We talk a lot about habits and the things we can do to effect change for the better. But equally, if not more, important is what's going on in your head.
It's all too easy to have negative thoughts and feel like the world is against us, and if anything is guaranteed to scupper our goals it's negative thinking.
I've been as guilty of this as anyone, but realised that if you just look around you'll see all the fantastic opportunities, support and resources that are available to you.
Here are a few thoughts to help maintain that positive outlook:
1. There Will Never Be A Better Time
Biologically speaking, fitness will never come easier than it will right now – assuming that you're at least in your twenties when you read this.
You can never be too young or too old to get healthier, but it can be difficult to make long-term health plans or be too invested in your fitness before and during puberty because your body is changing so fast.
At a young age you shouldn't be thinking about things like calorie intake and muscle and bone growth, but hopefully your parents will have instilled in you the need for a balanced diet and plenty of exercise.
Once your body figures out what it's doing in your twenties, it's a great idea to make and keep consistent health goals.
Beginning in your thirties, your body can start to passively lose muscle mass and bone mass, your body can start to have a harder time getting the oxygen it needs, and your metabolism slows down. This decline is very gradual until around your sixties when it begins to pick up speed.
The take-away is that even though you may have missed times in your life when attaining fitness goals would have been easier, they won't get any easier if you keep putting them off.
As the old saying goes "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now!"
2. There Has Never Been A Better Time
Another piece of good news is that this may be the best time in history to improve fitness.
Other periods in history had an advantage in that people were less likely to live a sedentary lifestyle, but at no point in history have humans known so much about the body and about its needs and abilities.
More than that, all of this information is readily and freely available on the internet.
People have known for thousands of years that exercising is good for you and we've known for a while now that some sources of sugar and fat are bad for you, but information on how to put this knowledge into practice has never been more accessible.
It also helps that we are living in a time when people are particularly conscious about what we put in our bodies.
Unfortunately, for the last seventy years or so, humans have been more heavily focused on what kinds of foods we can create rather than what kinds of foods we should be eating.
Thankfully, more recently, we have started to wake up to the kinds of unhealthy things that have become staples in our diets. This realisation is making healthier choices more visible and more affordable.
3. Your Mind Will Thank You
People have talked for thousands of years about a possible mind-body connection.
Scientists are beginning to admit that while we might not understand it completely, physical health is very closely linked to emotional health.
Taking better care of your body can help you to feel better emotionally and feeling better emotionally can help you to stay healthier physically.
4. Your Community Will Thank You
Just as different parts of your body are connected, you are also connected to everyone around you.
Being unhealthy has become something of a societal norm in many places, but it isn't too late to reverse that trend. Healthy people tend to actively and passively encourage other people to be healthy.
More than that, the healthier the people there are in an area, the more economical it is for people to gain access to health equipment and healthy food because that is how markets work. If healthy people demand certain products, those products will become readily available and the more people demand those products the more available they will become.
In this way, healthy societies aren't only composed of healthy people, they create healthy people and every time that you make a healthy choice instead of an unhealthy one you are contributing to the overall health of your community.
5. Your Friends And Family Support You
While few people think of the connections described in the last paragraph, people other than yourself are probably concerned about your health.
There has been a lot of talk lately about "fat-shaming", the practice of discouraging unhealthy behaviours not because you are concerned for a person's health but because you find overweight people unattractive and unpleasant to look at.
We're not talking about that shallow and superficial aspect of other people's "concern" for your health, we are talking about the people that love you and want to see you live a healthier life and indeed a longer life.
These people can be an inspiration to you without them even knowing it. If they have ever talked to you about your health, however, talk to them about your goals and the work that you are doing to achieve them. Having a healthy network of support can contribute a great deal towards achieving your goals.
If your friends and family don't seem supportive or you don't have a large network of these people, your doctor is one person you can talk to, or there are many groups of like-minded people online who care about your health and will be thrilled to hear you talk about your goals and your progress.
6. You Will Thank You
Other people aside, the first person that you should be thinking of as you motivate yourself in fitness is yourself. No one has a more vested interest in your health than you do. No one will reap the physical and mental benefits of improved health in greater measure than you will.
Thinking of other people who want you to be healthy can be a great source of motivation and support, but you should always be thinking of yourself first and foremost as you strive towards your goals.
7. You Can Do It
The last positive thought I have to offer is one that you have probably heard before but bears repeating – you can do it.
No matter where you live, the resources that you need to become a healthier person are available to you. Some people in some circumstances may have an easier time of it than you, but all that you really need to improve your health is dedication.
You can do it.
