Hi and welcome to this week's 50 & Beyond Health & Wellbeing blog. Each week I will provide you with knowledge, tips, advice and recommendations to inspire you to sustain good metabolic health specific to being over 50. Chris Deavin, myHealthCoach
The number one reason you will fail or are failing to achieve the health, weight and body shape you desire is your inability to stick to the actions and behaviours necessary to achieve these goals.
You are unable to be consistent for long enough to see the results you want.
Don't worry. You are not alone in this. The majority of people fail to achieve their health goals due to their inability to stick with what works.
You need to start doing what the masses are not. Otherwise, you will end up with the same results as everyone else. Be unhappy with the norm.
Start noticing the abnormal people. The people who are looking the way you want to look. Healthy, strong, fit and in shape.
What is it they are doing differently from what you are doing?
If you closely observe, you will see that there are three things they are consistently good at doing.
They succeed in having a strong reason for consistently following the right actions and behaviours conducive to achieving the results they want. What we will call the 'why'. Why do you want to achieve these goals?
They succeed in following the right strategies needed to consistently act on the right actions and behaviours conducive to achieving the results they want. We call this the 'what'. What will it take to achieve these goals?
They succeed in implementing the right tactics needed to consistently act on the right actions and behaviours conducive to achieving the results they want. We call this the 'how'. How will you go about achieving these goals?
You and I are both guilty of this. We want to look at the nutrition and exercise plans of successful people who have the health, fitness and body shape we want to follow.
If we follow their plan, we will surely achieve the same results.
If only it were that simple. We don't see how often they followed the wrong plans and failed before finding what did work.
We didn't see how often they got the tactics wrong, implemented the wrong strategies or didn't have a strong enough 'why' to help them push through the challenges and obstacles to achieving great health.
All we see is the end results—the results we want for ourselves.
In part one of my series on how to achieve the health and body you want, we will first go through the 'why'. Why is it you want to change? Why is it important to you that you change?
Start With Why
Your 'why' is the vision of what you want to become. Your vision of your future self is the reason you want to change. You believe and see a better vision for yourself. An improvement of who you are today.
You envision yourself being more energised, fitter, stronger, and able to cope with life's stressors better.
Through achieving the above, you will be more loving of who you are, a better person to be around, and a role model for the people you care about.
That is a powerful 'why'. A powerful reason why you want to change.
But here is the thing. What you just read has to come from you. It can't come from me or anyone else. You need to own your 'why'. Not what someone else believes should be your 'why'.
If you are failing to establish a strong enough 'why' to change, it might be down to three primary reasons;
You haven't taken stock of your life
You haven't established your non-negotiables
You haven't learned to navigate criticism
Taking Stock Of Your Life
Are you taking the time to think critically about your reasons for change and the values you hold?
Of course, there is no commitment to developing a strong personal vision of what you want your life to be. It's okay to go with the flow and take life as it comes.
The problem with not deciding on a vision for your life, though, is you can find yourself living someone else's vision they have of your life.
Living someone else's vision for what your life should be, is unlikely to lead to the goals you want to achieve.
Who you see yourself as and your actions and behaviours have to be aligned. Otherwise, when the first rough patch on the journey of change comes along, you will find yourself making excuses why it won't work.
What is it you want to accomplish? What do you want to do to achieve the change you want?
You need to figure out what it is you want to achieve. What your vision is.
Establishing Your Non-Negotiables
You need to make it non-negotiable when embarking on the journey to your vision of better health, increased fitness, improved strength, and feeling better about yourself.
You need to put a line in the sand and say, "I am not going to fail in achieving this life I envision having".
You are unwilling to budge on doing the actions and behaviours you know will deliver the desired results.
You will no longer be the person who says they will cut out eating poor quality food and then orders takeout because they have had a busy, tiring day.
You will no longer be the person who says they will exercise 'x' times per week and then doesn't because other commitments came along.
Learn To Navigate Criticism
When you start the change process, you will quickly notice how many people around you suddenly become critics, saboteurs or hecklers.
Most people find change uncomfortable, challenging and downright scary. And when they see someone else succeeding in changing their life, there is a natural tendency to try and undermine it. Therefore, reconfirming that change is not possible, and it is better to stay how you are.
These people lack the ability first to create a vision of a better life, let alone be able to perform the required actions and behaviours.
They would rather criticise your vision and effort to improve yourself than look at where they are failing.
It is very easy then to start believing what they are saying. Because it will be hard and challenging, and negative thoughts will come along.
Try to look for and surround yourself with people who have the same vision and have gone through the ups and downs that come from achieving what you want.
The critics will always be there, but so will your biggest supporters and cheerleaders.
Conclusion
If you struggle to stay consistent, focused and motivated to perform the actions you know will deliver the health results you want, try looking at whether you have a strong enough reason.
Without a strong vision for what you want, you are more likely to to follow other people's vision for what they want your life to be.
Be non-negotiable when it comes to performing the right actions and behaviours. If you say you are going to do something. Then do it.
Be aware of the naysayers. The people who don't want to see you achieve, as it highlights their failings. Surround yourself with like-minded, positive people who want the people around them to be successful, as it increases the chances that they will be.
Are you struggling to stay consistent and reach your health goals? Here are a couple of ways I can help;
Free Health Plan Review
Get feedback and recommendations on your current health plan and what you can do to improve it and get even better results;
Free Health & Wellbeing Assessment
Not sure what sort of health plan you need to follow? Take my free health & wellbeing assessment, and I will send you a comprehensive, personalised health plan that you can start using from today;
Social Media:
Check out my social media channels for daily health advice, workouts and tips.
To learn more about improving your health and what I provide as a health coach, feel free to email me any questions via myhealthcoachuk@gmail.com. Happy to help in any way I can.
Chris, myHealthCoach
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