You’ve got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It’s called perseverance. ~ Lee Iacocca
This fitness and weight loss journey I am WE are on is very similar to that of a marathon.
Before the marathon even begins we have researched, planned, and prepared for the start of the race.
We have researched the best diet and fitness plan. We have purchased the food logs, written the fitness plan in our calendars and have even chosen a start date.
We are ready to begin this journey – marathon!
We are ready to begin this journey – fitness/weight loss!
At the start of the race we are excited, motivated, driven.
We anxiously look forward to the first day of “the rest of our lives” to begin our new diet and fitness plan.
We locate the pace group that aligns with our goal finish time.
We estimate our goal weight and goal date – planning how much weight we need to lose each week in order to reach that goal.
When the gun goes off we might even take off too quickly.
Our excitement for this new journey may have you losing weight too quickly – or exercising too much.
After a few yards-miles (or when the pack thins out) you realize that you are fatigued and need to slow down… or you will never finish!
You begin to panic that your momentum has wained (after about 2 weeks) and you will never reach your goal.
Once you finding your rhythm/pace you feel good, confident, in control. The first few miles seem almost easy.
You found your groove with eating healthy, moving your body, and balancing this new YOU. It seems like everything is going according to plan.
You hit mile 7… struggles begin.
Life’s hiccups begin and you backslide. Temptations visit: Chocolate, emotional eating, In-N-Out Burger.
You hit mile 10… you begin to wonder if this will ever end.
You begin to wonder if this is even worth it, you want to quit. It is taking forever!
You struggle to keep moving forward, going through the motions.
Some days are better than others, often times you find that you are lacking the motivation/drive to keep going. The end goal seems forever away and you just keep going through the motions hoping that maybe one day you will reach your goal weight.
Mile 20… You are in the final stages of the race, yet every step forward is a struggle.
Sometimes you feel like you take one step forward and two steps back.
Mile 25… You are in the home stretch! You can feel the excitement, yet this race seems to be going on forever.
You are tired, yet you have found a new found energy to carry you through the last 1.2 miles
Mile 26… You can almost see the finish line. You are excited. You keep going. Excitement mounts. You keep moving forward towards your goal
You see the number on the scale and see that you are only 0.2lbs (or 2 lbs) away from your goal! Nothing can stop you now!
Finish Line!! Success!! You are super happy that you have finished the race.
You are at your goal weight! Great job!
Whether you finished the race with your goal time (or not) – YOU FINISHED!!
It might have taken you longer than you had planned (to lose the weight) but you successfully lost it!
After the race you must cool down, stretch, and hydrate. Otherwise you run the risk of injury or being super sore that you are unable to walk the next day.
You need to reflect upon the journey … otherwise you will revert back to your old habits.
After a few days you must begin hitting the pavement again, otherwise you lose all your hard work of training and you will have to begin from scratch.
You must continue what you have been doing (watching your food, moving, and making healthy choices) otherwise you will gain all the weight back and your old habits.
Be diligent. Keep focused – find a new race. Find your rhythm.
Be proud of all the hard work you have put in to accomplish your goal, yet do not be complacent. Maintain your healthy habits and continue learning. Set new goals to stay motivated! Find what works for you and keep doing it!
You are successful! You have won the race! Take pride. Keep moving forward!
You are successful! You have won the race! Take pride! Keep moving forward!
**
Now the question remains, Where am Ion my weight loss marathon journey? I believe I am plodding on around mile 17. I have the last few pounds to lose… yet am struggling to keep moving forward. The food temptations and lack of motivation to workout are really hindering me from moving forward. I know what I need to do… yet actually DOING IT is the hard part.
I do know that there is a finish line in my future. It is up to me to keep running towards that goal. If I stop running, I will NEVER reach the finish line (my goal weight).
I choose to keep running. It might take me longer to finish the race than originally planned.
But
I will finish!!
What motivates me to get going and keeps me going? Knowing that there IS a finish line in sight… I just have to keep moving forward!
Wonderful analogy!!
I wish I was closer to the finish line. I’ve got a better handle on things right now, I have renewed dedication. But the journey seems so long! Yet, I know that one foot in front of the other will bring me closer to that goal. I WILL FINISH.
Thanks for the inspiring words. I know you think you wrote them for you, but they were for me. Exactly what I needed.
yes, yes, and yes! There are so many starts and stops, but the important thing is the finish line… and you are so going to get there! xo
I love this post Rachel! You just gave me the motivation again that I need since I too am spinning circles, lost, around mile 17. My goal weight is 5-7 lbs away, close enough to see yet not being able to reach it. My motivation teeters and I hate it. Keep fighting! You will finish and move on to further races!
Love this post, Rachel. The journey we are all on is definitely like a race. The finish line is in sight for you though… now is the time to dig in find that second wind and push through to the winners tape at the end.
It’s so inspiring watching all of the Mamavation moms pushing through and winning their races to better health and happiness. 😉
Yes, the race takes a bit longer for some of us… I guess this isn’t my first time running down my goal weight, but this has been the hardest and the longest journey so far. Of course, once the race is down we are never finished. The journey towards better health is never ending… it just changes as we get older. Cheers, you are well on your way! So close!
I am IN LOVE with this post! I could relate to it at every level (in my head). This was awesome. Thank you so much for posting!
You are totally welcome! 🙂
Great post Rachel! I’ve found that now that I’ve stopped looking for a finish line that exercising has become more about fun, and therefore fits better into my day. Truthfully, there never will be a finish line – this is a life journey.
Hugs and keep hanging in there!
You are so right! There isn’t actually a finish line (I wanted to go more in detail with the cool down {maintence mode} analogy)… life is a marathon … always running. 🙂
This was a brilliant post. I’m not a runner but I could still totally relate. I actually said the other day that if I can drop some weight and get into better physical health, I might start 5k training. I used to love to distance run until someone told me my boobs were too big and moving around. Why I listened, I have no idea. Keep going! You’re almost there!
So true on so many levels! I’m still so close to the start line…. wondering what I was thinking, but knowing I can do this, and reading the “ending miles” of your post might be just the motivation I need some days to keep it up.
Thank you!
You’re such an inspiration for all of us!
Thank you! We are ALL on this journey (marathon) together! We are just at different ‘miles’ in the journey. The great thing about RUNNING is that when we see another RUNNER during a RACE is that we smile, cheer them on, and keep on MOVING FORWARD!
HUGS! You can do it! Keep doing what you need to do! 🙂 Proud of you!
Aww, I love this metaphor!