The Weird Piece Of Weight-Loss Advice That Changed My Approach To Fitness

Some nights, we find ourselves scrolling through Instagram posts, reading quote after quote. Although these quotes may be written to reach a mass audience, we can't help but admit the amount of comfort some quotes have the ability to bring us.

Last summer, I was feeling particularly down on myself. Classes had ended, and I was heading back to the hell hole that is my hometown.

Freshman year had treated me even better than I had thought it would. There was a lot of partying, which, of course, involved drinking. There were also lots of hours spent in the dining hall, eating and gossiping. By the time summer rolled around, I found that I myself had gained a couple of rolls.

I was heading home nine pounds heavier.

Within the first week back home, I had gotten myself a gym membership, made myself a meal plan and subscribed to more fitness programs than I can remember on YouTube.

For an entire month, I went to the gym every single day for two hours. I swore by my meal plan and increased my activity on YouTube by 100 percent (considering I had never really used YouTube before).

Despite all of these drastic changes I had taken on, I still wasn't happy with my body. I may have been down a roll or two, but I couldn't help but notice how weak-minded I was while I was exercising. At one point, I found myself in tears. I crashed down on my mat and told myself, “I'm too fat for this.”

Just as I was about to give up on trying to get in shape altogether, I came across a quote on Instagram that said, “Love the body you have, while working toward the one you want.” As cliched as it may sound, that quote sparked an energy that is still burning in me a year later.

This quote taught me a valuable lesson that we should all keep with us while we're on our journey toward our fitness and weight-loss goals. It stresses on the importance of having a strong relationship with your mind and body while you're working to get in shape.

If you don't do what you can to love the body you currently have and appreciate it for what it is now, and if you instead put a microscope on only all the things that are wrong with your body, your journey will be even harder.

By appreciating your body for what is now, you're not saying you don't want to make a change. But your current body is looked at as a motivator instead of a handicap. Once I accepted my body for what it was, I was able to make healthy progress by having a stronger mindset.

Sure, in the short term, going to the gym religiously, eating strictly and trying to absorb as many fitness videos as you possibly can might make you feel like you're on top of the world and on track to a better you. But if you take this path, you may easily get burnt out like I did.

If you accept your body the way it is currently and make realistic adjustments that gradually intensify along the way, you will reach your fitness goals much faster. In fact, you'll barely feel like getting there was a “journey.” In this way, your change will be much more likely to stick.

Trust the process.