What are some of the great rom-coms out there? Lets see, how about When Harry Met Sally? Lets not forget Bridesmaids! Ah, yes, The Wedding Planner and The Wedding Singer (one of my personal faves). And perhaps the greatest love story ever told, The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Now, what the hell do rom-coms have to do with your health and fitness? Think about it for a moment. Think about the passion and effort put into the relationship by both characters. They do whatever they can to be with each other. They stay up late. They call into work sick just so they can spend more time together. They talk to each other on the phone for hours on end about absolutely nothing, but they dont care. They dont mind the silly and cute little quirks. This goes on for weeks. Months. They fall in love. They get married. Credits roll.
Now, look at your health and fitness goals. You start a new program. Its beautiful. You know this is THE one. The one that will finally get you looking like Taylor Lautner from the Twilight trilogy or Jennifer Anniston from well just about anything (girl does not age). Youre setting your alarm an hour early to get up first thing in the morning to ensure you get your workout in before your workday starts. You dont mind the soreness the next few days after a good workout. Youre getting into the gym after work 5 days a week and not complaining at all because you remembered to set your DVR to record the latest episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. (Dont lie, you know you still watch it!) This goes on for weeks months.
Then then, what?
Have you ever considered why a rom-com ends after we see the lovebirds get married?
Because thats when the real work comes in. Its after the wedding and the initial honeymoon phase that reality sets in and folks realize that making this thing work requires effort. Theyre tired after a long day of work. They dont want to stay up all night talking. Theyve used up all their sick days so no more calling in. Remember those silly and cute little quirks? Theyre not so silly and cute anymore.
Same thing with your health and fitness, right? After the initial shine wears off, reality sets in and all the sudden youre hitting the snooze button or skipping your workouts after a long day of work. Youre not taking the time to prep your meals and snacks ahead of time. Youre eating Subway multiple times per week because its quick and healthy.
How do we ensure our health and fitness love story ends up like Allie and Noah from The Notebook? They died in each others arms at a ripe old age, in case you forgot. We do this by buckling down and being willing to put in the hard work, even when the excitement of the new health and fitness journey dims.
The idea I am constantly reminding my clients of is, action begets motivation. You cant wait until youre motivated or inspired to take action toward achieving your health and fitness goals. You must commit to the process consistently, even when youre not feeling it.
Unfortunately, in todays day and age, a successful marriage would be one that has lasted at least 10 years. Ask any couple that has been married for at least that length of time and Im sure theyll admit there were plenty of times they wanted to throat-punch their spouse. But they stuck with it. They didnt give up. Even if the relationship isnt perfect, theyre not letting the credits roll on their marriage.
We must have the same approach with our health and fitness journey. We dont have to divorce ourselves from our existing program(s) and marry a new program every month because we werent perfect, or boredom is setting in.
How can we get passed the challenge of wanting to quit our health and fitness journey once the credits have rolled? Remind yourself what your actual health and fitness goals are. Remind yourself why you started your health and fitness journey in the first place. Identify potential challenges that must be overcome and develop strategies to overcome them, and be willing to stick with your journey even when the honeymoon phase wears off.
The credits dont need to roll on your health and fitness journey. Youre the director. Make your health and fitness rom-com last a lifetime.