too out of shape for that.
Cut out sugar, alcohol, and dirty carbs? I don’t have the discipline for that. I like food too much. I eat horribly and can’t change that.
Be consistent? Lost that ability years ago
Lose weight? Impossible. The scale is stuck.
Enjoy working out? Never gonna happen, it’s never been my thing
Workout at home? Ha! I just can’t do that.
Can I just lovingly say……..
YES YOU FREAKING CAN!!!!!!!! YOU DO HAVE THE DISCIPLINE IN YOU, EVEN IF IT’S BURIED DEEP. EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T TAPPED INTO IN A LONG TIME, OR EVER. IT’S THERE. YOU JUST HAVE TO DECIDE TO USE IT.
Is it acceptable to write an entire post in all caps to get my point across? Probably not, so I’m begging you to listen and take heart.
I was in a very toxic place. I was coping with some hard seasons with food. And it wasn’t just showing up on the outside, it was affecting my attitude, behavior, patience, physical health(chronic sinus infections, chronic headaches), joints, outlook on life, energy levels, sleep, relationships, parenting. You name it, it was suffering. I had no idea the depth of issues poor nutrition could cause. I mean I knew because I’ve been trained to know how important nutrition is, but I was so far removed from anything resembling healthy that it had slipped away from my mind. I had forgotten just how drastically things change when you eat well. It had literally been 12 years since I had made routinely unhealthy choices, and my life was very different then(think pre kids).
I knew that my health was going downhill, and I needed to put some serious restrictions in place to get myself back to healthy. And I’m not talking restrictions to an unhealthy degree, deprivation of nutrients, starvation or legalism. I’m talking about healthy balanced nutrition. And I knew it would be the hardest thing I’d had to do in a really long time. I knew the road would be so very challenging and demanding and isolating in some ways. I knew I was the only one who could make it happen. And that’s why I resisted it for so long. Ya’ll, I am living proof that making the choice to change these habits will change your entire life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Ask my husband. Ask my kids.
So I’ pleading with you, do this for YOU. It has to start with you. You are the only one who can make the choice. I can post and write and show progress pictures and do my very best to use my journey to motivate you to start, but at the end of the day, it has to be you.
This is about you, believing in yourself enough to make a change. You have to be ready to embrace the struggle. It will be hard. It will require new amounts of discipline. You will have to dig deep. There will be moments that you feel defeated, and then ya’ll, there will be moments of such high’s and victories that leave you feeling like you have conquered the world. You have to be willing to embrace the struggle and the suck to GET TO THE VICTORIES. They don’t come for free. And so many people read those things and say, nope, not me. I’m not capable, and that does NOT sound fun. But I can’t sit here and tell you it’s easy. That wouldn’t be fair or accurate. But the hard is what makes it feel so good!! And it’s what makes it so damn rewarding.
So why in the world not you? If you put your mind to it, you can do it. There is nothing special about me. I’m not superwoman. I’m not iron willed. I’m not a stellar athlete. I’m not ultra disciplined when it comes to food. If anything, I’ve been the “life is short, eat the cookie” girl. So if I can do it, coming from the toxic place that I was in(and please understand, when I say that, I’m not being dramatic. I just can’t fully divulge some of those details. They are not for this space) then SO CAN YOU. I’m pleading, with tears in my eyes, for you to make a healthy change.
This process has fueled my passion for seeing you succeed.
If you feel stuck, if you feel depressed, if you feel lost, if you feel cheated or sad or weak or like you’ve lost your spunk and your energy, please please please start with one step. Change your nutrition. Exercise. Implement some self care into your life. I’m a trainer and I can’t train all of you in person, but I can sure as heck use this platform to do my best to motivate you and cheer you on!! Make yourself work and sweat and TRY for crying out loud to do something good. Give the process time to work, dig in, dig deep, and reap the massive rewards of what good nutrition and exercise can do for you mind, body, and soul.
YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!
YOU CAN. The only person saying you can’t, is you.
The post I Am So Over “I Can’t” (said with love of course) appeared first on Red Head On The Run.