Get FIT. Be FIT. Stay FIT. Fitness is a journey and you can't put it in simpler terms than this. Unfortunately, most people don't do the "STAY" part of it. I recently read that
95% of people gain back the weight that they lost. Some people not only gain it back, but gain even more. How discouraging is that??!! It isn't a mystery as to why this happens.......one reaches their goal and then stops because they are there and somehow think the work is over. Or, one stops short of their goals because life got in the way or it just got too hard. Personally, I think this also happens because people just don't know what to do next and don't take the initiative to figure something out. Regardless, the "get" and the "be" are the easier of the three stages of the fitness journey. If you want the hard part, it lies in the "stay."
Right out of college, I was the Center Director for a Jenny Craig center in a suburb of St. Paul, MN. Most clients could make changes and find some success in the beginning. Then, something inevitable would happen: excuses. There was an excuse for everything. During my time there, I found myself losing patience with the excuses. I wanted my clients to be successful and STAY successful, but I couldn't want it FOR them. They had to want it for
themselves. Needless to say, there were many clients that got to their goal only to come back again later and do it all over again.
I don't know all of the secrets to help people STAY successful. I do know a few that I will share:
- Constantly set new goals for yourself
- Decide what you want and why
- It's supposed to be a hard journey. If it was easy, everyone would be fit (and stay there).
- Just keep going....even when life gets in the way. Start back up if you have to stop for awhile.
Personally, I'm in the "stay" fit stage of my fitness journey. It took a lot of sweat, dedication, and sacrifice to get here. I constantly have new goals for myself to keep things interesting and challenging. One new goal is to pass my Certified Personal Training exam this weekend. After that, I'm going to lead my clients through their fitness journey.
ANYONE can Get FIT. Be FIT. Stay FIT.
