Why Foundations Matter
Most diets and workouts have similar underlying messages for eating and exercise, yet success remains elusive to many who don’t experience a transformation in the way they wish.
The constant stop and start of any diet or workout program leaves people unhappy with their bodies and feeling defeated in their efforts to get in shape.
However, I've noticed those who continue to make progress towards transformation do something a bit different. They take the necessary time to:
Lay a solid foundation.
Foundations are everything.
Think about it…. From our schooling days to advancement in any profession, we all must learn foundations first. In fact, you can’t move up the ranks in anything without them. You can’t learn algebra without the proper foundation of adding and subtracting. Watching my son in swim lessons, he won’t be able to be an elite swimmer without learning how to kick first (I know, I am getting ahead of myself…he’s only almost 3!)
However, when it comes to health and fitness, people too often fail to build a proper foundation.
People seem to just “fall off the wagon”, a lot...
Because there is no strong foundation to return to when challenges or life circumstances get in the way of their progress.
Instead, they keep jumping from one diet or workout to another in hopes the new one will give them the miraculous transformation.
It doesn’t work that way.
Having a cracked or unsteady foundation will keep your body stuck.
When you spend the time laying a foundation of healthy habits (like supporting yourself with nutritious whole food, a balanced exercise routine, not relying on sugar for energy, etc…,), that foundation becomes a steppingstone to the next thing you want to do.
A bonus! With this solid foundation of good habits, healthy food starts to taste really, really good. Your body ends up craving the healthier thing rather than the sugary thing. This often surprises my clients when they first notice this happening to them.
With a solid foundation of proper exercise, you end up being able to do more challenging exercises because you are that much stronger. (Thinking of my clients who look at me like I’m nuts when I give them a new exercise they’ve never done before, and they laugh…but then they complete it anyway, they surprise themselves because they didn't think they could do it . Guess what? They wouldn’t have been able to do that new fun, weird, challenging exercise if they didn’t have a foundation of strength. )
You know you have laid the proper foundation when you no longer have to think about the basics.
You can simply just move on.
You can now think about:
“What more can I do? How much further can I go? How much stronger can I get?”
There’s always another level if you want to get there.
When you have laid the proper foundation of healthy exercise and eating habits, you move past a diet mentality and move your body in ways you never thought possible. This foundation becomes a second nature to you and you can begin to focus your energy on the other things in your life that are important to you.
Just think about how it would feel to not really be thinking about every bite of food and the impact it will have on your stomach, thighs or butt.
Or how you would feel not agonizing over how on earth you are going to fit in some exercise, but instead you just do it. (Thank you Nike for that one.)
Freeing isn’t it?
Think about all the times in your life where you’ve had to put in time and effort to establish a foundation. Now think about what you were able to do after you laid that foundation, when you no longer had to think about the basics.
What did you do next?
What were you able to do because of that foundation?
Now think about the next health goal you wish to accomplish.
Lay your solid foundation and jump off from there!