Making the decision to start exercising is the first step of a long and life changing process. But too often the intentions behind that choice are not the best; thus resulting in disappointments, frustration and resignation. Let’s dive right into the three signs that show you’ve decided to start exercising for the wrong reasons.
1. You’re doing it to please someone else
In an attempt to please their significant other, women are ready to mold their body to be their partner’s favorite thing to look at. I’ll spare you the “if he picked you, he loves just the way are” speech. The truth is, the closer you’ll get to the “body goal” you’ve set, the more frustrated you will become if your lover does not compliment you on your results for instance, or if he simply does not adopt the attitude you thought he would have as you achieve the body of his dream. If you don’t do it for yourself, you might as well not do it at all. He never asked you to do it anyway!
2. You’re doing it to look a certain way
Social media can be the best motivational tool and the worst one at the same time. With the abundance of fitness models posting tons of pictures of their perfectly sculpted body, Instagram is easily the best source of inspiration to get started on your fitness journey. However, the danger lies in women’s propensity to compare themselves to other females. There are multiple types of beautiful bodies and depending on your mood, your taste might change: you might watch Kanye West’s Fade video today and die over Teyana Taylor’s body, stumble upon a photo of Jen Selter tomorrow and wish you had her fit and skinny figure with a big booty, or want a more model-like body like Jasmine Tookes the next day. Actually, if you pay close attention, your desire is always stimulated by what you see; whether on social media or elsewhere. That’s why your tastes change so often. And it is the confidence that these women exude that manages to make you perceive them as hot, even if originally their features were not your #bodygoal. When you say to yourself: okay, I want the same body as this girl. You put yourself in a tricky position where you will constantly compare your fitness results to someone else’s and if you don’t obtain the results you hoped for, you’ll get frustrated and give up. So bottom line is: do not compare yourself to anyone.
3. You’re not willing to make sacrifices
People often think that exercising will be the key to having the best shape ever. And it’s true, to some extent. However, exercising without following a healthy diet is completely useless. Eating clean is such a crucial aspect of having a beautiful body, glowing skin, and healthy hair, but unfortunately, it is often overlooked. If you are not ready to start eating clean, it is pointless to start exercising, because you will not see any results. In order to lose weight, you need to reduce your body fat percentage, which is directly linked to nutrition. If you workout and keep eating unhealthy, you won’t get any results.
3 Reasons You Should Start Exercising
1. You’re not obsessed about losing weight or having ripped abs. Your main focus is your health.
Your mindset is crystal clear: you want to live a healthy lifestyle and you are aware that an unhealthy diet and a sedentary life lead to countless serious diseases that you may not see any sign of now, but as you grow older, you will undoubtedly reap the sow of an unhealthy lifestyle: back pain, knee pain, diabetes, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases just to name a few. You don’t compare yourself to anyone. You know that you are on your own journey, and although you are inspired by beautiful women, you do not compare yourself to them.
2. You want to live the best life you can possibly live
Being healthy is more than a lifestyle. It’s a mindset. It is the conviction that you want to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be. It is the commitment to be disciplined and dedicated enough to get things done even when you’re exhausted or frustrated. If you don’t adopt that mindset, you may give up at the first challenging day.
This way of thinking will slowly change your attitude about other things in your life. You will be more focused. More present. You will make a tacit pact with yourself to excel at every single thing you do: diet, sports, relationships and work.
3. You are willing to make all necessary sacrifices
Deciding to start exercising means you know you’re going to have to change your diet. It implies you’re determined enough to stick to your plan through all challenges. Because a healthy lifestyle is a lot of work. Quitting eating between meals is a lot of work. Cooking healthy is a lot of work. There are no days off and it’s oh so worth it.
Looking good is just the extra bonus that’s gonna make you feel even better.
