When the road ahead seems too long

[SeeskoGirl]

Been feeling really good. Living for lifting days. But, today I am having one of those days where the road to my goal seems so far. I spent some extra time in the gym and spent some time looking at transformation stories which helped. However, still feeling kind of overwhelmed today. Anybody else deal with these feelings?

[Laynerains]

I deal with this frequently. The thing that helps me the most is watching inspirational youtube videos. I also look at old pictures of myself so I can see how far I have come rather than how far I have to go.

[Artemis00]

In the past, I've felt that way. When my main goal was to lose 20-30 lbs...even though that isn't too much weight, I felt the same way. It seemed like a long road to me, that it would take forever...or that it wasn't happening quickly enough, the progress was too slow. And I would beat myself up over that kind of stuff which would end up further slowing down my progress.

But then I started to look at things in a different way.

First off I stopped focusing heavily on long term goals. Mainly because there is no end to my road (other than death). This is a lifetime journey I am on and my goals are ever changing. I started to focus more on short term goals...achievable goals. So if I wanted to focus a little bit on losing weight...I would target a weight loss of maybe 2 lbs a month which was definitely doable. That way, when I accomplished that goal...I felt good. And if I surpassed that goal, I felt great. I would try to focus on hitting PRs with my lifts. I also stopped caring what others thought regarding my progress. Sure I may not be progressing as fast as others, but this isn't a race. I learned to find ways to modify my workouts so that I look forward to going to the gym everyday. I stopped thinking of it as a chore to get to an end point but rather a hobby that I can't live without.

And the best part is the more I did this, the more I learned about what my body likes and what it doesn't like, what works and what does work...which eventually helped me reach my original goal of losing those 20-30 lbs...without having to make that be such an overwhelming goal.

It is always easiest to reach your goal if you break it down into manageable steps.

[mavd]

Progress pictures. You may not be where you want to be today, but you are closer than you were yesterday.

[discdoggie]

I think having other things in your life that make you happy are very important.

If your only focus in this life is your own body...the fact it doesn't look right now the way you want it to; that could be pretty depressing.

[oregonchick76]

You do have a long road ahead of you. We all do, in one way or another.
Try to keep it in perspective - yes, the end result is important, but you need to also enjoy the journey and the milestones in between...

Strength gains
more energy/stamina
smaller clothes
etc, etc

Try not to focus on that lofty goal in the distance, but set out short term goals that are attainable in a month or two.

[seamaiden808]

I think everyone has those "blue days" when they feel like their not making progress or change isn't happening fast enough for them. I started out at the beginning of the year wanting to lose 30lbs. I was struggling with depression and was VERY unhappy. I am currently siting at day 76 of being back at the gym and my life and more importantly my feelings about myself have changed dramatically! I know that this is a lifestyle change and a journey to get back to my former self. I use pictures to track my progress and my fitness levels let me know that I'm getting stronger everyday. Yes I get those days that I get frustrated and think is this working??? But they pass... Instead of sitting in front of the TV eating away or rather feeding my self doubts I envision what I want and get out of the house wether its to hit the gym, walk my dog, whatever... Just move! Also I find if I take sometime to myself every morning (as I am now) and look at what I'm doing in the gym that day and read a few things in the forum it helps to keep on track!

[SeeskoGirl]

thanks everyone. Today is a new day and my mind set is better. Trying to focus on how far I have come instead of how slow it is happening.

[Snarkoleptic]

I try to remind myself that time is going to pass regardless. Do I want to throw in the towel because things are moving slowly and end up the same (or worse) in five years? Nope.

Another thing to consider is that when the weight loss (I'm assuming, substitute your goal if necessary) comes slowly, your habits become strongly reinforced and sustainable. Six years ago, I laughed at people who suggested that working out would become as regular as brushing my teeth. Lo and behold, somewhere along the line it actually happened.

[kmac1196]

I try not to look at it as an end. Just this is what I'm doing from now on. This is how I will eat forever and work out....so I don't do anything that I can't do forever. It may take me forever to reach my "goal" weight but it's fine...no more starting and stopping....aggressive dieting and bingeing.....all set with that.

I started at 249.6....today 186. You can ask me how long it took me but I'll tell you doesn't matter.


That's what helps me. Good luck.

Kristen

[shesprints]

The harder it is to achieve something and the longer it takes, the better it feels when you do get there.

Set interim goals (fitness or otherwise) to keep motivated.

Right now I have a stress reaction that followed a stress fracture, which had me out of my sport for five months. I'm looking at another 2-6 months off running. I could despair (and I did for a few days). Or I could focus on what I can do now, which is swim and work on my plyo pushups, pullups, pool running, and body composition (fitness-wise) and relationships and work.

Plus, it's not even just about goals, either--even interim ones. Having goals is good because it's a nice way to occupy our brains and create habits. But they are just part of how to live.

Life is going to pass us by anyway. If we focus constantly on hitting goal after goal we might as well be playing a video game. Yeah, those goals hold our attention, but they make us into something less than fully human. I'm not even going to say it's experiences or sensations that matter, because those are also ephemeral.

What I would say means the most to me is HOW I live and what my values are. Whatever I do, I approach with honest effort and try to behave as a complete human being. Being a good person with rock-solid values and beliefs is not a goal you reach--except maybe by the time you're dead--which is why it's maybe the only goal worth pursuing.