When it comes to health and fitness, we all have a starting point. We all face our own struggles, limitations, setbacks, frustrations and failures. Sadly, we all carry far too much judgment when we view others. We think “she’s too fat, she must eat donuts every day” or “she’s so skinny, I bet she never eats or has one of those crazy eating disorders.” It’s amazing what you can learn about a person when you open up lines of communication. You can learn a lot from others when you know where they have been and what it has taken for them to get where they are.
Today I want to share the story of Megan Ewoldsen. She is a coach on our team and at a glance you imagine her life to be pretty perfect. She has a successful business; she is fit, healthy, beautiful, smart, kind and genuine. She has a strong, smart and successful husband and 2 beautiful children. Her smile tells you all you need to know about the person she is on the inside.
I found Megan’s story on Facebook and asked if she would mind me sharing with you. She agreed. Her transformation is not the typical story or picture you see of a 50 pound weight loss and 3 drops in pants size. Her’s is revolved around gaining- gaining weight, gaining muscle, gaining confidence in ways she had never had before.
Megan says “My view was very distorted at one point. I always saw myself as “failing” if the numbers on the scale went from double digits to triple digits but I knew my goal needed to be to get healthy and put some muscle on my frail body.”
How many of you can relate to this battle with the scale? We rely on it to define our success even though we know we have been doing the right things for our health. We are eating better, working out daily and feeling more energy- yet that number on the scale will hit us like a punch in the stomach.
What did Megan do to Overcome?
“I got rid of my scale and traded in the stair climber (cardio machine) for dumbbells. I decided I was going to eat MORE protein and MORE fruits and veggies instead of living off of a container of cool whip for a day (yes, I really did that.) I made a COMMITMENT to myself and my family & friends to get better and I was going to stick to it even though it was a mental struggle. And let me tell you it took some T.I.M.E. This was not an overnight process. It took patience and CONSISTENCY but sure enough… I was well on my way.”
Commitment, Accountability to her family and friends, Time, Patience and Consistency. How many of you look at the picture of Megan and think she is different from you and it was easy for her? It wasn’t! Her head told her lies- maybe not the same lies you hear in your head- but lies none the less that she had to work to overcome.
Megan admits “When my clothes started fitting a little tighter, it was hard and it sounds weird, but I would document it. I needed a visual confirmation that I was gaining muscle, looking healthier and more importantly feeling happier.”
Any Advice?
Megan’s advice whether you want to lose weight or just get healthier- “Throw that scale away and take pictures and measurements! I KNOW it is hard to do but you will be glad you did. The scale should be a baseline for a new goal… not something that controls you every day. FOCUS on getting better FIRST. Then, 4, 6, 8, 12 months from now you’ll open that folder containing that “day 1” photo and if you’ve put in the work you’ll be happy with what you SEE.”
There are 2 lessons to be learned here:
- Don’t judge. Your struggles may not be the same as my struggles or Megan’s struggles but we all battle the demons in our head that try to knock us off track. A big goal is worth fighting for and anything worth fighting for will present obstacles.
- TAKE PROGRESS PICTURES! Megan admits “sometimes going back to look at images of ‘who you were’ or the day 1 photo is hard to look at, you’ll be thankful you documented the progress. Even if you’re depressed, angry, malnourished, overweight, irritable, ashamed or unhealthy you should still have some sort of system for tracking your progress. Maybe it’s a folder full of pictures, a chart full of measurements or even a diary that you write in… If you don’t SEE yourself coming closer to your goal, then you are very unlikely to keep going. This is why the process of progress tracking is very important, almost as important as the goal itself.”
What are your fitness goals?
- Do you need to lose weight?
- Gain weight?
- Get lean?
- Gain muscle?
Whatever it is, we have a program for that and I want to help you achieve it.
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