When The WHAT IF's Bog Me Down...

Lately I've been thinking about my fitness and physique goals, and somehow a plethora of doubts cross my mind. What if I'm setting goals that are too high for me to reach? What if I'm unable to achieve them? What if I'm just not strong enough? What if I just can't do it?

Thing is, the harsh reality about fitness goals is that it isn't easy to achieve them. Because when it comes to achieving those goals, most people tend to only see what's on the surface. Science and those natural laws. Things like calories in, calories out. But those are the scientific theories, mathematical equations, logical deductions. But in actual fact, they're just the tip of the iceberg.

.....

It's really the other stuff that are tougher to deal with. Things like:

Eating clean when everyone around you is having burgers, brownies and multiple margaritas.

Finding motivation on those days when you just feel like vegging out at home instead of stepping out of the door and heading to the gym.

Getting (and staying!) on that treadmill when you're feeling totally blah and you leaf through playlist after playlist on iTunes but nothing seems to be doing it for you.

Those times when you're training weights and your muscles are fatigued and after what feels like you've annihilated your delts with 4 different exercises targeting anterior, lateral, posterior delts... you wonder where you'd find the strength to face those remaining sets of lateral raises in your planned workout for the day AND progressive overload, when you're already feeling totally spent and running on empty.

The occurrences when you just don't see as much progress as you'd like to... when it's like you want to lift heavier, but at that moment your body just isn't achieving what you want it to achieve.

Those times when you have an injury and you're momentarily side-tracked. And whenever that happens, part of me wants to just 'scroo it' and work through the pain, injury be darned... but I know that's just not the right thing to do... then discouragement and frustration sets in.

And then there are those moments when you get home exhausted and hungry, and it's so much easier to just hit the drive-thru for a burger, instead of prepping a meal of chicken breast, potatoes and veggies.

Or having to deal with the temptation to snack on crap food because you had a crappy day... or dealing with upsetting stuff and feeling like if you stuffed your cheeks with chocolate, maybe the pain will go away... or fixing a peanut butter 'n' jelly sandwich (with organic natural peanut butter and 100% sprouted wholegrain bread, mind you.. just because something's healthy doesn't mean there's no calories...) because you just FEEL like eating something when you're plain bored.

And of course there's those moments when you just give in to eating something bad now and go, "I'll change from tomorrow onwards..." and we ALL know how well that always turns out.

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And sometimes when it gets so tough and seemingly impossible, when obstacles and situations get in the way, and it feels like my goals are just so distant and almost-unreachable... I get those moments of negativity.

So back to those questions...

What if I'm setting goals that are too high for me to reach?

What if I'm unable to achieve them?

What if I'm just not strong enough?

What if I just can't do it?

Then suddenly the thought crossed my mind: "Okay Pauline, forget about the Can or Can't, what is it that you Want?" And suddenly, it hit me.

There's no such thing as not being able to do something. I re-read my list of obstacles above and I realize that they're not insolvable, or impossible to overcome or at least cope with. I realize that I already do have the answers to solving or dealing with most of them, and that it's just a matter of focusing on what I want, and not letting temporary feelings and situations keep me from achieving what I set out to achieve.

I love this quote by IFBB Figure Pro, Pauline Nordin; whom by the way, is one of my favorite bodybuilders/figure athletes...

"Remember that nothing stops you from reaching your goal except for you yourself. If you want it you can have it, the question is how much you want it and how much you are willing to put in for it."