What are some challenges that you face when it comes to your weight loss and fitness journey? Maybe it’s the season of life that you’re in that’s making it difficult to stay consistent. Or, maybe it’s finding time with your occupation, or not even knowing where to start. 

No matter what it is, there are a lot of things that can make it hard to find balance in our fitness journeys, and the truth of the matter is, that you are not alone. It’s all about finding ways to make things work for you, and giving yourself more grace during hard times.

The challenges of starting your fitness journey.

They often say that when it comes to important tasks, starting is the hardest part. This couldn’t be anymore true for your fitness journey as well. 

You may be stuck in a work routine that doesn’t give you much time for flexibility. As a result, this may lead to unhealthy habits like grabbing whatever you can to eat when you can, and falling out of rhythm with self-care.

For some, the beginning of any fitness or weight loss journey can be discouraging as well. If you haven’t worked out in a long time or at all, it takes time to build up stamina which can make the start of the journey feel frustrating.

The importance of finding what works best for you.

In this day in age, comparison is easier than ever to do. We often look at other people’s progress and start to compare, rather than focusing on what’s right for us. 

The key is remembering that everybody is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Part of the fitness journey is finding what feels right for you which may require some extra time, effort and work to get there.

At the end of the day, it can be hard to find the time and energy to discover what works for you, but the effort is always worth it. Once you get over that hurdle, the benefits will start to come, and you’ll be able to give more time to the most important parts of your life.

Mental and physical benefits from a balanced fitness routine.

When you finally get into the groove of a fitness routine that feels right for you, it doesn’t take too long to start seeing and feeling a difference with consistency. 

More often than not, you’ll learn that the mental benefits are just as powerful as the physical benefits.

You build stamina and endurance.

At the beginning of your fitness journey, it’s going to take some time to build up strength, stamina and endurance. We’ve all been there. You may feel winded, out of breath, and may not be able to run or retain certain workouts for a long time. 

But as you stick to a consistent routine that is in line with what works for you, you’ll be able to do more reps, run the extra mile, and notice significant progress from the beginning of your journey. 

You feel strong and powerful.

With seeing your stamina and endurance get stronger, you’ll also feel physically stronger and more powerful, too. 

In any fitness journey, this is what so many of us strive for. It becomes an even stronger testament to your effort and hard work that you’re putting in, without having to look at the number on the scale.

You gain confidence.

Most important of all, when you finally find a fitness routine that works for you, you gain more confidence. 

A consistent routine can boost your self-esteem and make you feel ready to conquer the world. As a result of your efforts you may start to feel better in the clothes that you wear, and feel proud of yourself that something you’re doing has paid off.

Life presents stressful situations that can really throw us off course, but getting over those hurdles are possible when you start to loosen such a tight hold on yourself and your expectations, make good changes, and always give credit to yourself for your wins.

that the foods with more sugar, fat and salt are addictive making it easier for us to want to come back to it and eat it.

At the end of the day, factors like these have caused us as humans to get out of touch with what our body truly needs, making it much harder to tap into our body’s signals and identify what we want, when we want it.

Tapping into your body’s natural signals.

To get back to the basics of intuitive eating, there are a few things we can do. Some of the upfront work might include taking some time throughout your day to check in with your body. Ask yourself things like:

  • “How am I feeling right now?”
  • “Am I thirsty?”
  • “Am I hungry?”
  • “Do I need to eat at this moment?”

Being more mindful is key because it is what is going to help create that connection about knowing what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. 

On the other hand, a lot of the reasons why it can be difficult to intuitively eat stems from emotional issues. This may include working to break the cycle of cravings or eating food to deal with certain feelings.

Getting to the root cause of why you emotionally eat can be a large turning point in your wellness journey. This is where coaches like myself can extensively work with you to help you identify the root cause of your emotional eating and turn things around to get your body and mind to a state where intuitive eating comes more naturally to you. 

Getting back to the natural state of intuitive eating takes some work, but the good news is that it is 100% within us all. We were all born like this and it can be something that we can get back to. The first step is just to start listening to your body and it will tell you exactly what it needs.