How To Stay Motivated After Weight Gain
A client of mine came in to workout today and confided in me his current battles with staying motivated. He had lost a lot of weight, originally coming to me to tone up and get stronger. Now a year later he is ten pounds up and not in control of his eating and his workouts are not enough to combat his greater intake of calories. I have to admit, it’s not the first time I have heard this story.
Many clients, friends and even family have struggled over the years to find some kind of balance in their life, a balance that includes eating well and with variety but in smaller amounts, and having enough exercise in their lives to burn more calories than they are taking in.
It’s a constant battle if the original issues are left to linger beneath the surface. Everyone has different reasons for overeating, losing focus and basically getting the workout blues and for every reason there is as many different ways of gaining control again. And yes, that is the magic word: control. When we have balance in our lives professionally, spiritually, emotionally and physically, there are no problems. But when things go askew, we may not have the resiliency to get back into alignment. Where do we start? How do we achieve that balance? That’s the 60 million dollar question! And certainly a deeper answer than I can write about here. But I can say this: start with admission. Tell a friend, a family member, or your trainer what you are struggling with.
Simply putting a face to it and talking about your struggles can normalize the situation and be a jumping off point for re-focusing. Revisit your goals and share that with someone. I was so happy when my client talked to me today. It was a relief for him to put his faith in someone. Then plans can be made. We agreed to start with the breath. He was practically hyperventilating during his workout today. So we paused and worked on just catching his breath. An that’s what it’s always about, pausing and catching your breath.
