The Power of Self-Discipline

Here is a question I get asked a lot, “how do you show up day after day and stay on track with eating?” I think people are hoping I have some magic trick that makes it easy to be consistent with my workouts and eating, but the truth is that it happens because I am disciplined and committed. That’s it! That is the magic trick. It’s not fancy, a quick fix or easy. It’s just a matter of determination and self discipline.

Let me start off by saying that I have NOT always had self discipline. In fact, as a kid, teen and young adult, I was pretty lazy and did the bare minimum in most things. Even when I was a dancer, I just gave enough effort to be an ok dancer, but I never worked my butt off to be better. As a student in school, I did whatever got me by but never gave true effort. When I first got into working out, I never pushed myself, never fought for that last rep or did anything that was hard.

I finally had a light bulb moment when I realized that I wasn’t seeing results like I knew I could. I wanted to be stronger and eat better, but I just didn’t give it my all, until the day I realized that I would always be stuck where I was until I did something different. I slowly started working harder in my training and really challenging myself. I stopped buying junk food as a “treat” and started paying attention to what eating healthy really meant. I slowly started seeing results and that is when I turned a corner. I was NOT just half in anymore. I was committing to really working for it!

The awesome thing is that the harder I worked, the more self discipline I developed. I WANTED to work hard, and I WANTED to eat well. I could feel what it did for my body and mind. That self discipline started showing up in other areas of my life too. Instead of doing the bare minimum in other areas, I was giving it my all no matter what I did.

16 years later and I don’t have to think about IF I will workout or eat well. I just do it! It is now my way of life, habit and commitment. It was a slow journey to get where I am now, but every step of it taught me something new and unlocked new lessons for me. I fell more in love with taking care of myself and proving that I could do hard things. As I have aged, my training has changed to adapt to my body, but my effort and commitment is still there and strong.

There is NO easy and quick trick to develop self discipline and commitment. It is something you DECIDE to do and follow through with. The great thing is that the longer you do it, the easier it becomes to stay committed. I am so thankful that I am not that person I was a long time ago who did not work hard for things. I have gained so much by working hard and not making excuses for myself.

You CAN show up for yourself and work hard, and you CAN make eating well a priority. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Find a program to follow (I have 6 for you to choose from), and get help with nutrition if you feel lost, but don’t wait to get started. Start now! Your health and wellness is worth it!