Pursuing health and fitness goals can be incredibly challenging, especially for women over fifty. Injury, illness, work stress, and family responsibilities can derail progress and shake your confidence, leading to self-doubt and the temptation to give up. The frustration of not seeing results can test your motivation and commitment. Staying consistent can feel overwhelming when obstacles emerge.
This episode provides insights and actionable strategies for navigating setbacks and trying to maintain motivation. Learn practical tools to help stay on track, discover the importance of cultivating a supportive community and having accountability partners that inspire and uplift. Most importantly, this episode empowers listeners to reframe self-doubt with compassion and fully embrace imperfect action during challenging times.
Main Topics:
- Dealing with self-doubt and negative thoughts
- Staying motivated and consistent despite obstacles
- The importance of support systems and community
- Adjusting routines and embracing imperfect progress
- Celebrating small wins and progress
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So today I want to dive in and talk about what happens when you encounter a true challenge or setback that forces you to veer off course? Something that not only tests your motivation, but potentially shakes your confidence in your ability to follow through at all? This is precisely the situation I recently found myself in.
As you may recall from the last episode, I committed to an 8-week fitness and nutrition challenge that started on February first. I was fired up and everything was going well those first couple of weeks. But then I got knocked down - literally - by a severe bout of bronchitis that stuck around for over a month. Suddenly my new routines were disrupted, I had to stop working out completely, and I felt my momentum slipping away.
In moments like these, it's so easy for self-doubt and limiting beliefs to creep in. Thoughts like "I don't have what it takes to keep this up" and "This is just too hard, maybe I should quit" started swirling around in my head. The frustration of not seeing the progress I had hoped for was really testing my commitment.
Despite feeling frustrated and doubting myself at times during this setback, I'm really grateful I had implemented a simple tool to help me stay motivated - a consistency calendar.
I started out on day 1 of the challenge marking off each day on a calendar - circling the days in yellow when I stuck to my meal plan, and putting a blue checkmark on the days I completed my workouts. It may seem like such a small thing, but being able to visually see my effort in those first couple weeks really paid off once I got derailed by bronchitis.
When I was stuck at home feeling lousy and unable to exercise, I could look back at all those marked days and it reminded me - “hey, I WAS making progress and taking consistent action. This is just a temporary detour.” - That perspective helped me avoid falling into a defeatist mindset.
But I gotta be real with you, the negative self-talk did start creeping in after a couple weeks of being sick - - things like "i’m am so gonna fail this challenge" and the most dreaded “maybe i’m just too old to really change at this point”. But I made a point to pause and reframe those thoughts with compassion and a different perspective.
Instead of judging and doubting myself, I said "Lisa, you're doing the best you can while also prioritizing your health and getting well right now. Give yourself a break and just focus on one step at a time." I think one of the most important things was recognizing that perfection was impossible, and that didn't mean I had failed.
While I couldn't follow my original routine, I looked for other ways to productively move forward. For example, sticking to my meal plan as much as possible when I had the energy to cook. On days when I didn't, I gave myself permission to keep it simple rather than going off the rails completely. Having a simple set of meals that I could prep by batch cooking on one day and then eat on for the next 3 days was surprisingly effective for me to stay on track with eating.
I also made it a point to lightly move my body when I started to feel better - things like taking short walks, and doing some stretching if I was feeling up for it. Was it my intended workout routine? Definitely not. But it was better than remaining completely sedentary, and it helped me feel like I was still honouring my commitment to myself in whatever way was possible in that moment.
The main thing was embracing the mindset of continuing to take imperfect action versus going into avoidance mode and throwing in the towel. By adjusting my approach while still doing what I could, it allowed me to restart my full workout routines when I had recovered without feeling like I was starting from scratch.
Because at the end of the day, sustainable change doesn't come from an all-or-nothing perfectionist mindset. It comes from being consistent overall while giving yourself grace during the hard moments. That's how you stay motivated for the long haul when working towards big, transformational goals.
Another thing that helped me a lot that I had underestimated is having a support network and community. When I committed to do this challenge, I had to have a serious conversation with my significant other, who is amazingly supportive. We talked about what the 8 weeks entailed, what it was going to take for me to feel successful.
And me being clear on and asking for what support I needed was key. The big ones were eating at home for almost all meals instead of eating out 2-3 times a week and not having any alcohol because I needed to get all my energy and nutrients from food and alcohol doesn’t help with either of those. I was worried about this because going out to eat after work and having a cocktail were ways we connected and talked and enjoyed each others company. We talked about alternatives and decided on options that would work. So being clear and getting support from those closest to you is helpful. Or if they aren’t going to get on board and give you support, knowing that can help you plan accordingly. That is a big topic and I probably should do a whole episode on that!
Another thing that was helpful was the community of women going through the challenge - the women in the group shared struggles and wins each week and were so supportive and positive that it was inspiring and uplifting to interact with them. It was the best thing ever to be a part of a group like this for real, authentic support and accountability. Because when women support each other, incredible things happen and that's a beautiful thing!
I’m excited to be able to tell you that the challenge just wrapped up and I finished strong - I am stronger and leaner - I can lift a lot heavier in my workouts, have more energy and lost 2.5% body fat while eating delicious food and not feeling deprived.
So if you're currently facing a challenge or setback in your own life - maybe it's an injury, work stress, family responsibilities pulling you in different directions and you’ve stalled or put your new years resolution or another big goal on pause - Instead of beating yourself up over perceived failures or lack of progress, take a step back. Reflect on how far you've already come and the work you've already put in. Give yourself credit for every step taken, no matter how small it may seem.
Then, explore what adjustments you could make to keep chipping away, even if it means temporary pivots from your ideal routine. Maybe it's breaking up your workouts into shorter sessions throughout the day. Or meal prepping simple nutrient-dense dishes that require less time and effort.
And seek out positive support from likeminded people and effective accountability partners that inspire you to keep going instead of shaming and blaming. Because real, lasting change is always imperfect. It's about embracing the journey and the process of change, not just fixating on the final desired outcome or end point.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other, making adjustments when needed, and extend yourself compassion and grace when obstacles emerge. You've got this! Until next time, get out there and keep your mojo rising!