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Getting Ready for My Next Fitness Challenge, Here We Go Again

Maybe this time, I can actually stick to my plan of action.

By Michael BrockbankPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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Getting Ready for My Next Fitness Challenge, Here We Go Again
Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

I’ve been trying for the past several years to reach my goal weight. And although I’ve come a long way, I am still having trouble with the last 30 pounds.

However, it’s probably not because of the reasons you’re thinking.

It has nothing to do with me trying everything and failing. It has nothing to do with diets and workouts not having any impact.

No, it has more to do with my mentality than anything.

Why am I Focused On Losing the Last 30 Pounds?

First of all, it started back when I was over 300 pounds. I let myself go in a spectacular fashion, and this was during one of the darkest moments of my life.

The depression and anxiety were getting the better of me back then.

Anyway, I decided to make a difference and try to decrease my body mass. As I hit around the 260-pound mark, my heart stopped. This was back in 2016 when the depression came to a head.

To make a long story short, I’m putting more emphasis on fitness in order to keep myself alive.

One misconception a lot of people have about being overweight is if their bloodwork is good, then they’re healthy. In reality, there are a lot of health issues that come from obesity that will not show in a blood panel.

Not only was I still obese, but the sheer amount of extreme stress made the problem far worse. It’s an experience that I don’t care to repeat.

What is the Reason Behind Not Losing the Last 30 Pounds?

So, what has been holding me back from reaching my goal weight? Me.

I’m not the kind of person who is going to blame failed diet plans or toss out the excuse of “I’ve been working out and still am not losing weight.”

Nope. It all comes down to my own mindset.

Lately, it’s been difficult to muster up the same amount of drive and passion I had back when I weighed 300+ pounds. And I can say that I’ve had a great deal of emotional damage over the past couple of years that held me back.

I’ve lost my youngest son, brother, step-dad, and a close family friend in the past two years. Two of which were by suicide, and one of those happened just a few weeks ago.

Sure, the stress and depression are real. But what’s held me back the most is the fact that I just can’t seem to get myself to care anymore. So, I wonder how many other people are in the same boat but don’t want to admit it.

What’s frustrating is that I know my diet plan and workout routine work for me. I’ve lost 80 pounds so far and have been able to keep it off without putting in much effort to do so.

I just need to get that passion and drive back.

Challenging Myself to Maintain a 12-Week Routine

I’m constantly challenging myself in various ways as I’m a big fan of self-improvement of any kind. I also push to find my limitations, which demonstrates to me just how far I can go for any particular project.

Mostly, I challenge myself in various ways regarding my career. How many words I can write in a day, how much time I can spend working on projects, publishing three books this year…that kind of stuff.

But every time I try a 12-week fitness challenge, I can’t go three days before I start skipping on recording data or putting in the effort.

All of the things I’ve done in the past to lose the first 80 pounds just don’t seem to work today. For some reason, I just can’t get my “give a crap” to work.

However, I will continue to keep trying because I don’t want to be content with where I am today.

So, starting February 6th, I’m going to give it another attempt. I’ll try a few new things this time around, which I hope can get me back into the right mindset.

I believe no experience is a true failure as long as you learn something. And I learn something more about myself with each attempt. I’m even thinking about uploading daily shorts on YouTube.

I know I’ll find a solution to get my head back in the game. It’s merely a question of when.

Why Do I Care About the Fitness Data?

One of my favorite hobbies is collecting data about case studies and then showing others how I was able to succeed at any given task. These case studies have provided me with a ton of information about myself, what works best in terms of exercise, and the foods that have the greatest impact.

In other words, I don’t like to talk out of my ass when it comes to sharing what I’ve learned and how others can use the data to help themselves.

Not only do I love helping others, but I also want the data to back up my claims. So, when I say, “X, Y, and Z helped me lose 30 pounds inside of three months,” I can show the numbers and how I did it.

I know what some of you might be thinking, I can just fudge those numbers to support my narrative. All I can do is say that’s not the kind of person I am.

I love collecting data and discovering the best course of action regarding any topic. In reality, changing the data during a personal fitness challenge would only be hurting myself.

It’s like people who don’t record a meal in a nutrition planner because they don’t want to see the negative output. You still ate that cheesecake, though. Just because you don’t record it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

And how can I give an honest opinion about something if I’m not being honest with myself?

Technically, I’m Starting Right Now

Although my 12-week challenge starts this Sunday, there’s really no reason I can’t get started right now. Too many people will use the opportunity to pig out and be completely gluttonous when they’re about to push for a fitness challenge.

Personally, I figure by starting now, I’m hitting the ground running. Not to mention that I won’t be too hard on myself if I have a few more calories today and tomorrow than I should have eaten.

Think of the next two days as a trial run for the challenge.

The hard part is getting over this mindset of not caring. It’s kind of hard to stay focused when I keep dwelling on what I’ve lost recently. But how much of that am I using as an excuse to not put in the effort?

Challenge Yourself to be Better Than You Are

As I said, I’m constantly challenging myself to see just how much I can handle in any given project. Sometimes it centers around what I can do as a writer. This time, it’s more about what I can do to improve my health.

And that’s what personal challenges are all about: self-improvement.

How are you going to challenge yourself today?

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About the Creator

Michael Brockbank

I am the owner and operator of several blogs including WriterSanctuary.com. As a freelance writer since 2012, I have covered a range of topics and completed over 8,000 projects for clients. Follow me @WriterSanctuary on Twitter.

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