Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

"I should do this", "I should do that"

Major pet peeve as a fitness professional. Fitness is about education. Making progress is about putting that education to use in your life. Some people get educated, but they don't apply it in their life. They just keep saying the "shoulda's". This can last for weeks, it can last for months, it can last for years.

I've been in this category as well. For eight years, I was in this category. I researched and read more about fitness and health than anyone I know, but I never applied it to my life. I just kept struggling and saying the "shoulda's". I hate that.

Because the "shoulda's":

• Make you feel like a failure before you even start.
• Tell your mind that even if you do make some progress, you will not make much.
• Allow you to keep making excuses for not applying what you know to your life.
• Keep you in this place of "comfort" where it is too hard to make changes.

"I know I should eat healthy, but it's too expensive"
"I should not drink Diet Coke, but I just do"
"I should workout"
"I should go to the doctor"

"Should" is another bad word in my vocabulary now, along with "fat" and "ugly". So how do you get out of the "shoulda's"?

You start making change. You take it one day at a time, one hour at a time if you have to. You make a list of what you want to do. Make it a positive list. Don't write down things that may be negative, like "I can't have any sugar" or "I have to lose weight"...write down positive goals, like "I want to improve my health" and "I want to be in a healthy weight for my age and height".

You just start making changes. Small changes. And you do it every day. Are you going to fall off the wagon? Yes, but you just get back up and start again.

Please, in the name of fitness, remove the phrase "I Should" from your speech and replace it with "I Will" today. Shoulda, coulda, woulda.