Last Updated on October 9, 2017 by Michael Brockbank
Diets and exercise are the cornerstones of health and fitness. Unfortunately, not everyone experiences the same success. What works exceptionally well for one may be a miserable experience for another. Does this mean you’re just a doomed failure at life? Absolutely not. It means you may need to change your way of thinking.
Why You Might Fail at Diets and Exercise
I’ve seen a lot of people dump quite a bit of money into fad diet plans and exercise machines. The majority of them look no different today than they did when they first bought into those commercialized products. Why is that?
I’m not saying that every person who fails at diets and exercise are mentally unstable. However, there are a few points I want you to consider as you stare at that treadmill sitting in the corner.
Your Needs and Wants
It’s relatively common knowledge how diets and exercise will lead to a healthier body. In some instances, this requires changing some pretty major habits in your daily routine. But not everyone wants to change some of those habits even if they are ideal according to scientific studies.
Take me, for example. I don’t want to cut out pasta, pizza and chocolate ice cream. I love these foods and “want” them to be a part of my menu. However, I do realize that I “need” certain elements such as vitamins and minerals if I want to continue living. This is when I create a good balance of both worlds.
The bottom line is that you have to understand your needs and wants before you can make any real judgments.
Being Fully Committed
A lot of you want to lose weight and be healthy. Unfortunately, many will fall short of actual commitment. If you don’t believe something will work, it often won’t. It’s like a self-defeatist attitude fulfilling a personal prophecy.
I personally know several people who bought workout DVDs and exercise machines who were more on the fence for health and fitness. They kind of wanted to lose the weight but really didn’t commit themselves to putting in maximum effort. Which is why those items sit now collecting dust.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not shaming you if you fall into that category. What this should tell you is that health and fitness just isn’t as important to you as other things in life – which is fine. But you can’t expect diets and exercise to solve your health problems if you don’t fully commit yourself.
Looking for Instant Gratification
All too often, many people will look for the quick fix. They want instant results from diets and exercise and look forward to dropping 50 pounds within 30 days. Unless you’re grotesquely obese, that much in a short amount of time is unrealistic.
Some people need to realize that they can’t expect instant gratification when it comes to health and fitness. Even people who plan on getting weight loss surgeries have to obey an ultra-strict diet routine. And even then, recovery and weight loss will take time.
Refrain from becoming discouraged if you haven’t lost any weight this week while maintaining a good plan of diet and exercise. For one thing, you could be developing muscle – which weighs more than fat. So even though the scale still says 231, your biceps and legs are probably far more defined.
Case in point: I lost two pounds this week even after pushing hard to maintain an exercise routine and remain under 1000 net calories according to MyFitnessPal. Instead of being disappointed in how little I lost even through the hard work, I relished in the fact that I had to tighten my once ultra-tight pajama bottoms because they kept sliding off of me.
Battling Depression
Depression is a difficult mindset to control for many people, including myself. While diets and exercise do quite a bit for seeing me through tough days, it can only do so much.
What if you’re one of those people who habitually wallow in self-pity? And I know you’re out there. I used to be one of them.
I wish I could tell you that a proper diet and a good exercise routine will absolutely solve these issues. But the fact is that many people still need additional help such as counseling or medication.
Battling depression will make health and fitness more difficult to obtain. For one thing, the physical changes in your body that take place during high stress or depressed states of mind are damaging. Another aspect to consider is how depression saps your energy for doing anything…period.
Lack of Motivation
Perhaps one of the biggest culprits for failing diets and exercise is a lack of motivation. After all, a low level of motivation is probably what spiraled you into gaining weight in the first place. I know it did for me.
Not having the motivation to stick to routines, eat healthier or even clean the house all contribute to a more sloth-like lifestyle.
In order for any exercise or diet plan to succeed, you need to be motivated to succeed. This is true in just about any situation. For instance, even winning the Powerball lottery takes motivation to go buy a ticket.
Yes, you’ll probably have those days where you just don’t feel like doing what needs to be done for health and fitness. And that’s OK. Just don’t turn it into a habit. The last thing you’ll want to do is get sucked into what caused you to be out of shape in the first place.
It All Centers On You
Health and fitness isn’t going to just happen. Drinking products like Emerge only work if you plan on exercising or increasing your physical activity. If you don’t think certain diets and exercise are for you, chances are they probably won’t work. Either change your mind or find something that does.
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