I’ve been bouncing the idea of this article around for months and I’ve hesitated to write it for several reasons:
-Every person is motivated by different things
-What works for one won’t work for another
-Having a kickstart towards progress can be a tremendous help
-The value of creating support and community should never be underestimated
All these things aside, for as long as I’ve been coaching in the fitness industry (17 years), there is always some “challenge” that people get involved in to help them get further along.
Sometimes, it’s the ones that are diet driven: 14 day resets, 21 day kickstarts, 30 day detoxes, etc.
All of which find some way to exclude foods (or drinks) from the diet to challenge you mentally and physically with the promise that you will be healed, fixed, revolutionized, or transformed on the way to the promised land.
The really savvy ones will not only have you remove certain things from the diet, they’ll convince you to buy some type of supplement stack (value priced at only $279) because you need the appropriate balance of vitamins, minerals, snake oil and fairy dust to truly benefit.
Then, there are others that combine some arbitrary list of restrictive diet changes, behavioral modifications, workout routines, etc. to determine how hard you can work to challenge your mind, your body, and your lifestyle. Rest assured, this is where they separate the “men from the boys”, the truly dedicated from the half-hearted, and so on.
And, in theory, I don’t have a problem with anything that genuinely strives to make you the best version of yourself.
However, what we tend to see, is that the vast majority of people who engage in these challenges end up going right back to their “normal” not long after the challenge is complete.
I don’t want to dismiss this all entirely.
For instance, there will always be the person who makes a New Year’s resolution to drop 50 pounds and keep it off and, by God, they actually do it.
But you know just as well as I do, they are the exception.
And as far as challenges go, there will indeed be people who make those sweeping changes and the lightbulb comes on, a switch is flipped, and they never look back.
A year later, they’ve achieved their ideal physique, they sleep better, they party less, and life just.seems.perfect.
And again, they are the exception.
Fact is, most diet-driven challenges are a terrible idea for people who struggle with disordered eating practices. And they themselves might never know that, but they’ll embark on the challenge anyway and wonder why they keep spinning their wheels and never get to the root of what’s standing in their way (finding a therapist who specializes in eating disorders is a good place to start).
And I will admit that even I tossed out one of these challenges about 5 years ago to my clients for a 30-day span of time. Chock this up to not knowing better and if I had known then what I know now about disordered eating behaviors, I never would have done this.
But we live…we learn (hopefully).
So, what’s the solution?
Most (not all) of the people you know didn’t transform their bodies and lives from a challenge (even if it had good intentions). They got those bodies and those lives by doing the boring and the seemingly mundane over and over and over again. Those actions aren’t highlight worthy. We only want to see the beginning and the end because the middle is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
Here’s my suggestions instead:
-Explore the one area of these challenges that really makes you uncomfortable. For instance, if a challenge asks you to remove alcohol and you know that doing so will be the part that hurts the most, THAT’S the place to really dig into. Everything else is just a clever distraction from the part that will get you the most out of your comfort zone.
-Lean into the boring bits. I hate to say this (or rather, type it) but true transformation comes from all the things no one tends to share. It’s the agonizing pull to put in the work when the couch is telling you to stay. It’s the getting-your-ass-out-of-bed step when all you want to do is hit snooze. It’s the meal prep when McDonald’s sounds easier, it’s the water when you want wine, it’s the go-the-f-to-sleep when Netflix begs you to watch one more episode. Do the boring work, reap the great results.
-Pay attention to your track record. If you have a long, colorful history of engaging in challenges that spark wild-eyed wonder and motivation only to fizzle out like the end of a sparkler, ask yourself what you’re avoiding. The challenges might give you some temporary hope but the finish line you’re really aiming for comes well after the challenge ends.
Do you have a plan for that?
