Anticipate some struggle...

A wise man once said, anything worth having is worth fighting for. Or maybe that was Chuck Norris...

We fight for love, freedom, and independence. The same goes for your independence from your old self. You see we really have to know that if we are going to make a change, that at the end, when the change is complete you will not be the same person you were.

And for some people, that's kind of a scary thought. Changing the way you look, the way you feel, the way your friends see you, the way you look in a bathing suit. Imagine being 15-25 lbs slimmer. You look back at pictures from last summer and wonder who that person is.

Even a positive change can be a bit scary because it's just different. We get comfortable in our skin and we get comfortable with our habits. Remember that a big change can spook our emotional side. And if it is too spooky, that emotional side will stay right where it is. In addition to that, sometimes on our change journey we hit a rough patch that we struggle to get past.

Remember in the last email I said that we need to anticipate some struggle. By knowing when things are going to get tough, we can anticipate and plan appropriately.

So whether it is a new workout, a new dietary habit to begin or perhaps even the awkwardness of being the only one at dinner taking the "healthy" option at a table full of friends, knowing when the rough patch is coming helps us plan accordingly. And if we can plan accordingly, our chances of success climb dramatically!

How can you work to overcome some of these obstacles? Look for the bright spots. Often times with our friends, we like to commiserate about the struggles we have with our workouts, with our eating. We like to complain TOGETHER about how hard it is to eat more vegetables.

But looking at the failures only tells us about what doesn't work. Start looking at success stories - the bright spots - and take what works and apply it to your own situation!

• Struggling to eat fruit or veggies with breakfast? Throw a small handful of raisins into your oatmeal.
• Veggies for lunch? Have some carrots and hummus, or celery and hummus as a side.
• Fruit for a snack? Chop an apple and toss it in with some plain yogurt, a pinch of cinnamon and some Splenda.

So think about where you want to go with your health and fitness. Look at what has typically been a huge obstacle for you. Begin to look for the bright spots and start to identify how YOU can implement bright spot strategies to overcome your struggles.

If you need help that's good! Get the herd working for you. What does that mean? Find out in next week's email!