by Christian Bossert
Getting in shape doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a lot of small sacrifices and challenging consistent steps in the right direction. Achieving any health or fitness goal can take a long time. It can be demoralizing when your hard work isn’t showing off on the scale or in the mirror. This time of year, the third week in January, is when most people quit. They don’t completely quit eating healthy and working out all at once. What happens is even more damning.
In college, one of the hardest classes I took was Chemistry 130. I spent more time on this class than my four other classes combined. I went to every single class, did my homework, attended optional study sessions led by graduate students, went to the tutoring lab, and created my own study sessions inviting the smartest students in the class. I worked my butt off and had a ‘high B’ in the class before the lab final.
“There’s no way I can change a lifetime of failure now.”
Unfortunately I did not do very well on the lab final and my grade slipped to a ‘straight up B.’ The good news was I could crush the final exam and still make an ‘A’. I thought to myself, “An ‘A’ in chemistry would be amazing. But there’s no way I can make an ‘A’ on the final exam. I made mostly ‘C’s on tests and the only reason I had a ‘B’ is because I scored well all my homework and lab reports, plus I turned in extra credit. All my life I struggled in science classes. There’s no way I can change a lifetime of failure now. I guess I’ll try my best, but that may not be good enough”.
Can you guess how I did on the final exam? If you guessed an ‘F’ you were right. I made a big fat ‘F’ on my Chem 130 final exam. My grade dropped from a ‘B’ to a ‘C’. I was devastated. “All that hard work for nothing. I’m just not smart”, I thought. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I learned the true reason for my failure.
“I may never see the day when I lose ‘enough’ weight and keep it off.”
How does my bombed chemistry final relate to quitting on your health and fitness goals? You know the answer. It’s the failure mindset. For me, I never rewarded myself for studying, going to tutoring, or turning in extra credit. I allowed myself to worry about failing the final rather than focusing on the small gains I made after each study session. If I’m trying to lose weight, my main focus cannot be the number on the scale. I may never see the day when I lose ‘enough’ weight and keep it off. I encourage you to focus on the small steps. If you walked a mile today, celebrate it. Tell someone who you know cares about you. Share a picture of yourself on social media. Reward yourself for sticking to your goal.
Right now, the third week in January, is when the clay begins to mold. You’ve put in the effort since the beginning of the year. You’ve eaten right and exercised your butt off. It’s now when your body AND mind are beginning to change. Don’t lose heart. You’re already a winner by taking massive action to change yourself. Now is not the time to give up. Talk to your accountability buddy. If you don’t have one already, look for one now! Find someone to support your goals and hold you accountable. Focus on the little things you do each day. Celebrate your small wins.
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