Why Is It So Hard To Get In Shape?

This is a completely fictional story about a person who doesn’t exist.

But there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to recognize yourself in it.

They had a pretty normal childhood.

No white picket fence.

No live-in butler.

Normal stuff.

After high school, they went to college. In-state, because out-of-state was 4x the cost.

They had fun.

Sometimes too much fun.

And somewhere along the way, they met the love of their life.

They got married.

Then came two cute kids.

And somewhere between college, marriage, kids, work, bills and life...

Their health slowly moved to the bottom of the list.

It didn’t happen overnight.

They gained 5 pounds.

Then another 5.

Then another 10.

Eventually, they’d gained 40.

There was a drawer full of clothes they didn’t feel good in.

They avoided the mirror a little more.

They stopped feeling comfortable in their own skin.

And that part?

That sucked.

Of course, they tried to fix it.

They tried the diet they saw online.

It worked for a month.

Then life happened.

They couldn't stick with it.

They regained the 10 pounds they lost plus 2 more for good measure.

They joined a gym.

They went hard for a week.

Then they were so sore that the bed seemed like a much better option at 6:00 AM.

Sound familiar?

Maybe some of this story sounds like yours.

Maybe you've been here before.

Heck, maybe you're here right now.

And that’s because there’s probably a little bit of ALL OF US in this story.

Myself included.

So what’s the answer?

If all of these attempts didn't work, what are you supposed to do?

I think I know the problem.

We try to do too much, too fast, without a plan or accountability.

Too much.

Too fast.

No plan.

No accountability.

We want big results.

And we want them NOW.

So we make a BIG change.

We cut out carbs and sugar.

Slash our calories to the bone.

Drink nothing but juice and detox tea.

Start running an hour a day.

Go to the gym and do every machine until our shirt is soaked.

And for a little while...

We feel like we're finally doing something.

Until we don't.

Maybe we make it a week.

Maybe two.

Maybe four.

Then the wheels start coming off.

Because it was never sustainable in the first place.

So we quit.

Then we feel guilty for quitting.

Then we wait until we're fed up enough to try something else.

And the cycle starts all over again.

So what’s the answer?

Two words.

Start slow.

I know.

That probably isn't what you wanted to hear.

You want results.

I get it, because I do too.

But if you want results that actually stick, you need to build something you can actually stick with beyond the 30 days of a “challenge”.

We see this every day with our clients.

People start with three simple workouts per week.

Bodyweight squats.

Pushups from their knees.

Basic movements.

Nothing crazy.

But they stick with it.

Months later, they're training four or five days a week because they want to.

They're squatting with weight.

They're doing full pushups.

They're stronger than they've been in years.

Same thing with our nutrition clients.

Some had spent years or decades bouncing from one restrictive diet to another.

This time, they took a different approach.

No crash diet.

No starvation.

No magic foods or hard-core elimination.

Just gradual habit changes, education and accountability.

Some are down 20–50 lbs.

And the part we're most proud of?

They've kept it off.

They didn't just lose weight.

They learned how to live differently.

And that's the other piece:

Accountability.

We're firm believers in it.

When we made the switch from an in-person business to an online business 7 years ago, we hired a coach.

We paid them well.

Not because we didn't know anything about fitness.

We did.

We paid them because sometimes knowing what to do isn't the problem.

Doing it consistently is.

You need someone who can guide you.

Someone you trust.

Someone who can tell you when you're doing too much.

And someone who will call you out when you need it.

You don't have to go from zero to 100.

You don't need an extreme plan.

You don't need to punish yourself for the last 10 years of do-overs.

You just need to start.

Start smaller than you think you should.

Do it consistently.

Give it time.

And let those small wins compound.

Because the goal isn't to become someone who can suffer through a 30-day challenge.

The goal is to become someone who doesn't need another 30-day challenge ever again.

That's the person we want you to become.

We believe in you.

Hope this helps.

Jonathan