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Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
Are you actually ready to lock in? How to know if you're ready for a fitness transformation
Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a long time fitness professional and Midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. In combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for Hiking podcast. What's up you guys? Welcome back to another episode of the fit for Hiking podcast. This is your host, Brady. Today we're going to be diving into a topic that I really love getting into because as a fitness and health coach and professional, someone who's talking to women on a weekly basis about their goals, about if they're ready to make changes, it's such an important question to ask yourself before you. You know, apply for a coaching program, purchase something, or start to think towards, um, you know, joining some sort of fitness transformation program. Are you actually ready to log in? How do you know if you're ready for a fitness transformation? And that might kind of seem like a silly question, like if I am considering it and wanting to have the results, obviously I am ready, but sometimes the desire and the readiness do not necessarily go hand in hand when it comes to follow through. So that's what we're going to be talking about today. Some questions to ask yourself before you start on a transformation journey. That way you're not wasting your time and you don't end up one of those people who goes in this vicious cycle of constantly starting something and then falling off the wagon three weeks later. If you are someone who does that consistently, like you get super motivated and you're like, okay, this is my start date Monday. I'm doing it January 1st or whatever, and then you don't follow through. Chances are, you really haven't been ready and seriously locked in to what it takes to commit to a true transformation. So if that's something that you're wanting to do and to get out of that cycle of the start stop off on type of deal. Then this episode is for you. Let's get into it. And I also want to preface this by saying we are running our once a year Black Friday deal. This is the only sale that we run within Mountain Metabolic Coaching all year. Um, because we find that if you are investing in something, you're going to pay way more attention to what you're doing than if you just get some like knock off version for super, super cheap. But once a year we do run this deal where you can get multiple free months of coaching. Pretty awesome stuff. So if this is something that you're interested in and your interest is piqued over this episode, or maybe you've been listening for a while and you know about the program, but you haven't been able to jump in yet. Now is a really good time to do that. We are only running this in the month of November and we have limited spots. I believe we're already down to only five spots left, so if you are interested in that, you can check the show notes for the application link and get the process going there. All right you guys. So most of us have probably been in this position before. You have that moment you see maybe a photo of yourself or you try to put something on that used to fit really well, and now you can't even pull it up over your legs, or you feel really winded on a hike and you realize your energy just isn't where it used to be. And you think, okay, something has to change, but how do you know if you're really ready to be serious about locking in for a transformation and making changes? Because there's a big difference between being truly ready to make changes versus being surface level motivated in that moment. Okay, so let's talk about the difference between wanting change and actually being ready for it. There is a difference between being committed to something and simply desiring it. I mean, I feel like we've probably all heard that person, like every single January 1st. They're like, I really want to get fit. Or maybe you have a family member who, every time you see them, they're talking about how they want to lose weight or they want to start eating healthy. But it's all about like, I want to do this, but there's no actual plan for change or for taking action involved, which means every single year they're saying the exact same comment and there's not really any follow through taking place. Okay. So that's the difference between really wanting something, desiring it, and being committed. Desiring it is just wanting the results. Like in the back of your mind, passively, you're like, yeah, it'd be awesome. Like, I would love it if I could get more fit or get more toned, see some weight loss. Finally, versus commitment is being willing to do the hard inner and outer work to get there. You're like, this is happening. I am sick of being where I'm at. Okay, so common signs to look for if you're just wanting to make the change, but you maybe aren't actually ready. So this could look like looking for a quick fix. See this all the time. I did this all the time in my 20s where you're just like, hate your body for a split second and you're like, I'm gonna find a cleanse. I'm gonna order this pill or whatever. So looking for a quick fix? Making excuses for lack of time. I even get this like on sales calls. Like with people who are supposedly like wanting to get going in the program and they're already like coming up with reasons why they can't do all the things right. So if you're constantly making excuses for yourself, then you're probably not actually ready to do what it takes to push through challenges. Okay, so yes, everybody has excuses. We all have reasons. You know, why we can't do these things or why it's difficult or why we're lacking energy, why we're lacking the time or the resources or the money. Every single person could come up with a list of reasons why, but it's it's when you are no longer letting your excuses run the show that you start to see transformation, saying I'll start when when life gets less busy, when my kids are a little bit older, when I don't have this vacation looming, when I don't have quite so many social things on the calendar, when I have more money, when I'm more established in my career, whatever that looks like, there's always some hypothetical win in our future that we can cling to as this time, when that's when I'm going to do it. That's when I'm going to like, really just thrive and look and feel my best and actually start working out five days a week and all these things. It's so easy to romanticize this hypothetical time in the future versus actually just saying this is going to be hard no matter when I do it. There's always reasons why it's going to be tough once you actually get to that date right now, you could say, okay, in a year I'm going to have this going on. I'm going to be in a much better spot to do it a year from now. That might be true a little bit, but there's still going to be roadblocks. You're still going to have things that hold you back and make you struggle to get started. Unless you just kind of reframe that mindset to, yeah, I have a lot of crap going on, but there's always going to be crap going on. So I got to just do this. It's now or I'm going to be in the exact same spot next year, right? Um, another common sign that someone just wants change but isn't ready yet is not being willing to actually do something different or not being willing to invest. And oftentimes those go hand in hand. Like, I'll be on so many different sales calls with people. And they'll be sharing about these massive goals that they have that have been really affecting their life for years, and they're so frustrated, yet they're not willing to do anything different when it comes down to it. Right. They've been trying to do this on their own for ten, 20 years, still not seeing the results. Anything. Things are getting worse. And yet they're saying, well, I just can't afford it, I just can't. It's too much money or whatever. So you're going to keep doing what you've always done and expect a different result. That's just not realistic. So if you really want true change to take place, you have to be willing to invest in yourself, or at least just do something different than what you have been doing. Um, so like for instance, like I mentioned, I'll be on sales calls with people for the, the coaching program. And a lot of times people are very, very interested in, in joining, but they, you know, have something that comes up that holds them back finances or um, you know, like the when mentality, I'll start this when they're too busy, whatever it is. And then six months later, or a year later, or two years later, even, they come back to me and they're like, oh my gosh, I need to do the program. Like, I've not made any progress over these last six months. I should have just started then versus I have a client who just finished six months within our program, and she lost £50 the past six months and got into a much better spot with her body composition ratios of muscle to fat. Her mental state is better. She's stronger, she has these amazing habits and we didn't have to take any extremes. That's the best part. So look at the difference of those six months, right? Six months of not really doing anything different. Saying you want change but not committing to it. And now you're right back at square one. Six months later, still wishing that you would have just gone for it, versus six months of taking action, investing, having accountability. And now look what you can accomplish. Okay, so that is a really big difference. Now let's talk about readiness signs. How do you know if you're actually ready? One is you have to be open to new routines, to feedback and to structure. A lot of times we want the results, but we don't want what the results will require of us. Right. Because it means that we have to put in work. We have to have more structure in our lives. We have to have new routines. We have to receive feedback. I remember experiencing this kind of in a different sense when I hired a business coach, and I invested a lot into it because I wanted to make strides in my business, but it required so much of me, and it was hard sometimes because I had to be willing to completely overhaul the systems of my business. I had to be open to feedback of things that I needed to do better and differently for success, and I had to have way more accountability and structure. It's so much easier to just hide behind ourselves when we don't have anyone holding us accountable. Right. So if we're not open to those things, it's going to be kind of hard to actually be ready to make some changes. Another one is accepting discomfort as part of the growth. We're never going to have a perfectly comfortable growth period, whether that's in your health and fitness, whether that's in business, whether that's just in personal development. Growth is always uncomfortable. There's growing pains for a reason. We experience this in so many different areas, but it's part of shedding old skin and stepping into a new version of yourself to experience physical discomfort, mental emotional discomfort, having to kind of kill off your old bad habits, things that are holding you back. Okay. So you have to be willing to be uncomfortable and to not just slip back into patterns of familiarity and comfort. The next one is being willing to prioritize health. Even when you're not motivated anymore. Because motivation is a very fickle thing and where you're motivated Monday morning, Friday night, after a week of stress and trying to be disciplined and set new routines, and then you're out getting drinks and it's a whole lot more difficult to be motivated in that situation. So that's where discipline has to take the place of motivation. And so if you're not willing to prioritize these goals, even when motivation fades away, it's going to be pretty tough. Um, also another sign of readiness is being willing to recruit accountability, because that is going to ultimately be one of the biggest tools to staying consistent, not falling off the wagon. Whenever you feel like it or motivation slips away. And then another thing is having a deep why you have to be so intrinsically, um, you know, fired up about this, that you're unwilling to continue on the same trajectory and have that really deep why that drives you when motivation does fade. Because if your reasons for trying to make changes are kind of surface level. Then you're not going to really be willing to work that hard. To be honest. I think about it all the time. Like this. Okay, so say someone is trying to get a job, but they live at home with their parents in a mansion. They don't really need the job. They just kind of want to have some extra spending money. And their parents are telling them, oh, you should really get a job versus someone who is living on the streets, has no support from family, really has nobody to rely on, and they need a paycheck in order to have their next meal and to get off the off of the ground with where they're at. The motivation and the fire within them is going to be very, very different. The person who knows that they need this job to survive, they're going to work really hard to secure that job. They're going to work a lot harder within the job to keep it. Then somebody who's just kind of like, whatever, it's not that big of a deal to me. Right. The intrinsic motivation is very, very different in those two scenarios. Similarly with our fitness and health goals. And if we just kind of have these surface level goals and we're just like, nah, I kind of want to just like look a little bit more fit, but it's not that big of a deal that's going to look quite different. And how you show up versus if you are like, my health markers are horrible. I am £50 overweight. I am so deeply unsatisfied with how I feel, my energy levels, how my clothes fit, my confidence is affecting me every single day of my life, right? You have to have that deeper y to really drive you forward. So having that and really acknowledging how much that means to you is a really big sign of readiness. So ultimately it has to start with the mindset. You have to be willing to face your habits, your stories around food, movement and self-worth in order to propel you forward. Um, and growth is going to require unlearning, perfectionism, unlearning that all or nothing thinking that we've talked about so much. And if you kind of want to hear a little bit more about this, I recommend going back and listening to our last episode. Talked a ton about breaking cycles and mindset. This is episode 120. Okay, so go back and listen to that one. If you kind of want to dig into this a little bit more, and if you want to learn a bit more about that emotional and mental aspect of really digging in and finding your deep why, and what exactly has held you back. I recommend going back and listening to our mindset. Episode 53 is a really, really great one to look at. Um, okay, so let's look at the practical side of things. You have to be ready to make lifestyle changes. So it has to start with your mind, your emotions, your intrinsic motivation. All of the things we were just talking about. But you also do have to be ready to make lifestyle changes in your day to day life. So one thing to look at is, are you prepared to shift your schedule, to plan meals, to say no to things that no longer serve your health goals, and to show up consistently in the boring little day to day things, right? If you're not really prepared to say, okay, I gotta find a gym or I gotta buy some equipment, I gotta make some changes here, then it's going to be kind of difficult to actually see change, right? Um, you also need to look at your boundaries, your time, your energy, your social boundaries. This doesn't mean you have to be black or white and just like, cut off all social events. But you do need to be willing to set some boundaries that support your goals and kind of keep you on track. Ultimately, you really need to assess what you're actually willing to change right now within the constructs of your day to day life. So I want you to get out of pen and paper. Just take it old school here with me for a second. Get out a notepad or something and make a list of what things in your day to day life you're actually willing to rearrange or shift on a daily basis. That will promote the habits that you're wanting to begin or the habits that you're wanting to quit. Right? Talk about it with someone. Write it out. Make a list. You need to see what you're actually willing to change. Because again, sometimes we want the results, but we don't want the result. What the results will require of us. And the reality is, if you want to see change, you have to make change. So look at what you're actually willing to do right now in your day to day life and make a quick list. Finally, the power of accountability. We've talked about this a little bit, but external support. So having like a coach or a group or an accountability partner can really be the bridge between I want this and just kind of saying this in passing every year versus I did it like, look what I did over the last six months, the last year and really, truly seen that transformation through. So when you're looking for forms of accountability, you kind of need to be honest with yourself about what you need right now. If you just honestly have no idea where to start, then you might want to look at hiring an actual coach. And when looking at a coach, you don't want someone who's just going to give you workouts and be like, okay, here's like a super rigid meal plan and some workouts. Good luck. You want someone who's talking with you, who's helping you with mindset, who's personalizing things for you so that you can actually be consistent, who's helping you troubleshoot vacations and things that come up in your schedule? Who's providing accountability on a weekly basis? Checking in with you? Who's providing nutrition support? Who's helping you audit your lifestyle, and the things that maybe are holding you back, who's providing structure and helping you follow through. Okay, that is what makes up a good coach, not just someone who's giving you some workouts to do. Okay, you really need someone who's with you through all of this in a holistic sense. Honestly, I think that's the biggest reason why our clients the awesome results within Mountain Metabolic Coaching because we have a holistic approach, meaning we're combining the fitness program, the nutrition, the metabolic education and the accountability. It's not one size fits all, which is hugely important, and it's extremely hands on so that you really can only fall off the wagon if you just straight up decide to ghost us and never log into the app or answer our text or anything like that, right? Like, you have to work really hard to ghost us because we are checking in with you. We are following through. So having that holistic approach that's going to bring all the pieces together and give you a very hands on, very customized approach so that it actually meets your needs so that you can be consistent. Makes all of the difference. If you're someone who kind of already knows what to do, and you don't really have that much of an issue showing up and doing the things, maybe you just need a little bit of extra accountability. Having someone who is not afraid to tell you, hey, you got to start doing this or quit making excuses. Sometimes we enlist people as our accountability buddies and they're like struggling with the exact same things that we are, and they're not going to be like, hey, what are you doing? This isn't all we talked about, right? You got to have someone who's actually going to be real with you and truly hold you accountable. Not your spouse, not your best friend, not your, you know, mom or dad. Someone who really is going to tell it like it is. Um, okay. So let's talk about some reflection questions that you can kind of think through as you are looking at this for yourself. Are you actually ready to lock in. So here are a few things that you can ask yourself. Am I ready to be uncomfortable for a while to get the result that I want in order to become stronger or happier, or long term? Am I willing to be uncomfortable? Am I willing to take responsibility for my choices instead of being a victim to circumstance? That's a big one, because there are going to be things. You have to just expect it. You're going to have sickness, maybe injury. You're going to have unexpected things that come up, issues with your house, unexpected costs, um, visitors, you know, things that cause you to fall off the wagon or have the potential to if you're not really willing to take true responsibility. Am I ready to ask for help when I need it? Am I ready to make a short term investment for long term gain? And this is often what I talk about when people are, like, scared to take the leap. Maybe financially, when it comes to hiring a coach, you've got to look at the long term. Got to play the long game here okay. Oftentimes we are so short term with it. And we got to think okay. This is ultimately a very, very short term investment in the grand scope of your life. But it has the potential to give you the tools to maintain this for the rest of your life. So is that worth it? Absolutely. If this is truly causing you pain and frustration and lack of confidence and just not feeling good in your skin, how much more is it worth it that the rest of your life? After the next six months, you're able to feel confident? You know what you're doing when you show up to the gym? Your clothes fit better. You have a healthier relationship with food. Finally, without having to cut out carbs or sugar every time that you want to see the scale drop, right, those things are so valuable and you've got to look at the long term gain. Also, I know that so many times, so many times people say things like, well, if you're just cut out, like your morning Starbucks run, you have so much more money to spend on things that matter. But let's be honest here, if you look at maybe going out for a happy hour for drinks. You're getting two drinks once a week for the next six months. Okay, so that's just like one Friday evening. You go out and grab two drinks. That's $624 on average, depending on the price of cocktails or wine or whatever you're having. Of course. Okay. That's a lot of money that could buy you quite a bit of fitness support or a $5 daily coffee even five times per week over the next six months. That's $650, right? So those little things really do add up. So if you if you want this badly enough, you will kind of look at where can I maybe cut back in other areas of my life, maybe I have a 1 or 2 no spend days during the week where I just don't spend money on anything. Or maybe you have, um, a week, a month where you don't let yourself get on Amazon, or you don't go out to coffee, or you don't go out to drinks. Right. You got to make a few substitutions or sacrifices. If this is really, truly important for your long term health and happiness. Okay. So I definitely invite you to reflect on those and kind of journal your answers. Be ready and honest with yourself about if you are actually ready for this. Um, because readiness really is not about being perfect. It's about being willing and actually understanding, um, the realities of making change and what that looks like. Everything that we've talked about today, from mindset mindset to habit formation to having that deep why and the practical application across your everyday life. So if you're realizing that you are ready for this to feel confident, strong and capable again, I'd love to speak with you about it. Um, my coaching program helps women make that leap with the structure, the mindset, support, the accountability, all of it. So right now, like I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, we are offering two free months of coaching if you sign up in the month of November. Okay, so pretty awesome stuff. However, we are only down to five remaining spots, so time is of the essence. If you are interested, you got to jump on it, check the link in the show notes and that will take you to our application process and we will get things going quickly from there. All right you guys, thank you so much for tuning in. I hope that this has been helpful and a nice opportunity to be introspective about your goals and what this looks like, especially as we are getting ready to head into the new year already. I cannot believe it. Um, if you guys have topics that you'd like to hear about, if you have questions, you can always hit us up at the Fit Underscore for Hiking Instagram page. I would love to chat with you there and I will talk with you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this. Be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at ponytail on Etrailer.com. Happy and healthy trails.