Own Your Journey

By Nolan P. Schmidt

When I started working here at Spotlight, I weighed around 210 pounds. At the time, I was considered borderline obese given my height, weight, age and body metrics. I was gross, my pants were no longer fitting and I was not comfortable in my own skin.

That needed to change. In January 2019, I set out on a goal to lose weight and get back to a respectable and healthy weight. With 170 pounds as my goal, I began exercising and eating properly. Some two years later, I can say I dropped all that weight and have moved on to more complex health and fitness goals.

Staying committed to anything is the biggest challenge we have as people. I was no different in this journey. I learned some things about commitment over the last two years in my journey. Regardless of where you are in your health and fitness trek, I hope these help.

3 Tips To Stay Committed

1. Leave Your Ego At The Door

This is the biggest thing I struggled with when beginning this journey. I thought I would be able to hop in and immediately get in shape and be able to lift all of these weights. That is not how it works. Like anything in life, progress takes time and you must understand that things will not occur overnight. It took me a month and a half to lose my first pound. Was I pissed? Yes, but you cannot let that deter you, let it fuel you.

Part of that starts with you placing realistic expectations on yourself. If you go to a gym after two years of not exercising and expect to squat 250 pounds, you’re probably going to hurt yourself. Be real with yourself even if it means damaging your ego. Imagine the confidence you will gain when you finally are able to squat that 250 pounds. The journey is far more rewarding than the destination

If you want to live healthy and well, you need to take your ego out of the equation.

2. This Is All About You, Not Anyone Else

This is your journey, not anyone else’s. Sure, you have people that help you and motivate you along the way, but this is your body. Throughout my entire life, I was VERY self-conscious in gym settings because I was concerned about what other people were thinking. I was more obsessed with what they thought of my body than my own opinion.

That is the exact wrong way to approach this. Who cares if some guy scoffs at what you’re lifting on shoulder press. Who cares if some girl gives you a glare as you walk on the treadmill. This is about your body. Make sure you remember that the next time you step into a gym. I know I was intimidated the first time I did, but then I recalled that other people’s perceptions of my body or my workout routine DO NOT MATTER.

It’s all about you, so be a little selfish and focus on what you can do to improve.

3. You Consume Food. Do Not Let It Consume You.

Listen, food is extremely important to a health and fitness journey. One of my favorite fitness YouTubers, Jeff Nippard (highly recommend his videos if you want more information on diets/nutrition), equates to food being the gasoline to your body, the car.

Eating healthy is the most difficult aspect of health. Sure, we can exercise for hours, but it doesn’t mean much if we’re fueling our bodies with Oreos and Big Macs. That might work for someone with stupid genetics, but it will likely not work for you. I highly recommend tracking your food on a daily basis (MyFitnessPal is my suggested app). With that app, you will know exactly what is going into your body and the nutritional information behind it.

Is it okay to have a piece of pie or a greasy burger once in a while? Absolutely! Cheat days are the best thing ever. However, every day cannot be a cheat day. Find the foods that work for you and your body and stick to them as best you can. Control your food, don’t let it control you. Stay disciplined in your meal plan, it’s just as important (if not more so) than your exercise plan.

Also, start reading the nutritional information on your food at the grocery store.

Obviously, I am not an expert, but I want to help. Please reach out to me at the channels below if you are stuck and need some motivation, resources or tips.

nolan@spotlightmediafargo.com
Instagram: @IAMNOLANP
Twitter: @IAMNOLANP

I’d love to see our community embrace a healthy lifestyle!

Don’t forget to stretch…