Getting the same results over and over again makes it feels like Ground Hog Day everyday. If you’re unsure of what I mean by Ground Hog day check out this Youtube video. It is basically the feeling of doing the same day over and over again and getting the same outcome.
So many people in life live in a constant state of ground hog day. That is they are doing the same things over and over again and don’t appear to be getting anywhere in life. It doesn’t matter what aspect of their lives it feels to them as though they are in a holding pattern with the same things playing out everyday. Their relationships are stale, the job is tedious and boring and well their health and fitness leaves a lot to be desired.
This is not to say that the people who are in this state don’t try to better themselves, they do. They try and try and try but to no avail. It is the same outcome each time and if they are lucky sometimes they make some progress only to slip back into bad habits and they end up back where they started or in an even worse position.
This occurrence is caused in a large part by our own mindset. Yes we do this to ourselves. Why? Well there are so many reasons why but overwhelmingly it has to do with our own self protection/self sabotage. Making real long term changes in your life require you to acknowledge where you are currently, have the want to make change, accept that you will have to do things differently and then action these changes. Without following through on change it just becomes a thought. A great thought but that is all it is, “A thought”
Lets look at a couple of examples of ground hog day and see if any of these resonate with you.
35 year old female who is carrying a few extra kilograms. Mum of two. Lets call her Trinity (i don’t know anyone called Trinity so its the safest name I can come up with). Trinity is married to Hank. They have two great kids. Trinity works full time as well as looking after the family. She works in the city so she commutes every day. That’s approx. 2 hours a day sitting on a bus and then sitting behind a computer all day for a further 7 hours a day. In total her job and commute means she isn’t moving for a total of 9 hours a day or 45 hours a week. Sound like she is sitting for a fair chunk of her day. Since having the last child all she has wanted to do was return to her pre baby weight so that she can feel more confident in herself, feel more attractive to her husband and overall just feel like her old self. The only problem that Trinity has is that she is trying to change her body but still doing the same things. She’s sitting all day, coming home at night and busy doing things for the kids and has begun to resent her husband because he is going to the gym on the way home and gets some down time before he has to be home with the family. When it comes to the weekend she is busying running around with the kids to activities, grocery shopping and trying to keep a social life with family and friends. Come each Sunday night she thinks to herself that this week she will eat better, go for a walk at lunchtime and hopefully this week is the week she makes it to the gym. But sadly no. Before too long its Thursday and she has done nothing that she set out to do and another week has gone by. When she looks at her self in the mirror she thinks next week will be the time when things will change but next week never actually comes.
40 year old male who is looking more like a pregnant woman these days than the athletic and muscular 20 something who swept his wife off her feet. Meet Jonathon. Jonathon has just turned 40, works for a multinational corp and spends more time in airports than he does his own office. He is married to his beautiful wife Jacinta and they have three boys. Jonathon has been feeling lately that it is getting more and more difficult to get around. Climbing stairs he becomes breathless quite easily, is finding it more and more difficult to keep up with his boys and seems to eat more hotel food or takeaway. He is a member of a gym near work but struggles to get there once a week and when he does feel rather inadequate when he stand needs to a fit, strong and athletic gym bunny. He has realised that his ever expanding waist line is now starting to cause him real health concerns. His blood pressure is up, his cholesterol is high and he generally feels unwell most of the time. When each weekend comes around he comes home and feels like he has gone 10 rounds with a heavy weight boxed. Jonathon then is presented with a weekend full of activity with the kids, family and friends. By Sunday night he needs another weekend just to get over the one just gone. Jonathon thinks to himself he will get to the gym more this week coming as if he doesn’t he will continue to expand. The week progresses and Jonathon makes it to the gym on Monday. Then Tuesday he’s off to Melbourne for the day and won’t make it. Wednesday he has early meetings and then takes the boys to footy training. While at footy training he sits on his phone doing emails. Jonathon wouldn’t dare get out there with the other dads, he feels as though he is twice the size and only able to do very little with the kids. The week is over again and nothing changes.
Both these scenarios sound a little far fetched but I can assure you there will be similarities for everyone in these stories. God even I found them relatable. For me Jonathon’s story was very similar to my very own story. If you haven’t read it yet take a look <MY STORY>.
So how do you break the cycle?
- Make small sustainable changes – get up an hour earlier, make your lunch each day, go for a walk at lunch time
- Set some goals or milestones you want to achieve. When writing goals try to think about how achieving these goals will make you feel.
- Be consistent with your efforts. Making change takes some sacrifice. Without making these sacrifices real change cant be achieved
- Be kind to yourself – don’t worry if you miss a day or make a mistake. You’re human. Everyone does it. Just learn from it and try not to make the same mistake again.
- Stop comparing yourself to other people. Life is not a competition. The only person you should compare yourself to is you. Old vs new!
If you want some more help in breaking the cycle of ground hog day and make some real quantifiable and sustainable change contact us today to see how we can help you. Alternatively you can join one of our group fitness classes or maybe you would prefer the singular focus of our one on one personal coaching? If you’re not local to our private training studio you may find our online personal coaching programs suit you best. What are you waiting for? A brand new day is just around the corner. You just have to take the first step.