At one point in my weight loss journey I got into a really ugly habit of just going through the motions. I was incredibly frustrated with my lack of results (I definitely wasn’t losing any weight) and felt like I was doing the things I should be doing. Sure, I wasn’t perfect and there were occassional indulgences, but at the time, I really felt like I was “doing the work”.

I woke up in the morning and did my affirmations. I put positive thoughts into my head. I planned my meals. I prepped my food. I went to the gym. Sounds like a recipe for results, doesn’t it?

It was hollow. I was checking off boxes on my list of things to do for fat loss but I was merely going through the motions.

I felt like starting my day with affirmations was exactly the right way to frame my day. But here’s the thing – merely reading them off and setting them away is like reading the Bible because you “should” and then not making the conscious choice to act in a way that reflects what you’ve learned.

I was reading my affirmations and telling myself that I am focused & disciplined but then allowing myself to become distracted and routinely veering away from the healthy foods I know I needed for fat loss. I was telling myself that I bring passion & intensity to my daily workouts but then giving sub par effort or not even finishing the workout I planned. I was telling myself that I am leaner and stronger each day but making daily excuses to justify indulgences or laziness.

Saying your affirmations is a great thing to do. Planning and prepping your meals is a great thing to do. Showing up at the gym is a great thing to do. But guys – that is a STARTING point. You have to follow through. You have to be consistent. Saying and reading your affirmations is not descriptive it is prescriptive. You aren’t just pumping yourself full of sunshine and unicorns. You are instructing yourself on how to proceed for the rest of the day. You have to follow through. You have to make the hard choices and SHOW UP. It’s awesome that I packed a huge salad and leftover steak for lunch but that’s just going through the motions if I end up in the break room buying a candy bar from the vending machine on a regular basis.

Don’t plan for the sake of planning and checking off the box that you’ve prepped your meals and scheduled your workouts. Let it be the starting block for your dedication, your good choices and the ACTION you will take every day.

Here’s the bottom line: whether you think you’re doing the work or not, if you aren’t getting results, you aren’t doing the work you need to do. Period. Maybe you’re just going through the motions. Maybe you’re making too many excuses. Maybe you’re doing the wrong things for your body.

Either way, remember that your effort and your intentions don’t count. Going through the motions isn’t enough. If you want to change your body you need to show up and back it up. The affirmations need to instruct your actions. The meal planning and food prep needs to influence your decisions to not get your hands on anything and everything else you want to eat. Your training time needs to be valuable and impactful.

Are you going through the motions or are you genuinely showing up? Are you getting the results you want or are you feeling frustrated? Take an honest look at the gap between your intentions and your results and find the missing pieces. As always, I’m here to help!