Setbacks are an expected part of the training process. You can count on the fact that you will get so frustrated that you will want to quit what you’re doing entirely.
The health and fitness journey you’re on holds many of these along the way and like anything, dealing with them takes practice.
As you have probably figured out by now, progress happens quite quickly in the beginning. You are going from doing nothing to doing something and that something has the tendency to create changes in your body. This is not to say that anything goes as there are better practices and worse ones, but realize your initial changes might have happened no matter what you did.
After a while, progress slows to a crawl or can stop. This is one of the many excuses people cite as why they quit and while this is not an examination of those excuses, here is a list of tactics you can use if those setbacks rear their ugly faces!
1 – Setbacks Are All In The Math
If you’re one of those analytic people, this might make sense to you: improving your health and fitness, changing your body, and doing the things you want to do is built upon a formula. And while you could make the formula as deep and as complex as you want, here’s a simple one:
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Exercise + Nutrition + Recovery + Support System = Results
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If you’re not getting results (you hit setbacks), then there is likely something amiss in your formula. Rather than throwing in the towel, the better option is to start playing with variables in your formula. Now is not the time to quit.
I’ll say it again… do not quit!
You found a formula that didn’t work for you. If you’re going to find the optimal formula to drive the results you’re looking for, well, you also need to figure out what things don’t work for you.
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Fail > Variable Change > Some Success > Fail > Variable Change > Some Success > Repeat
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2 – Enjoy The Process
Stop and think: when you were getting results and changing your life, were you also enjoying the process? Chances are good that you were!
Some of that might be a function of the success you were having. What if I told you the success you were having was a function of the enjoyment factor?
Riddle me this, Batman.
3 – The “Why”
Anybody who works in sales knows the importance of asking why.
Let’s start with an example for me and training jiu jitsu:
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“Chris, why do you want to train in jiu jitsu?”
Me – “It’s something I always wanted to do.”
“Why have you always wanted to do it?”
Me – “I did martial arts growing up and took about a 17-ish year break. Since then, I’ve felt like some piece of me was missing.”
“Why do you feel martial arts is missing for you?”
Me – “It helps me build self-confidence as it is something I feel like I can control: training, that is.”
“Why is it important for you to feel in control?”
Me – “I want to know that I could handle myself if something bad happened. More than that, I have small children and I want to lead them by example. Not being able to defend myself is not a good plan and is not the precedent I want to set for them.”
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It took me 4 ‘whys’ to get to the root of my desire to train jiu jitsu. I want to train in martial arts because I want my kids to understand they should be able to take care of themselves.
Take as many ‘whys’ as you’d like, but make sure the reason you’re training is a strong one. This will pick you up when you experience setbacks.
4 – The People Around You
“You can’t change the people around you but you can change the people around you.”
I’m not sure where I heard that and I’m not 100% sure where it’s from. This phrase is something that rattles around my brain from time to time because you are who you hang out with after all.
Are you hanging out with people who are constantly negative, making excuses, and who say the setbacks they experience are forever and not temporary?
Maybe make an effort to change that. Start hanging out with people who are doing something about their circumstances, ones who are where you want to be, and ones who make taking care of themselves a habit.
This is the type of positivity and encouragement you want to be surrounded by and as a rising tide raises all ships, find yourself a group to ride with.
How Can We Help With Setbacks?
If you’re looking for some guidance, a little support, and a way to whittle down your formula to something more optimal, HERE we are!
We are talking about getting results, after all!
