Warning: semi-rant ahead.
Demand more.
Seriously. We need to demand more from health and fitness. I believe 100% that how you eat and work out should make you feel better about yourself. It should reduce the amount of stress in your life, and not add to it. It should make you feel empowered and carry over into every other aspect of your life.
And it most certainly should not make you feel bad about yourself. You should never feel guilty if you “go off plan” or eat a bowl of ice cream. You should never work out because you hate how you look or because you over indulged so you’re “working it off”.
Demand more.
Our eating and fitness habits should not define us – they should make our lives better.
I’m not belittling anyone who wants to lose fat and look better because we all want to love our bodies and exude confidence. But we can still demand more in the process to changing how our bodies look, feel, and perform.
So instead of eating and working out a certain way because we’re dissatisfied with how our bodies look, let’s choose to focus on something positive. Let’s find a way to eat foods we know are good for us, but prepare them in a way we enjoy. Let’s move in ways that makes us feel great. Let’s choose healthier habits because of how they make us feel. Let’s work out to get stronger and become more awesome.
Ask yourself these questions: is what you’re currently doing (how you eat, how you work out) making you feel like the best version of yourself? Or, perhaps, are you spending a lot of your time and mental energy every day thinking about food and planning your next workout? Do you feel guilty if you miss a workout or don’t eat a certain way?
Demand more.
Nutrition needn’t be complicated. Workouts should never be punishment.
How we eat and work out should not define us or control our lives – it should make it better.
If you can’t say that about your current habits, then make a change. A great place to begin is to get back to the bare essentials.
Demand more.
Life is too short to beat ourselves up for what society calls “flaws”. We should stop caring so much about what other people think and ask ourselves, “What do I really want in life? What would make me happy and add value to the world?”
As terribly cliche as it is, it would serve us well to, on occasion at least, ask ourselves how we would do things differently if we knew we only had a few more months on this planet. I can almost guarantee that none of us would spend those last few months hating how we look and searching for the latest quick fix. (I do this on occasion when I need a reality check).
We would demand more.
Never forget the main purpose of eating well and being physically active consistently. To make you the best version of yourself. To reduce your stress. To make the rest of your life more awesome. To feel better. To make you feel great about yourself.
So the next time you feel compelled to try this week’s Top 3 Secrets to Lose Weight Fast! or the newest detox by the latest headline on the magazine while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, remember … demand more.
Do things that make you feel great and make you a better version of yourself while making the rest of your life more awesome.
Need a plan to get you there? Check out the free tutorials.
Want a done-for-you program? The Train to be Awesome Guide is an excellent place to begin.