Compare your body with your body and no body else
Motivation. Accountability. Measurement. Three key words that help us achieve our fitness goals.
One word that can work against these is Comparison. Comparing how you look or your achievements with others can create more negativity than positivity and is self-destructive, making it harder to stay on your path to a fitter, healthier you.
We all know that the perfect body images we see online are an illusion and have either been created artificially or have taken years of dedication to achieve. Comparing ourselves to others is a natural human trait and is unfortunately even more prevalent now on social media.
Healthy comparison can give you a blueprint for improvement and change but so often it can become a tool to highlight what’s wrong with you, rather than what’s right. I believe that it’s irrelevant to compare yourself to others – they have a different lifestyle, different genes, different demands on their time so the only person you should compare yourself to is YOU!
It is important to start an exercise routine with a few realistic goals so that you can track your progress. For instance, you have reduced your waist size by an inch; you’ve managed to touch your toes; you’ve done a brisk 5km walk – the key point is, if you couldn’t do that thing before and now you can, that is excellent progress, comparing yourself to you only.
Some people love their fitness tracker to keep a record of their steps, their calories burnt and their heart rate, but be careful not to become ruled by the numbers to the detriment of enjoying life. It’s not just about doing 10,000 steps per day but how brisk/active the steps are to take you into moderate-to-vigorous activity.
Looking within yourself for motivation and inspiration is the best way to keep a fitness programme going. So, keep tracking your progress and by all means share your goals and achievements with others so that you can inspire them. When you feel your resolve wobbling a little, you can check in with your fellow participants to get a little reminder of where you’ve come from and what you’re aiming for.
Our Gemma Pearce Fitness 5 day challenges have been brilliant for people who want to introduce some exercise into their lives – a little bit every day. I’m very proud of the people who have taken motivation from the group, setting themselves the challenge of exercising every day and then moving on with more confidence to bigger challenges – comparing with no-one but themselves.
Don’t feel short-changed or underwhelmed because you haven’t progressed the same as your friend and don’t feel disheartened that it’s taking you longer to achieve your goals than planned, keep going on your own path and be inspired by your advances.
Check out our latest 5 day challenge - Back to Basics Pilates - here.