Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time on a website called Pinterest. I’ve found it to be a fantastic tool for finding clean-eating recipes, new exercise routines to try, and motivating quotes and pictures that encourage me to get out there and continue my quest for fitness.
However, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. To be fair, it’s not only on Pinterest. I see it all sorts of places — from the glossy magazines at the grocery stores to late-night infomercials. Everyone wants a quick fix. If you are carrying around any extra pounds, these “diets” and “exercise programs” that promise a loss of 10 to 30 pounds in a short amount of time are incredibly alluring.
There is only one problem: They usually do not provide a long-term solution.
Can you lose some weight if you eat only grapefruit morning, noon and night? Sure, most people can. But your body will quickly start to let you know you’re missing a lot of other nutrients. You will lose weight, but it probably won’t be fat. Plus, people generally don’t stick to extreme diets and end up gaining back everything they lost — plus some.
So, don’t believe the hype. If a diet or exercise plan makes huge promises that sound too easy, too good to be true, it probably is.
Getting fit is hard. The only way to lose fat for the long term is to make a commitment to yourself — and it is not be easy. When my alarm clock goes off for an early-morning workout, I often am tempted to hit the snooze. When it’s snack time, and I see a plate of chocolate-chip cookies, I often think about how delicious they would taste instead of my boring cucumber slices. When it’s time to ramp it up to my next high-intensity interval, I think about how easy it would be to stay at the comfortable pace.
But in those moments, I remind myself that I am committed to being the best, fittest and healthiest me I can be. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I groan, turn off my alarm and get out of bed. Or, I bypass the cookies, open the fridge and get my cucumber slices. Or, I hit the button that sends the treadmill into the pace that, for one minute, makes me think I’m going to die.
Sometimes, I don’t. But, on the rare occasion when I fail to motivate myself, I try not to get bogged down in self-loathing.
The main thing to keep in mind is this: Fitness is a journey. You didn’t gain those extra pounds overnight; you won’t lose them overnight. Make one small healthy change every week, and in a few months, not only will you feel better, but also you’ll be stronger than you ever thought possible.
Jessica Tucker is a strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer, nutrition adviser and founder of Tampa Total Health and Fitness. For more information, email her at tampatotalhealthandfitness@gmail.com.