Do you watch The Bachelor?
If you're not familiar, this is the ABC show that involves a young bachelor dating 25 young women to find his future partner. And there is a comparable franchise, The Bachelorette, where the set up is the opposite and the 25 suitors are men vying for the hand of one fair maiden.
Contestants on the show spend six weeks living in a mansion during which time there are a variety of challenges, dates and other opportunities to compete for an engagement ring at the end.
There have been over fifty seasons of this show since 2002. And although the goal at the end of each season is to have two young people get engaged, the long term success of these couples is about 10%.
Shocking, right?
While on the show contestants have time off from work and family commitments, they are whisked around the world on private jets, staying in luxury resorts, enjoying gourmet meals all while living in a mansion in Southern California staffed with chefs, maids, chauffer and stylists.
Once the show ends all of these amenities and perks end. The clock has struck midnight for Cinderella and the day-to-day grind resumes.
Is it any surprise 90% of these relationships fail? This is completely ignoring the fact that the best relationships take time, and not just six weeks, as is the time frame for this show.
The Bachelor relationships fail because:
- All stress is removed from the individual's life
- The end goal is fast-tracked
- Contestants focus on the end goal of getting a rose and then a ring
- All the experiences during the show are the best you'll have in life
- People act differently in front of the camera
- Everyone shows their best side and tries to hide their warts
- Alcohol typically worsens decisions and relationships
The reason The Bachelor fails is very similar to the reason many people fail with their fat loss efforts. They wait to get started until all conditions in their life are ideal.
This could be when they've got some time off work. It could be when the kids are away for a while. It might be when they've come into a financial windfall. Or any other variety of reasons where life is as good as it gets.
And that's the problem.
We cannot approach the process of fat loss as a best case scenario. If we do than we are doomed to fail.
What this means is that there will be times when:
- Work is busy
- Family and life commitments pile up
- Sleep is lacking in quality and quantity
- Motivation and accountability bottom out
- Our nutrition and supplementation are off track
- We don't have a coach or training partner
- The things that help us achieve fat loss goal are lacking
So what we need to do is get started when conditions aren't ideal. When are you busiest? When is your stress the highest? When will committing to a health and fitness lifestyle be the biggest challenge for you?
Figure this out and start then.
It doesn't have to be huge. It doesn't have to be intense. You may not set records or get a ton of shares on social media.
But you will be establishing a habit. You will be building a foundation. You will generating positive momentum that spills over to other areas of your life. For example, a 10 minute mobility routine will lead to a better nutritional choice. A walk around the block after dinner will encourage better sleep. A bike ride to work will help increase blood flow and a positive mood to start the day.
There's nothing wrong with initiating a healthier lifestyle when things are going well in life. But you need to develop the strength of commitment to withstand the challenging times in life.
No one would ever say about brushing their teeth 'I'm too busy right now. I'll get started when things settle down.'
This would be a crazy proposition. You make the time and invest in things that matter i.e. your relationships, your family and your health. And the more battle tested these things are during the tough times in life the stronger they become.
So question for you???
Do you have a health and fitness goal that you haven't achieved because conditions aren't ideal?
If this is the case, see this as an opportunity. You can get started when things are tough and crush it when everything gets better. The alternative is to put off getting started which delays results, and you won't be ready for the tough times to come.
Reach out to one of your coaches here if you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity and start living a better life now.