Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Imagine your ultimate fitness goal...

One of the main facts that you have to come to terms with in life is that your health is a direct result of your behaviour. Your behaviour is governed by your thoughts and your thoughts are moulded by your values and beliefs.

As far as I can see, the difference between people who achieve all of their fitness goals and people who don't is simple:

The people who achieve them have a set of beliefs which force them to make the necessary sacrifices in their life, and the people who fail are comfortable how they are.

If someone gave you that perfect body, would you be able to maintain it? Would be willing to just do the necessary maintenance in diet, nutrition and recovery to keep it that way? Or would you head out to Spain, flaunt it and then lose it in a couple of weeks?

What I imagine is that most people would struggle to keep it. They don't have the burning desire within them to commit to such a responsibility.

Imagine the situation the other way around, if someone were to put 30kgs of fat on your body. How would that make you feel? I'm pretty sure you'd make priority number one to get rid of it. None of your clothes would fit, you would struggle to exercise like you used to and you wouldn't look as good as before. You would be so uncomfortable that you'd have to make it work, no matter what.

You would never miss a gym session, you would never skip a meal. MacDonald's? Are you joking...?

In short, you have the body you're comfortable with, nothing more and nothing less.

How to change your comfort levels

In order to change your baseline level of comfort you need to change the way you think and what you believe.

Throughout our lives our beliefs have been subconsciously conditioned by our friends, family and the media that being extremely healthy is bad. Don't think so?

Have you ever heard of any of these?

Gym Rat
Health Freak
Meathead
Gym Monkey

Has this ever happened?

What happens if you go on a night out and don't drink?

Everyone looks at you like you've been brainwashed and buys your drinks for you so that you're not being boring.

What happens if you go to a restaurant and you order a healthy main and no desert?

The person you're with either tries to convince you to give in, or will not have any themselves and try to make you feel guilty.

What do you think about people who look like you want to look?

You can either regard them with distain, or you can idolise them. Neither is sensible, they are humans with good habits that's it.



The final state of mind is a difficult one to understand, but once you get there it all makes sense.

• Choose to have high self esteem. Be proud of how you look, you put in the effort so reap the rewards.
• Be consciously uncomfortable, understand your flaws, we all have them. But appreciate that in the grand context of things they are minor. Use them as a tool for motivation not a tool for low self esteem.
• Envisage where you want to be short term, then the long term goal will sort itself out.

The idea of self criticism is the exact opposite of what most people will tell you. But when taken in healthy doses, humility is invaluable. Neither narcissism nor self loathing are positive traits, but as with everything in life, a good balance is the most healthy.