I will try to keep this post as brief as I can, and what I want to discuss today is this: you can and you will do it, but only if it is made simple. The 'it' is whatever your goal is, and 'simple' is what will make it happen.
Personally, my 'it' has always been a bit nebulous and undefined - I didn't know what I wanted to actually achieve. I would say things like 'I want to be fit' or 'I want to eat healthy' but none of it really meant anything, and whenever I would foray into some internet research inevitably I would end up absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of stuff out there. Forums, books, videos absolutely exploding with exercise routines, meal plans, anecdotes, before and after pics, and it all made me feel like I could never catch up. Like, oh that's nice you just spent 1 hour reading and planning some healthy, balanced meals with all the food groups... well guess what loser, actually you should be doing intermittent fasting with a focus on avocado induced ketosis. Same with exercise - just go on the r/fitness wiki and I defy you, as a total beginner, to come out of there not feeling like a clown. Or the comments on any post in that sub where almost inevitably, there will be someone who disagrees with everything and actually it would be better to do this, this, and this...
In other words - none of this has ever been simple to me, and I was always destined to fail because I never once thought that I can just make it simple(r). With most things in life that are worth doing, there is some sort of barrier to entry, some sort of investment which you must make before you can start to enjoy the results. What we want to do is to make those barriers as small as possible. So here are a few points which I have discovered to be very helpful to me, and I hope they may be useful to you also.
On Exercise:
1.) If you have never been into exercising, don't expect yourself to design a whole routine based on written instructions from 20 different sources and then remember what to do when tomorrow comes. Don't get a gym membership - you don't know what to do there yet. Who the hell knows what a burpee or pyke push up is if you've never done it? What even is 'good form'? Make it simple - follow a video. Even better, follow a video series, where they tell you what to do each day, and how many days a week to do it. Even better than that - follow a bodyweight only programme, so you don't need to buy any extra crap. You just gotta show up*.
2.) * Showing up - super hard if you have to decide how to fit this into your life all the time. Make it easy - just pick a time when you know you will not be disturbed, cannot bail for any reason - and make it an appointment with yourself. I picked 7 am, it's before work, no one else is up. My alarm goes off, I get my ugly leggings and sports bra on and sit on the exercise mat. Once I'm there it really would be easier to just get on with it rather than bail and feel bad about it. The only exception to this - if your body hurts, 'book' that day off from your appointment, and do something else that is good for you (fold the laundry, change the bedsheets - whatever, there's gotta be something to do).
3.) You must align your expectations with your reality. I have not exercised for years, so I did not expect myself to be good at it - in fact, I expected myself to suck to begin with. I said to myself, "Once I start doing it, I promise I will not stop just because I can't go as fast or as long as the person on the videos" (because, of course, that person literally does this for a living). Make it simple - try your best, and forgive yourself for being a bit shit. Pause that shit, get your breath back, do the literal easiest version you can do - whatever works. For me, I had/still do have very weak arms, so I frequently just plank while the person on screen is smashing out push ups... but it's easy, so I don't stop - I do it. Don't even get me started on tricep dips lol.
On food:
1.) In a similar vein to my point on exercise, do not expect with two hours of internet scouring to suddenly become a dietician. It is okay not to know what is healthy or balanced or correct for you just yet. If you've always eaten like shit, 'clean' eating is not going to feel easy, so you have to start with something small and manageable. For me, I was not ready to cut anything out of my diet entirely; my kryptonite particularly was my insatiable sweet tooth. So, I made it easy - I can have whatever I want... but I have to have it after dinner. Which is easy, because I'm not saying no to myself, I'm saying later. Which my monkey brain doesn't mind as much. Start somewhere, keep it up, and then improve something else when you're ready.
2.) Which leads me to my next point - saying no to things is a whole lot harder when they are right there. Make it easy - control that momentary impulse at the supermarket and don't buy that family size bag of chocolates. If you bring it home, it will confront you until you eat it. Buy a small one if you want, and a whole bunch of grapes or something.
3.) I'm sure we've all heard that a lot of times when you think you're hungry, you're actually just thirsty. That may or may not be true, but it is pretty certain that if you drink something immediately before eating something - you will have less space in your stomach and might eat less as a result. So, instead of doing portion control the hard way, make it easy - drink something and let your stomach get a little less greedy. I personally am not a huge fan of water (of course it is very refreshing etc etc ) but I really enjoy weak herbal tea or super weak squash juice. Plus, it helps me actually be appropriately hydrated, which I don't think I've ever been before.
None of this is revolutionary stuff, but decisions and substitutions like the above can make it possible for you to commit to the journey. If you try to go too hard too soon, you might quit or rebel against yourself, and that is ultimately going to prevent you from achieving your 'it'.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/l628la/click_this_if_youve_no_idea_where_to_start/
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