You're there for YOU!

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to remind you of the real reason why you put forth the effort, time and energy to become the fittest version of yourself.  It is not just about fitting into a dress, or impressing your spouse.  For most of us it isn’t about getting a spread in a magazine.  The real reason we all push, pull and sweat is for us ourselves.  Yes, we ourselves may want to “look” better; but ultimately, it is yourself that is looking into that mirror.  And even if you are tailoring your diet, pumping iron, and pounding the pavement (or tread), it is your own health that is directly affected…not anyone else’s.   So stop worrying about what other people are doing or not doing, and hit it hard because everything you do will directly affect you.  Because you are there for you!

I use this reminder even in my work environment with some disgruntled coworkers.  There are a few people I teach with who get upset that some people get away with certain things that they do not.  Similarly, they are bothered when they feel that they do more than other coworkers.  When they gripe to me, I stop them and tell them to not worry about what other people are doing or not doing, but to focus on what they themselves should be doing.  The only way they will see a progression in their own career is if they themselves work towards it.

This is completely relatable to what occurs with our fitness.  We all know that person who can eat whatever and however much they want and never seem to gain any fat.  But that doesn’t mean that you should change your nutritional plans.  Just because someone else can get away with having a less healthy diet doesn’t mean you should.  What they put into their body affects them, and what you put into your body affects you…you are what YOU eat, not THEY eat.  So the healthier you eat, the healthier YOU will be. 

In the gym, observing what other people are doing can quickly go from being motivational to being discouraging if you have the wrong attitude.  As I have said before, not only does everyone have different abilities, but everyone has different goals, so what someone else is doing in the gym should not directly affect what you choose to do.  More importantly, it should not affect how you feel about what you are doing.  Just because the person on the treadmill is running at a much faster pace than you, and has been doing so for quite some time, doesn’t mean that you have to run that fast or that you should get off of the treadmill because you can’t do that intensity right now.  Keep working and maybe one day you can.  Stay on that treadmill for as long as you can at the proper intensity and know that the work you put in is affecting your health immediately.

The same is true in the weight section of the gym.  Dumbbell racks hold more than one weight, and machines always have dozens of plates to select from.  This is because again, we all have different abilities and goals.  It shouldn’t discourage you to train hard just because the person who used the machine ahead of you has the pin in a much heavier weight than you need to use.  Select and use what is appropriate for you.  And those mirrors in the free weights section, once more they are there for you to see YOU!  The people training around you aren’t concerned with what you are doing, and you should be concerned with what they are doing as well.  Be concerned only with the person you see staring back at you in the mirror.

When you take all of the time and energy to follow through on your fitness quest, you are doing so for your own benefit.  You are doing it for you.  It is true you can get tips, learn and be motivated by others, but if what others are doing becomes discouraging, than you have forgotten why you are there.  The food choices you make, and the exercises you do affect you and only you directly.  Remembering that you are there for you is the sincerest way to be a fit new you!