We all know that if you want to achieve something, you need to be committed to achieving it, otherwise you won’t get very far. When you’re committed to something you prioritise it every day and won’t let the millions of things that compete for your attention on a daily basis distract you.
However, many people make a commitment to change or to achieve something and still don’t get far. This is especially common with any fitness or wellness-related goals. I think we’ve all been there, many times. You start a programme and you genuinely. feel fully committed, you’re excited and motivated. This motivation and commitment doesn’t last very long though, within weeks, if not days, you find yourself back where you started wondering what’s wrong with you, and why can’t you stick with it to achieve the goals you so desperately want.
The problem is not a lack of commitment. The problem is what/who we commit to.
When you want to get fit, for example, you commit to whatever programme you choose, let’s say couch to 5k. You say no matter what, I’m going to finish this, I’m going to run a 5k in 8 weeks.
What happens with this approach is you ignore your own needs because you put the programme before your own well-being. It’s the same as being in a relationship and putting your partner’s needs before your own needs even when it doesn’t feel good.
For example, maybe your shins are sore one week but you push through the pain because you’ve made the commitment.
Maybe the programme advances too fast but you keep pushing because you said you’d not give up.
Or maybe you just don’t like it, or you might even hate it, but because you made the commitment you keep going. If you give up for any reason, you feel like a failure, you’re never good enough. This is the problem.
Here’s the solution: commit to yourself and your own wellbeing
This means that you always check in with yourself and listen to yourself first. You always do what’s best for you and what feels good. Sometimes that means pushing yourself to go out for a run or walk and other times it means staying in bed even when the programme says you should be running.
Committing to yourself means that you start a couch to 5k programme because you want to look after yourself, you deserve it.
It means that when your shins start hurting you stop and ask your body what it needs. You take a rest day or even a week if needed – your well-being comes first.
When the programme gets too tough you adjust it or repeat a week and if you really do not enjoy it you stop and find something that’s better suited to you; something you enjoy. You will never feel like a failure; instead, you feel loved and supported because that’s what you’re doing – loving and supporting yourself in a way that no one else can
