What advice would you give someone just starting a fitness journey?

This is maybe my favorite question that I’ve been asked as a personal trainer.

I wish I had asked this question when I was just starting my own weight loss journey.
It would have saved me years of struggle and frustration.

Looking back over the path that I’ve traveled I can clearly see everything that I missed along the way.

I wish I could go back and tell that earlier version of myself everything that I’ve learned.
I wish that I could save him the decades of feeling not so good about himself.

I wish I could go back and tell that earlier version of myself everything that I’ve learned.

I wish that I could save him the decades of feeling not so good about himself.

The next best thing, or perhaps THE best thing, is to tell you everything that I’ve learned.

If you are just starting your weight loss journey, I’m glad you’re here. I’m going to save you years of struggle and frustration.

If you’ve been on your journey for a while, don’t think this isn’t for you. It never hurts to take a refresher course in the basics.

Are you ready? I hope the answer is yes because I might just unravel everything that you think you know about losing weight.

Here we go…

Stop thinking about losing weight as something you’ll only have to do for a little while and then you’re done.

The use of the word “journey” in the title of this post is no accident. When you endeavor to change yourself, that is exactly what you are on; a journey.

Your life’s journey.

I remember when I was first starting out.

I believed getting fit meant putting my life on hold. I would only eat “clean” and I would spend most of my limited free time in the gym.

I felt that if I could just force myself to stay on-plan until I could see my abs I could go back to living a normal life.

Of course, that plan was not sustainable and when I eventually fell off the wagon I was convinced that the problem was me.

I believed that if I was stronger if I just had more willpower I could get there.

So, I would dust myself off and try again. And again. And again.

My life became a Hell loop and it’s taken me all of my 46 years to break out of it.

Stop thinking about losing weight as something you’ll only have to do for a little while and then you’re done.

What changed was I finally realized that I was going to be on this journey for a very long time.
My program might change over time, but I would have to watch my diet and workout for the rest of my life.

The idea eating clean and spending hours in the gym every day for the rest of my life was terrifying.
I don’t think I could have forced myself to try it again even if I had wanted to.

Then I had an epiphany;
The only way I can be on a fitness program for the rest of my life is IF I LOVE IT.

Now, don’t misunderstand what I mean by loving my program. I don’t mean trying to force myself to love eating clean.

I mean real, honest to goodness, love.

I shifted my focus away from trying to willpower my way through a painful program.
Instead, I made it my mission to only let what I could love in.

That’s when everything changed.

I broke out of my Hell loop and I haven’t looked back since. I’m still on my journey.
As a matter of fact, you can follow my progress on this very blog.

Here is my advice to you just starting out on your weight loss journey;
Make it your life’s work and make sure then make sure that you love your life.

Here is my advice to you just starting out on your weight loss journey;
Make it your life’s work and make sure then make sure that you love your life.

If you need help figuring out how to do that, you know where to find me.

P.S. If you know someone that’s struggling, share this with them. You could change their life.