Just showing up can be the hardest part of your fitness journey.
I've got a client right now who is embracing this part of her journey right now. We will call her "Alice".
Alice has had challenges with losing weight for years, but really her weight was just a symptom. It was more about the mindset that accompanied her for years that was holding her back.
We have been on-again, off-again with our professional relationship with us being "on-again" for the past year, yet always in touch throughout the years. The person that came back to me a year ago was not the same person that I had seen previously. This Alice was following through with her words. She had made such tremendous progress in other areas of her life and was ready to commit to the fitness side of things.
Lately, work has been crazy stressful for Alice. Despite the chaos with work, 90% of the time Alice still shows up. We talked about "just showing up" and we have guidelines set for her program that allow her the flexibility to do whatever she wants for the day based on how her body feels that day.
The goal here isn't to lift a certain amount of weight. It's not to lose a certain amount of pounds (although she does have a weight loss goal).
Those are just positive side effects to her commitment. We're striving for a long-term behavior change. The gym is a part of the framework that is going to help Alice reach her weight loss goals, but the behavior of consistently showing up at the gym is going to be the engine that helps her go.
"Just showing up" is what makes it so that at the end of a long week, you find yourself in the gym at 7PM on a Friday night. So many other things that Alice could be doing and would rather be doing, but she shows up and puts the work in because she is committed to what's on the other side. An even happier, healthier version of herself.
"Alice", if you're reading this, then you will for sure know I'm talking about you. I'm super proud of how far you have come. Keep it up