Misconceptions About Getting Back Into Shape

I’ve gotten many emails, comments and direct messages over social media asking some questions about the Health Habits Guideline, The Health Habits Roadmap programs, and getting back into shape in general.

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A lot of these questions were false beliefs and I noticed a few trends with these myths. 

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It is now time to address these false beliefs and help to get people started off on the right foot when it comes to working on their fitness.

What are some of the myths and misconceptions about wanting to get back into shape?

MYTH- Coming up with a game plan that will help me to lose those COVID pounds shouldn’t be too hard. 

I heard this statement a lot.

FACT- Having a plan of attack is necessary.  That’s pretty obvious but an EFFECTIVE plan of action takes work. 

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Often your plan will need to change slightly or it may even need a complete overhaul.  We can get indecisive when we reach this point. 

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Indecisiveness leads to frustration. 

Frustration leads to overwhelm. 

Overwhelm leads to throwing in the towel. 

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Using a few of the techniques in the Health Habits Guideline can help you be less indecisive and less frustrated.

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The condition of your health and fitness has a tremendous impact on your productivity, motivation, and success. 

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If you feel better about how you look and have higher self-esteem, you will be more motivated to do the challenging tasks in your career and life. 

You will be more organized and productive.  

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MYTH- “If I start on a regular exercise routine and clean up my diet, I can’t go out with my friends.  My entire social life is going to have to change.”. 

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FACT- Changing your entire social life is largely unnecessary unless your lifestyle is putting your health at risk. 

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For example, you smoke and/or you drink more than a few alcoholic beverages daily or you constantly go out to eat and your choice of foods are fried, juicy burgers, pizza with the works, etc. Your blood sugar and your cholesterol is out of control. 

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You get the idea. 

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Making a few changes in your social life isn’t an easy thing to do. 

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You may have to make some tough decisions.  Some of the techniques that you can use to work through this process are talked about in the Health Habits Guideline.  You will discover what you might say NO to in order to YES to so you can start to feel healthier and fitter. 

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MYTH- “I’ll need to track all my foods so I don’t screw up.”.  

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‍FACT- Well, it depends.  The answer to this is complex. 

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When I coach clients, changing their nutritional habits is a top priority. 

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Some people can handle tracking their food by using apps, food logs, etc.  Some people just  aren’t ready for that level of accountability.  THIS IS TOTALLY OKAY.

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Making changes to how you eat can happen in many different ways. 

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What is important to keep in mind is to find a way that YOU ARE COMFORTABLE with and one that you can continually make progress on. 

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You will be surprised how daily small actions can change your nutritional habits over time.  Digging deep into a few of the exercises in the Health Habits Roadmap can shed some light on those small actions.  

Being fit is subjective. 

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Being fit doesn’t mean having six-pack abs or glutes that look awesome in your suit pants. 

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(Quite honestly, these are not the clients that I’ve coached for the past 20 years).

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For some, being fit can mean losing some weight, lowering their blood pressure, controlling their blood sugar levels, and getting off diabetic medication, sleeping better, or adapting to stress better. 

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All of this is possible.  It is possible with a plan of attack that allows for flexibility.  Situations will arise and your action plan will get disrupted.  The Health Habits Guideline can help you figure out how to handle those roadblocks  when they occur.  

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Your mindset is the foundation will help you build muscle and lose body fat. Changing your mindset takes time and patience.  Realizing that it does take time to start to change your mindset can seem daunting, too hard or you are fearful that you will lose focus through the process.  The Health Habits Guideline can help you to start to make those small changes.

Remember this-

Many small changes in a few weeks makes a big difference in a month.