It is likely (and totally normal) to start losing your drive at this point in a challenge. You start out full force and ready to go and then, well…life happens.
Hopefully, you have instilled some new habits over the last few weeks that you are still practicing or at least are not that far out of reach. One thing I learned in my studies with Precision Nutrition was one of the main differences between those who succeeded and those who didn’t was the word “yet.”
“I’m not strong enough. Yet.” “I don’t know how to do this. Yet.” “I can’t handle this. Yet.” “I don’t know what to eat. Yet.”
It will be important for you to do a few things to remain motivated for the next three weeks and beyond. Take a moment to do the following:
- Find your deep reason. It will be the safeguard that keeps you going when you’ve got nothing left in the tank.
- Find meaning in being uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable and overcoming that naturally makes you mentally stronger.
- Separate your feelings from your true self. It is natural to assume that our feelings drive our behavior, which in some cases they can. Keep a mentality of “my moment-to-moment feelings do not have to determine who I am or what I choose to do.” And then use behavior to change negative feelings.
- When it gets really hard, promise yourself you can quit tomorrow, to get through it, only after this workout; only after this last round of meal prep; only after this last bite of broccoli. Once you make it, you won’t want to quit tomorrow Over time, these actions will help you to reinforce the decision and action to “do the thing that’s good for me right now,” and it’ll shape your future impulses and preferences. When you wake up “tomorrow” your low point will have passed and you have the ability to start fresh, in turn letting you not quit.
Remember: no matter how many bad things you went through in the past, you were still alive when they were over. View life as a series of learnable skills, and keep practicing them!
It’s ok to still have questions at this point in the challenge. It’s ok to totally reroute if necessary. I am STILL here for nutritional guidance over the next three weeks and beyond. Reach out! I would love to chat to see how I can help!
Stay strong. Feel better. B Inspired.
-Becky-
