Getting Started with Health & Fitness: Avoid the Overwhelm

Starting your fitness journey can be scary and sometimes it can be overwhelming.  It is something new that you are trying to implement into your routine.  You are doing things that you are not used to or maybe you have never even done.  It is okay to take it slow! In fact, I would encourage you to do so. If you try to implement too many new things, you will likely give up early.

Maybe you are completely consumed with where your lifestyle is currently and you are thinking about everything that has to change in order for you to be healthy.  I mean, if I allow myself to think about that, I get overwhelmed!  I would encourage you to take one step back, and only allow yourself to think about the moment.

What can you do in this very moment that will take you a step towards a healthy lifestyle?  Do not allow yourself to think about the big picture yet.  I know that if I allow myself to think about the amount of weight that I need to lose to get to my goal weight or how many sizes are in between my current size and my goal size, I get really discouraged.  It is an overwhelming feeling that takes over.  That makes me feel like I want to crawl in bed, pull the sheets over my head and never come out.

This is a journey.  It is a journey to making health and fitness part of your lifestyle.  When you make it part of your lifestyle, it is with you forever.  It becomes second nature to you. You do these things because that is just what you do. There will be time to add and subtract things along the way.

So if we think about it as a journey, we need to think about all the different stops we will make.  There will be stops to pick up new things.  There will be stops to dump the garbage out.  There will be stops to sightsee.  There will be road blocks.  There will be stops to re-route.  There will be all kinds of these stops along the way.  It will allow you to implement new options.  It will allow you to get rid of what you do not like or want.

So do not get overwhelmed at the thought that you have to change everything today.  Take it slow. Do not get burnt out before you even get started.  Do not get discouraged.

How do you avoid the overwhelm?  Take it slow.  Take it one step at a time.  Focus on what you can do right now.  Change one or two things at a time until you have control.  Then add in a few more things.  You can do it!