I always love hearing about family members and friends who’ve made the decision to change their lives for the better. But every now and then, someone will give up on their journey and go back to their old way of living…the way of living that got them in the mess they wanted so badly to get out of in the first place. They get discouraged again and again and convince themselves that becoming healthy is just “too hard.”
Why does this happen? Simple: They were expecting big changes right away and weren’t celebrating the small victories.
Folks, real life isn’t like “The Biggest Loser” (not putting down the show — any show that encourages and motivates milllions of people to change their lives and bodies is all right by me). Real change in your body, especially if you have a lot to lose, takes time. And sometimes it takes a lot longer than the three months allotted to contestants on TBL.
For normal people (i.e., people who don’t have access to a gym, or dieticians and trainers telling them what to eat and how to exercise on a daily basis), it can take quite a while to lose those extra pounds. Even if you’re almost to your goal, discouragement can be your constant companion: the last five pounds can be tough to get rid of, the cellulite on your thighs can seem as permanent as the spackle on your walls, and your craving for carbs can easily overwhelm your willpower — especially on a bad day.
Don’t give these things (or whatever is defeating you at the moment) more power in your life than they deserve. The only thing they should be able to do to you is remind you that life is full of choices, and that next time you’ll know to make the right choice.
No matter how you think you’ve failed in your quest to get healthy — or to get your family healthy — there are also small victories that you should be celebrating. If you’ve been focusing on the negative, you may have to actively search for the positive. Here are a few of the small victories I’ve been celebrating lately:
- My husband, who’s never been a label reader, will come home from the store now and proudly point out that this item has no MSG, this one has no high fructose corn syrup, that one is low-fat, etc. I don’t lord it over him at all — I’m just so glad to see him making good choices at the grocery store!
- At a recent visit to the doctor last month, the nurse told me I was seven pounds lighter than when they saw me last (seven months earlier). I shot my fist up and said, “Woo hoo!” I’m almost to my goal weight and that’s good news, especially since I’ve been under a lot of stress and haven’t gotten to workout as much as I’d like to.
- All three of my teens exercise on their own without me telling them to. They’re building good habits that will last a lifetime, and that’s awesome. I like to think I’ve been somewhat of a good example.
You know something? I feel better just remembering that little list of victories. Give it a try yourself. The next time you feel down about your progress being slow (or even if you’ve backslid and fell back into some bad health habits), remember the small victories and give yourself a pat on the back.
So what are your little victories? Maybe you just ran your first mile without stopping (heck, maybe you even just walked your first mile without stopping). Perhaps you lost two pounds this week. Or maybe you made it through your first tough workout on Exercise TV. Could be you’re seeing definition in your arms and shoulders…for the first time in your life. These are all terrific achievements and you should be proud!
Getting healthy is a journey with twists, turns, and setbacks, yes, but also victories big and small. Remind yourself — on a daily basis, if necessary — that at this time next month, and even this time next year, you’re going to be a whole lot healthier and way more fit than you are now. Don’t give up! 
©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.
