Looking back at how easy it used to be, you cringe at how you took being in shape for granted.

You didn’t even have to think about it, and yet magically, you still had a perky butt and could run for miles without thinking.

So now, as you’re finally in a place to start taking care of yourself, the weight of starting over feels enormous.

Just the thought of forcing yourself through a workout sounds terrible because the whole thing will be a reminder of how far you’ve let yourself go.

That reminder turns into a full blown shame spiral, complete with guilt and sadness and topped off with finding solace in the pint of ice cream in your freezer.

And that’s all before you’ve even taken one step or done a single squat.

But You Push On

Because you feel like you’re at a low point and so you sign up for that program or plan, and you’re all in!

Totally pumped to get started and change up all the things – time to start working out and eating better and becoming that ideal version of a human you have in your head.

Supermom status, here you come!!

Annnnnd that feeling lasts for about a week.

At which point you’re saying “f*ck this! Why did I even sign up for this? It’s just another thing I’m going to let myself down with.”

So you waffle back and forth on continuing the program since it’s constantly looming over your head and you’ve already paid for it; but you’re also wanting to just say screw it, cuz you never stick to anything anyways.

You even mention it to your family and friends, who, while well intentioned, just don’t seem to really ‘get it’ as they proceed to give you 100 ideas that they think are going to work.

Sound Familiar?

Then you’re like most of the women I coach, and you’re totally normal.

We’ve been conditioned to think that getting back in shape or starting a new program is a HUGE deal and takes a massive life overhaul.

So of course the thought of starting over sounds massive.

But it doesn’t have to be that way, in fact, I think it SHOULDN’T be that way if you’re looking for results.

As a behavior change ninja (aka health coach) I find it’s the norm to think getting healthy requires all in effort, all the time – it’s all or nothing.

So allow me to open your eyes and show you that it’s just not the case.

A Different Approach

There is another way, and it’s the way I use in all of my programs and coaching.

Instead of a constant comparison of where you’re at now to where you were, let’s first mourn the loss of that effortless perky butt. It’s a thing of the past, and that’s ok! It’s called being in your 20s.

Now that we’re over that hurdle, let’s move on to the first myth: working out has to suck for it to be effective.

IT DOES NOT.

In fact, it should be enjoyable – because we like doing things that we enjoy, we don’t like doing things that suck. So I help find a workout routine that’s actually enjoyable.

Yes, there will be sweat, and there will likely be some soreness (we’re talking muscles that haven’t been used in a while – it’s unavoidable). But we’re also talking feeling strong, accomplished, and confident!

And before long you’ll notice that booty perking right up again – call it a bonus byproduct.

After we establish a routine of moving your body frequently, then (and only then) do we move on to the food side of things. It’s a much bigger monster so we build momentum before trying to slay that dragon.

This whole process can take as little as a few weeks, or it can take a few months, or even longer.

But even when it does take longer, it’s still progress – progress toward that healthier version of you that you’ve been envisioning. And no matter how long it takes, at every point in your journey, you’re better off than where you began.

And the best part – nowhere on that journey do you get the urge to throw in the towel.

Sure, there’ll be days you don’t want to do a workout. There’ll be days when you aren’t feeling it. There’ll be days that are harder than others.

But you know that those days will pass and you can hop right back on the wagon, with no loss of progress. AND those days will become less frequent as you stay consistent with your habits.

Before long, this whole shebang progresses into a healthier lifestyle, changed little by little from where you began, and you feel like a totally different person in the best of ways!

Because there is no weight of starting over … you’ll realize it was all in your head and there’s really no such thing as starting over, but rather picking up where you left off.