You know that feeling when you start something new, it’s like a mix between complete excitement and being overwhelmed? Yea, I know it well! This is something I see all the time whenever I talk to people about them starting a new weight loss plan or really any type of new plan whether it be diet related or fitness! We all get super excited to start, make tons of changes and then slowly fizzle out and lose our consistency. Sound familiar? Yea I totally get it! In this post I am going to share with you some signs to notice that you are starting with way too much!
The reason you are starting any type of plan is because you want to make a change and I want you to be successful. When we start off too intense we usually find ourselves right back where we started. I know I get wrapped up in this also and knowing these signs really help me to take a step back and slow down.
You Have A Hard Time Fitting Everything Into Your Schedule
If you are constantly struggling to fit everything into your schedule then take that as a sign you are trying to do too much all at once. I know change takes time and you need time to adapt to something new, totally get that but if you’re stressing yourself out to try and fit it all in, eventually you are going to just stop. Don’t take this as a sign that the plan won’t work or that you can’t do this, take it as maybe you just need to start a little smaller!
I see this a lot when it comes to meal planning. If you are used to only making dinner 2-3 nights a week and now you are trying to do it all 7 you will probably find yourself stressed out because you are now cooking dinner on nights when you haven’t in the past. Maybe you don’t jump from 2-3 nights to 7, maybe you take that step back and focus on cooking dinner 4-5 nights a week and when that becomes a routine and less overwhelming you add another day.
See there is no quitting here and taking a step back doesn’t mean you are failing, it means you are growing!
You Get Frustrated When Things Don’t Go As Planned
I can already feel you all tense up here, take a deep breath. Life is not going to go exactly how you plan every single time. Sometimes things are going to get chaotic. There I said it, so now we can let go of the expectation that you’re starting this new diet plan and you are going to stick to it 100% of the time, it’s not going to happen.
If one change of your plan sets you off and you think you failed well then my guess is you are starting off way too strong on this journey. Life happens my friend and it’s never going to be perfect. You are going to have parties and weddings and special events and you should celebrate things with your family without freaking out that it won’t line up with your plan every single day! You have to live!
If this sounds like you, here is my advice. Try and stop focusing on what is going wrong and focus on what is going right. I know it can be hard sometimes so when I catch myself in this space I catch the negative thought and then follow it up with a positive one. So maybe I ate more of the cake than I planned but I noticed my jeans definitely felt looser today and that is fantastic! Take a step back from being super strict with your plan and realize that life is going to happen and you will still show growth!
You Have A Hard Time Recovering
We all do workouts now and again when we feel totally sore the next day, am I right? If that is how you feel constantly without relief, that is a sign you are doing way too much too quickly. If your body can’t recover then you need to take a step back. Taking rest days and sleeping are not signs of failure. For some reason our society has become obsessed with pushing ourselves to the limit, it’s almost like a sign of strength. The problem is we need to actually value rest and recovery.
If you want to make progress you need rest and the harder you push yourself the quicker you are going to get completely burnt out and you will just end up quitting. And friends, quitting isn’t getting you to your goals.
Does this sound like you? Here’s my advice. Plan out your workouts each week and schedule rest days. If you are just starting to workout you don’t need to go super intense right away! Maybe commit to 2 days of workouts and then a day of walking or 2 days of walking. That is a perfect start. You don’t have to go from zero to hundred to prove something!
I totally get wanting to commit to your new plan and there is nothing wrong with that. I just want you to ease into it so you are more likely to be successful. Change is hard and there are so many things that get in our way of success so I’m hoping this advice will help you navigate your journey a bit more! We’ve got to stick together here friends!
Building healthy habits can be hard but the biggest thing to remember is to start small and build on them! Come check out my guide for building healthy habits! See you there!
