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Need a refresher on key topics to keep you on track with your fitness goals? What are some tried and tested pearls of wisdom that can help you on your fitness journey? What are the most important principles to bear in mind?
In this podcast episode, Melissa Vogel speaks about 8 truths about being fit for life.
In This Podcast
Summary
- You will suck at first
- It’s in your blood
- It will take you twice as much time and money than you may think
- Think 6+ years to arrive at your dream
- It will test you in every way
- It will require everything you have, tangible and intangible
- It will be the key for you to discover who you are
- There is more than 1 way to achieve these goals
1. You will suck at first
You’re gonna suck. Just know its part of the process and sucking at something is going to make you stronger.
This is not to scare you, but to give you a compassionate warning so that you will not be blindsided. Do not put unrealistic expectations on yourself that you will start this journey and finish it in a few months’ time after smooth sailing. It will be difficult, and there will be times that you fail, and, like every important lesson, it is not about failing but about getting back up and pushing on that matters most.
2. It’s in your blood
Instead, we have to schedule in our activity time, we have to make sure that we get up and walk and we use our arms and push and pull objects and nowadays we call that exercise. We call that fitness, we call that working out, we call that going to the gym. So it’s in your blood, our bodies are designed to move.
Your ancestors were fit and active people throughout their entire lifespans. It is in our blood, our DNA to be active daily, however, we are fighting an uphill battle with food, pollution, living in a fast-paced world. What they did naturally and easily, we have to seek out.
3. It will take you twice as much time and money than you may think
You are an investment. You are not an expense.
If this journey for you is based around really hitting your goals and making a lifelong impact, plan on about 3 years or so. This is the time it takes to fully break old habits, instill regular new ones, to be intentional and natural with healthy eating, to exercise daily with joy and excitement, and drive instead of frustration. It will take time to create this lifestyle – any program that promises you a miraculous 6-week change means that whatever you achieve may be temporary because it is not dealing with the root issues and causes; your diet, mindset, and lifestyle.
With regard to money, fitness itself is free. Going for walks and runs, swimming in the ocean, hiking, working out in your home. But, you are not a personal trainer. You do not have the teaching and motivating and planning methods that a professional personal trainer would have, and so your progress would be slow without one. Putting money into hiring a personal trainer is not an uncalled for expense.
Although, the opposite is also true. By placing all your money onto a personal trainer but then not putting in the work or sticking to the eating plan means that you are wasting your money, and then it will cost you more when you start to really be active in your own journey. A personal trainer is one piece of the puzzle, food, and mindset is the other, therefore be smart about it and protect the integrity of your wallet with the strength of your resolve.
4. Think 6+ years to arrive at your dream
This ties in with the above point. Think of the big picture and keep that in mind. When you want to create fitness and health in your life for the long-run, it will be a long time of training to get there. If this time frame is too big and daunting then work with 6-month timeslots and dedicating yourself to each 6-month time frame in order to move through your goal in manageable pieces.
5. It will test you in every way
In your resolve, character, personality, etc. Everything will be put to the test because you will run into walls and speed bumps along the way. For most people, when they get tested they quit because it becomes difficult, and those that push their way through the difficulty make their way to the top.
Develop loyalty to yourself and your workouts so that you do not have to rely on willpower alone. Develop your self-respect, your grit, and your loyalty to the goal you want to achieve.
6. It will require everything you have, tangible and intangible
This journey of achieving life long fitness will require what you have now and what you do not have yet. It will require you to create aspects that you do not have now in order to complete your goals.
7. It will be the key for you to discover who you are
Not everyone is going to be okay with who you’re becoming. But what matters is are you okay with that person? Are you okay with who you’re becoming? Who you’re discovering? Because you’re gonna find your greatest joy and fulfilment in serving yourself, maturing and inspiring others and your family.
You will find your greatest joy for yourself and for others. Ask yourself: who are you? Start getting yourself into the mental space of figuring out where you are now – which habits you have, how you react to yourself and the world etc. And then, ask yourself: who do you want to become? By discovering where you are now you can begin to figure out what you need to do and where you need to go in order to become your better, ever-growing version.
Being aware of the person you want to become and keeping them in your mind’s eye will help to motivate you and keep you focused on your goals. At first, you will be alone. People may give you pushback because you are changing and evolving and leaving your old self behind, the self that they knew. But remember who you want to become.
8. There is more than 1 way to achieve these goals
You amass tools in your toolbox for this journey when you try different things. People become stuck when they think that there is only one way to exercise, only one way to eat healthily and they are wrong. By varying up your exercise routine with hiking, cardio, swimming, dancing, and so forth, you will reach your fitness goals faster and with more joy. With food, varying your diet with different foods will nourish your body and keep you from falling into bad eating habits.
Useful Links:
- Ah Food, Why Do You Trouble Me So with Todd Nyholm | BM 31
- BTBFM FREE EMAIL COURSE
- Connect with Melissa on Facebook and Instagram
- Email Melissa: info@melissavogelfitness.com
Meet Melissa Vogel

Melissa Vogel is an energetic keynote speaker, business owner, certified personal trainer, certified group fitness instructor, 1st degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, a mother of three, and a podcaster.
Melissa has been voted as the Best Personal Trainer for 2020 by Inland Empire Magazine, and Built the Busy to Bomb Fit Mom exercise system.
She is quickly becoming recognized for her expertise and influence in her field!
Melissa has contributed to numerous publications and has been featured in the Trail Blazer Magazine, and published in the April 2020 edition of Health Magazine. Her approach incorporates personal experience, energy, humor, and charisma.
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