Be Fit Fit: Goals Big and Small…

I recently realized that fitness is like buying a house.

In 2016, I separated and by the end of 2018, I divorced. Then I grieved a bit more over my 28-year-long marriage going south and threw a pity party or two (OK, five of them).

And then, I decided that I was going to buy a whole brand-new freakin’ house! (Brand new because I am disastrously bad at any repairs). A free-standing house sounded awesome to a fresh divorcee, seeking freedom – with a roof over it, a backyard and a view into the bright future. Three bedrooms and two baths. Several walls, a stunning but homey fireplace, and the foundation.

Actually, I should have started the whole story from the foundation.

Last May, I put a non-refundable deposit with my builder. Starting anew. It was a biggie for the post-divorce me.

In fitness, lots of things are refundable. You know what happens if you do not lose 150 pounds in three weeks? Money invested in the program might be refunded and yours again (or not).

Well, that was not the case with my house. My deposits were non-refundable. I was the only one to get this project going, design it from scratch, put it in the works, and make it happen months later (hopefully). I knew that if I had freaked out, there would have been nobody to back me up, as I don’t have any family apart from my daughter. And 19-year-olds are at their best left out of any problems and issues.

So, how all this project happened?

Well, I guess like my fitness project happened when I was 18 and decided to lose weight. First, getting the idea to buy a house – or lose weight. Then, implementing it step by step. While believing – or trying to believe – in yourself.

Getting that initial idea can be freakishly scary. But this is where it all starts. Without that first step and deciding what you want form your future, there is no hope, change, and no progress.

Who wants total stagnation? The same old seems comfortable and cozy, but change is good – even if it feels scary.

As long as we manage not to let the change overwhelm us (which I could not manage very well between May 2021 and now, but I digress…).

Some people say that happiness is the GOAL, but we also want to be sure that, we are happy in the process of doing so.

Therefore, my recommendation for both losing weight and gaining muscle and buying a house is to do it in chunks which are comfortable to you.

See, it is like eating an elephant. In one chunk, the whole elephant would not go down well. While in chunks, it is a different story. (I wrote a column about eating an elephant in chunks in 2017).

You need to align a few things to succeed (friends and family for both your fitness and real estate goals). Have your partner on your side, so their food in the fridge does not seem too tempting to you.

Have a solid advice on your side (fitness or wellness coach or a solid Realtor).

Have your circle of supporters – can be the builder or the moving company you trust, the renovation team, a good painter for that new house.

Make sure things are relatively convenient to you. It is harder to succeed if you want to get fit but sign up with a gym which is located an hour from your home. Likely, you will rarely make it there, if ever.

In other words, do what makes you feel happy, but make sure that you ARE happy as you proceed towards those future goals. Unfortunately, you get only one life and it is short. So, Just Do It!

Magdalena is the owner of the Be Fit Fit Personal Training Studio (www.befitfit.biz) and the Top 5% Chairman’s Board Realtor® at the Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International in Sedona. Visit her “Be Fit Fit” blog at verdenews.com.