Allow me to paint a picture of how my current health and fitness journey began nearly 15 years ago:

I stepped onto a treadmill.
I walked slowly for 10 minutes.
I stepped off the treadmill.
I went home.

That’s it. That’s all I could do, so that was all my health and fitness coach at the time wanted me to do. No good could have come from trying to do more than I was prepared to do. My past health and fitness history, filled with starts, stops, and an unhealthy lifestyle that had full control over my life for many years, proved that.

We all have to start somewhere. The healthiest people you know weren’t the healthiest people you know until they took the first step toward reaching their goals, and then built upon that.

I understand those goals you have in mind seem daunting, which likely is why you haven’t faced them head-on yet. But all that matters now is to start. And it all starts with a proper mindset. It’s such an integral part of what my clients and I discuss on a regular basis. If our minds and hearts aren’t in the right place, if they’re not in alignment, the best health and fitness plan ever created will fall woefully short of helping anyone accomplish anything.

If you work or have worked with me, had a conversation with me about health and well-being, or follow me on social media you’ve heard me share the following thought: If I put an apple, a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and a can of soda on a table, I would be challenged to find anyone across the United States who didn’t know the healthiest options to select.
If I gave you two options – to go for a walk or to sit on the couch and watch television, I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t know which was the healthiest option to choose.

Yet, studies show that more than 40 percent of this country’s population is deemed obese, with more than 70 percent considered overweight. Frankly, those sobering numbers don’t stem from people failing to have the most basic knowledge about health and well-being.

So why are there so many unhealthy people in this country? That’s a good question. Ultimately, only those people know for sure. Only they know what’s going on in their heart and mind. Until they address what’s going on, they will be stuck in the position they’re in – and if asked to be honest with themselves, they likely would say they want to make positive changes in their lives.

I’m Exhibit A…I spent the opening half of my adult life living that life of disappointment – and nothing changed (except for my 70-plus pounds of weight gain, of course) until I finally began to face the obvious obstacles in my way and took action to overcome those obstacles.

It may be called physical fitness, but it is much more mental and emotional than physical. The sooner we accept that, the clearer the path to our goals becomes for us.

That’s when we start to win.