So you’ve got your workout routine ready to go.  You’ve got your meal plan set up and all the bad food thrown out of the house.  Got yourself some new running shoes and workout clothes to boot!  You’ve even got your brand spank’n new gym membership at the best club in town!  But have you checked your head?

We tend to focus on physical when it comes to our health, such as exercising and eating better.  Obviously, these are crucial, but we seem to overlook another very important part of the equation.  Why were we out of shape in the first place?  For some, it’s simple.  We didn’t have the knowledge of what we needed to do, or we had an injury, or we were comfortable eating poorly and not exercising for too long and the results are now catching up to us and were are noticing it.  However, for many, especially for those who are excessively overweight, have quickly gained weight, or severely underweight, there is often times an underlying cause that isn’t about the physical.  This can also be the case in those who flip flop from heavily overweight to extreme exercising, it still may indicate a non-physical issue.

As a trainer, we have to find out “why” the physical issues are here in the first place.  Yes, we need to adjust diet and exercise, that’s a given.  But if there is an underlying issue, such as stress or a traumatic and unresolved issue from the past, then the results are either not going to happen, or will not be permanent.  It happens all too often, dramatic weight loss, followed by dramatic weight gain.  This is just as unhealthy as staying overweight or underweight.  I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve worked with clients where the majority of our session was them venting or breaking down about a personal issue that was holding them back from a healthy lifestyle.  It’s not until they vent or begin to resolve these issues that I see them turn the corner on their health.  Many people turn to bad habits when they struggle to cope with issues.  Habits such as binge eating, smoking, drugs, alcohol, or simply having no energy or too depressed to get up and exercise.  I can tell someone all day long how bad certain foods are, but if their only sense of comfort in a time of stress comes from devouring a bucket of ice cream, then it doesn’t matter what I say or what they know.  The unfortunate thing about this is, even when I’ve worked with clients that have found out what that underlying issue is, some still make the decision to keep that stress or issue in their lives.  They know full well it will destroy their health, but they are convinced it’s the best thing for them, or the better option.  For instance, a high paying job that is stressful and a boss that is cruel or harassing.  It’s easy for me on the outside to say change jobs, but for them, it’s starting life over and going back to the bottom rung of a new job, if they find that job.  And if you add kids and a family to support into that mix, it becomes even more difficult to change.  This too can create even more stress.  It’s not easy.  Sometimes finding better ways to deal with the stress is a better option than attempting to remove the stress.  Other times, I’m adamant about them changing their situation.  Everyone is different obviously but first you must recognize the issue.  It is then important to discuss this issue with others, not just thinking to yourself.  A second point of view is extremely helpful.

It’s important to note that being excessively healthy and crazy about diet and exercise can stem from these same issues.  Just because the person is physically healthy, doesn’t mean they are mentally healthy.  This too needs to be addressed and resolved as the only way to be truly healthy is through both physical and mental health.  So if you find yourself (or a friend), constantly yo-yo’ing with the weight, or struggling to lose weight even when you know exactly what needs to be done, take a deeper look at where the issue is really coming from.  Know that your head must be healthy before you get your body healthy.