You decided to commit. Maybe you joined a gym, or signed up for a challenge, or hired a personal trainer/coach, or paid for the upgraded version of My Fitness Pal so you can better track your nutrition. Whatever the big step was, you took it, and decided to commit to living a fitter, healthier lifestyle.

Great news!

But after a month of going to the gym 5 days a week, stocking your pantry and fridge with healthy food and even buying supplements to help give you that extra push, you find yourself exhausted and sore and you feel like you’re dying!

Of course, you do have more energy and are feeling a little stronger, and healthier overall. But you haven’t really noticed a big difference in how your clothes fit, or how you look in the mirror, and – after getting off to an encouraging start – the scale hasn’t moved that much in recent weeks.

So you ask yourself, “What am I doing wrong?”
 

WHY AM I NOT SEEING CHANGES?
At this point, many people start to feel like the effort and work they’ve put in the last few weeks, and the sacrifices they’ve had to make might not be worth it. Giving up at this point is not uncommon, and all that money, time and energy could feel like a complete waste.

This is just one of many scenarios. Most of you who are members of this site may have been in this situation (or you may be in this situation now) and you know that if you just keep at it, over a long period of time (emphasis on long), you will start to see changes.

Most of us know, but some of us may not fully accept it yet, that the types of changes we want to see and the types of physiques we aspire to have, don’t happen over. In some cases, they physiques we are trying to attain take years, even decades!

Quitting is certainly not going to help speed things up any ?
 

WHAT ELSE COULD BE “GOING WRONG”?
Quitting, or slacking off and then having to start all over again, is just one example of someone preventing themselves from reaching their goals. In this situation, there were a few different aspects that caused this person to give up. Here are some other things that “went wrong” in this situation:

• False expectations of how long it takes to see results.

• Thinking that simply by making such a large investment (time, money, energy) that quitting would not be an option.

• Thinking the “euphoric high,” motivation and determination to accomplishing these goals would last forever. The second these feelings were replaced with a dip in your enthusiasm and drive, and self doubt – coupled with fatigue and hunger – the seeds of success went out the window.
 

COMMON FITNESS ROADBLOCKS
Here are some other common issues that I have seen over the years that have prevented clients (or friends and family members) from reaching their health and fitness goals:

• Lack of knowledge. Don’t think that you can do this on your own. Even the most elite athletes and trainers have help and guidance from knowledgeable professionals. I have been in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and feel like I’m always learning something new about exercise and nutrition.

• Not having a specific enough goal. Having several health, fitness or physique goals is great. But you can be stalling your progress in a particular area if your goals are all over the place. For example, wanting to build muscle but training for a marathon at the same time are very conflicting goals.

• Thinking that someone else’s program is going to work the same for you. You’ve heard it time and time again: everyone’s body responds differently, even to the exact same fitness program. This is why you need to try something, see how your body responds, and adjust according to what works for you. What works for one person may have a completely different affect on your body and how it responds. It doesn’t mean anything is “wrong” with you, it just means you may need to make a few modifications or adjustments based on your body and your goals.

 
 

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ABOUT NAOMI RABON
Naomi-lighterBIOOne of the trainers on Nicole’s elite NW Fitness Training Team, Naomi is a certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is a NPC Figure competitor who has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 12 years.

Go here to find out more about training with the NW Fitness Training Team!