How the majority of people approach fitness
Let's go on a hypothetical story.?
Let's call the character Harry.?
Harry is full of motivation after spending some time at home with his family, and he has overindulged. This indulge now made him want to smash his goals.
His new programme says he should aim for 4 workouts a week and has a new diet plan.?
He has to avoid bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar, alcohol, any ingredient they cannot pronounce, and anything that brings them even the tiniest joy.?
They also brought an expensive new juicer because the medical medium told them celery juice would cleanse them and remove toxins.?
The first couple of weeks is amazing. They have sprinted out of the starting blocks with an enthusiastic puppy. They can see changes, and they can feel something. Maybe they feel healthier or feel it's a placebo effect from drinking something that tastes like garden clippings.
A month in, and that initial energy slows down. Things get harder over time, like a running race, and that initial excitement has been replaced with dread. His fitness plan is soul-destroyingly restrictive, and all they want to do is eat pizza.
Finally, they give in. They can't do it anymore.?
This is why being unnecessarily extreme can backfire.?
Big goals can be exciting, but in a fitness scenario, it often breeds this culture of go hard or go home, as if you are a failure if you can't stick with it.
Don't be afraid to start gentle. Walk a bit more, eat some more vegetables, and try a form of exercise you have not tried before just to see if you fancy doing it more often. Do that for a while and build momentum when you are feeling food.
*credit to Ben Carpenter