Everyone Has Barriers
There are so many excuses I’ve heard why people don’t or can’t work out it blows my mind. People have barriers. Some self made and others that are imposed on them. I don’t have time. It’s too much effort. That’s too big of a change. These are Bull.
So I’m going to share something personal about myself on here. I’ve always tried to live an active lifestyle, eat right, be healthy, the usual. But about three years ago I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease. Didn’t have a clue what that meant at the time. They said something about diet changes and I thought how bad can that be? It’ll make losing weight easier. Well the diet changes turned out to be pretty severe. Losing the weight stopped being the problem. I struggle just to put weight on now.
If you don’t know what Crohns is, is a digestive disease where your body can’t digest certain foods and has a big problem absorbing nutrients. That means I take supplements every day and I have to watch absolutely everything I eat or risk lots of pain and time off work. I was basically told it would be a struggle just to have proper nutrition in my diet let alone put any muscle on or have any level of fitness.
Obviously this was a huge blow to me. That’s my entire lifestyle.
Back On Track
But it’s not my style to let things get in the way of what I want in life, I wasn’t losing to this disease. I take supplements everyday. I make homemade shakes with lots of nutrients to keep me healthy. I take every possible advantage of my extremely restrictive diet to get calories in every day. But most importantly, I found a goal.
I heard about something called a spartan race. It’s like a tough mudder but with hills and burpee punishments. It’s an obstacle course race, one hell of a physical challenge. So I signed up for one. The goal was to be in good enough shape despite my disease to beat that course.
I got back into the gym. I ate only what my body allowed. I started putting on muscle. And wouldn’t you know it I damn well beat that course. Not only did I beat it but I finished in the top 30% of all racers. HELL. YEAH. That was the most accomplished I’ve felt in my life. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to achieve that level of fitness again. For me, crossing that finish line was like the ultimate victory over my Crohns. You can bet I’m signed up for more of those races too!
Takeaways
There are lots of things that get in the way of living a healthy active lifestyle. Whatever your reasons, you can conquer them like I conquered mine. Never let something dictate your life for you. Finding the right goal can be crucial in achieving what you want. It gives you something to strive for, it gives you a purpose. And in my case, it can help you overcome something you never thought possible. If I can do it so can you. I’m pulling for you every step of the way!
Tell me some of your fitness goals! What helps push you to achieve them?
JFitness Lifestyle 