What Motivates You?
Standing at the supermarket checkout recently I was flicking through a magazine while waiting to pay for my shopping, the customer next to me begun to unload their goods onto the belt and a big tub of a well known meal replacement product immediately caught my eye. Glancing across the belt I could see a range of similar products: powders, pre-made drinks and bars. My professional distrust and frustration with these products however was not the thing that had shocked me most.
As the lady stepped aside it became apparent that she was in fact shopping for her heavily overweight son of 13 or 14 years old. The young lad looked mortified and deeply upset as they waited to pay. As a trainer, this situation was deeply upsetting to witness as the young lad was clearly very keen to change the situation he now found himself in with regards to his weight. While I am sure this is something we can all relate to I couldn’t help feeling that this could be the start of a difficult road for him as these faddy diets seldom work or last long term as they fail to address the underlying issues surrounding the weight gain in the first place.
The young man was clearly motivated enough to change his situation and I wholeheartedly support and applaud his efforts. The situation though had a sense of hopelessness to it. The mother was clearly distressed for her son and he clearly wanted to feel better about himself. I had wanted to engage the mother to offer my help but this was sadly not a situation where this would have been possible. I tried to catch the mother as they left the supermarket but regrettably our paths did not cross. If I could have offered one bit of advice it would have been this, don’t go on a diet.
Diets encourage weight loss through various methods but typically involve cutting out one or more food groups, reducing calories to an unsustainable level or reducing the number of meals per day effecting the efficiency of your metabolism and rate you burn calories.
A balanced healthy lifestyle, including sensible eating is the only sustainable answer long term. A calorie intake based on your personal energy needs that takes in all the major food groups will lead to long term sustainable weight management, reduced risk to health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease as well as better self-image, self-confidence and self-worth.
If you are ready to make real change then ask yourself what really motivates you? And decide once and for all to say no to the quick fix distractions. Balance and moderation along with a healthy portion of motivation and determination are all you really need to achieve all your goals.
Andy Strong
Fundamentally FIT
