Knowing This One Thing Will Make Committing To A Healthier Lifestyle So Much Easier
Forget all the confusing, conflicting advice and just keep reminding yourself this.
Sandra Dans from capturenow, Susannah Townsend from corelens In the world of health, it can be hard to know what’s best for you — seriously! When two fitness influencers are screaming into your ear giving contradictory advice, it's easy to feel discouraged from committing to a healthier lifestyle.
It shouldn't be — and it doesn't have to be — this overwhelming to get healthy. Strength training and nutrition coach Jordan Syatt addressed a question he often receives on his Instagram, and his answer was exactly the level-headed, refreshing kind of advice we need to cut the confusion.
In the comments on his Instagram post, someone asked, “What is the most important thing to keep in mind when I’m just starting to commit to a healthy lifestyle?”
The Most Important Thing To Know Before You Begin A Health And Fitness Journey
Syatt makes a powerful point by writing, “There is no finish line. There is no end date. This 'fitness thing' is a forever game.” He continues, that we have to stop trying to achieve our goals in the fastest and easiest way possible.
Because let’s face it, achieving unrealistic expectations abnormally fast is only possible by doing unbelievably foolish things.
Let’s take crash dieting as an example. Sure, going on diet trends — such as the Keto diet — may show short-term benefits. Your jeans may fit better and your waist may be more snatched.
But according to Better Health Channel, “As soon as you resume your usual lifestyle, the weight starts to creep back on.” Meaning you just gave yourself a headache and shed tears for no reason.
But this isn’t the only thing to be concerned with. Crash dieting can be super harmful to our bodies.
When our bodies go into starvation mode, they respond by lowering their metabolic rate. This means it makes it harder for you to lose weight, says Better Health Channel.
Instead of engaging in unhealthy habits, Syatt urges us to take small baby steps. For instance, maybe start by cutting out nighttime eating.
Yes, it may take longer than you would like for noticeable weight loss to occur, but remember, short-term solutions don’t work for long-term achievement.
Syatt continues preaching his message by writing, “As soon as you realize there is no finish line…As soon as you realize there is no end date to achieving your fitness goals…As soon as you realize there is no reason to rush or hurry or try to speed up the process. That’s when you’ll start making unbelievable progress.”
As Haiyang Yang, Antonios Stamatogiannakis, Amitava Chattopadhyay, and Dipankar Chakravarti write, “Focusing on smaller accomplishments can bolster positive feelings, motivating us to take on more goals in the same category.”
So, be patient and understanding with yourself. Most importantly, take your time and focus on your mental health first!
And for those who don’t think mental health is important, consider this: according to the CDC, “Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health.”
Not only that, but poor mental health can also have devastating impacts on our physical health. Mental health issues such as depression can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes, writes the CDC.
As Syatt beautifully puts it, “Progress is not only measured in fat loss. Mental progress matters, too.”
If you aren’t the smaller size you're aiming for, don’t destroy yourself to get there! Remember that what is worth it takes time — and that’s more than okay!
Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's degree in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, and family topics.