Do you have any barriers to physical fitness and diet that you are unable to overcome

Changing your eating habits is hard. Even with the best of intentions, ditching unhealthy food for a healthy eating routine can be a challenge.

If you are struggling to eat better, you may be struggling with one of the following common barriers. Our Wellness Dietitian Lindsey Wohlford has some ideas to help you move forward if you are facing any of these barriers to change.

Lack of time 

Just like anything else you want to achieve, you have to plan for healthy eating. Put time on your calendar to meal plan, grocery shop and prep so you can be sure you have healthy options at your fingertips.

You can also use time-saving tricks like buying pre-cut produce, using a slow-cooker or doubling recipes to ensure you have leftovers to freeze. Try to keep a list of quick, healthy meals and snacks so you don't get stumped when you are shopping and cooking. You can also shop for groceries online to save time.

Feeling overwhelmed

Don’t try to make too many changes at once. Small changes over time can add up to a big impact and it is much more doable. Drastic changes all at once can be overwhelming and harder to manage, which can lead to feelings of self-doubt.

By mastering small changes you will gain confidence and little improvements will slowly become part of your lifestyle. Once you’ve incorporated a new habit, start on another one. Change is a process, not an event.

An "all or nothing" attitude

Once you've decided to change your eating habits, you may feel that there is no room for mistakes. At some point, you will backslide and encounter setbacks. When you have an all or nothing mindset, a setback can feel like a failure and prompt you to quit.

Remember that you are aiming for progress, not perfection. Try to view setbacks as a bump in the road and keep going. Change takes time, but you will get there if you just keep going.

Diet confusion

The enormous number of fad diets as well as all the sources of nutrition information can make healthy eating decisions difficult and confusing. This can lead to trying many different diets and following nutrition advice that is not evidence-based.

A registered dietitian can help cut through the misinformation and provide you with well researched nutrition guidance that is customized for you and your lifestyle. Dietitians can also offer ongoing support, accountability and encouragement.

Feeling deprived

When you start a healthy lifestyle it can mean giving up foods you like. But eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to all your favorites. All foods can fit. A healthy diet is all about learning to eat a variety of foods in moderation.

A dietitian can help you learn how to balance the foods you love with other foods to help you maintain a healthy weight and reduce chronic disease risk.

If you can identify what’s getting in your way, you have a much better chance of success.

A barrier is an obstacle that prevents movement or access, both physically and in the abstract sense. In physical fitness, a barrier is anything that makes it difficult for you to get enough activity or exercise. The most common barriers people list to being physically fit are not having enough time, energy, or motivation, and a lack of social support. These are all barriers to your military fitness. While it’s important to embrace the things that motivate you and make it easy to stay active, identifying and addressing your barriers is critical to removing or working around the things that stand in your way to military wellness.

Identify your barriers

Take some time to make a list of the things that make it difficult or impossible for you to exercise. Are your work days too long to make time? Do your friends or family not support your activity goals? Does it hurt to exercise? Anything that you think might get in the way counts.

Once you have your list, reflect on whether these barriers are real or perceived. Real barriers are things that you need to actually overcome in order to be more active. A perceived barrier is a potential negative aspect of being more physically active. For example, a real barrier could be not having enough time. You might need to modify your schedule to make time to go to the gym. A perceived barrier could be that working out might be painful. You can work around this by identifying which specific activities or exercises actually are painful and finding alternatives.

Know your goals

You might have a running list of SMART goals to maintain your fitness. Now that you have your list of fitness barriers, you can adjust fire and modify some of your goals. It’s okay to recognize that not all barriers can be overcome, and that is a big part of meeting your goals.

How do you overcome obstacles?

Here are a few common barriers to working out and some suggestions for how to overcome them.

Lack of time

If you feel like you don’t have time to commit at least 30 minutes a day for exercise, first take a look at your weekly schedule. Is there anywhere you can carve out some time for workouts? Try to find inefficiencies in your schedule that can be adjusted, or times that you spend sitting that could be better spent exercising. Also look for creative ways to add physical activity into your current schedule. If you have a job that requires you to cross base a few times a week, can you walk or bike instead of driving? Or do you live close enough to work that you can walk or bike?

No motivation or energy

Go back to your schedule. Write in a standing appointment for the gym to help make physical fitness part of your routine. Set it for a time when you feel most energized, and block that time off in your calendar as being at the gym. This will also make your coworkers aware that if it’s 1100, you’re probably playing basketball. This can also motivate others to be more active. It also has the effect that people know when you’re busy, but they also know where you are in case something urgent comes up. In addition, most units have policies that support daily exercise routines and workouts, so take advantage of that.

Building a military fitness support network can also help you overcome a perceived lack of energy or lack of motivation to exercise. It gives you a partner to help hold you accountable and to drag you to the gym on days when your motivation is running low.

Lack of social support

The big thing here is communication. Speak with members of your existing support network, which is usually family and friends but can also include co-workers and mentors, and explain why improving your fitness is important to you. It’s possible you could be misinterpreting their attitudes towards your fitness, and they could clear up how they feel about your fitness goals. Or there might be barriers to their support that you need to work through. Maybe they feel it might mean additional time away from family, friends, or work? Communicate with your network and find how to build their support for your fitness goals.

The process of identifying and overcoming barriers is cyclical. So as you identify more, you will need to adjust and find ways to work with or around them. The more you practice this skill, the easier the process becomes, and you will be able to apply it to other areas of your life too.

Published on: January 25, 2021

American Heart Association. (2018). Breaking down barriers to fitness. Retrieved 29 December 2020 from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/getting-active/breaking-down-barriers-to-fitness

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Overcoming barriers to physical activity. Retrieved 29 December 2020 from https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adding-pa/barriers.html

Fox, A. M., Mann, D. M., Ramos, M. A., Kleinman, L. C., & Horowitz, C. R. (2012). Barriers to physical activity in East Harlem, New York. Journal of Obesity, 2012, 1–8. doi:10.1155/2012/719140

Glanz, K. (2002). Components of the HBM, in Chapter 3: The health belief model. Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3th Edition (pp. 48–50). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

If you've experienced barriers to weight loss, you're not alone. Everyone experiences challenges that are specific to their individual weight loss journey. Your life circumstances, stress, finances, time, genetics, and body image can all become barriers to healthy weight loss, but that doesn't mean you can't work towards overcoming them.

Most people can expect to encounter roadblocks when trying to reach their weight loss goals. Those who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off are the ones who learn to break through their weight loss barriers as they arise.

The first step is to look within. Know that many of the challenges you're facing have been faced before. Eating healthfully and sticking to an exercise program isn't always easy. Most people experience ups and downs along the way. Once you recognize your personal obstacles, you can develop the skills to rise above them.

Some weight loss barriers are perceived barriers, meaning that the barrier is based on your thoughts or feelings. Perceived barriers can be just as significant and real as concrete barriers, which can include health conditions and physical limitations. Whether your challenges are perceived or concrete, most can be classified into three main categories: physical, environmental, and emotional.

Common physical barriers to weight loss include fatigue, discomfort, and underlying medical issues. Issues such as dehydration and lack of sleep may also play a role in your ability to lose weight. While these barriers can be significant, there are ways to get around them and still lose weight.

Talk to your doctor about your struggles to lose weight. Perhaps there is a medical issue contributing to your frustration.

For example, certain medications (including steroids, birth control pills, and some antidepressants) can cause weight gain. If you have recently quit smoking, you may experience weight gain.

Hormonal changes (such as those experienced during menopause) may make weight loss more difficult and contribute to weight gain. Medical conditions including PCOS and certain thyroid disorders are associated with weight gain.

Ask your primary care physician for referrals to a registered dietitian, physical therapist, psychologist, and/or obesity medicine specialist. These specialists can tailor your treatment program to support your goals.

With a physician referral, there is usually a better chance that services will be covered by insurance. Check your policy to find out what your plan will cover. Speak with the specialist's office to ask about out-of-pocket rates if needed.

Researchers have found that not getting enough sleep can disrupt your metabolism. Your hormonal balance can shift when you don't get the sleep you need, and you may experience increased hunger and appetite. In fact, evidence shows that people who get fewer total hours of sleep (less than seven hours) are more likely to be overweight or have obesity.

The good news is that making a few changes to your sleep routine may help you reach your weight loss goals. Experts recommend that you go to sleep at the same time each night, sleep in a cool, dark room, and remove electronic devices (such as tablets and cell phones) to encourage a relaxing environment.

Simple changes to your daily routine can make weight loss easier. Staying hydrated is one simple change that has numerous health benefits. Studies have shown that drinking more water is associated with better weight loss results.

It is not unusual to confuse the sensations of hunger and thirst. Keep filled water bottles in your fridge to grab and go. Add berries or other ingredients (like basil or cucumber) if you prefer flavored drinks. If you find yourself grazing in the kitchen throughout the day, consider drinking several ounces of water before eating to see if it satisfies your craving.

Investigate different exercise plans and healthy cooking tips. Habits that lead to weight loss are more manageable when they're fun. For example, non-weight-bearing activities, such as water aerobics, may be more comfortable if you have obesity, pain, or joint issues.

Make changes to your daily meal plan by signing up for an informative cooking class where you can learn new ways to prepare vegetables or lean meats and enjoy your time in the kitchen.

When your surroundings don't support a healthy diet and exercise plan, it can feel like you're fighting a losing battle. Environmental barriers, including limited access to healthy food or exercise facilities, poor social support, or a lack of time due to social, family, and professional pressures, can make weight loss seem impossible.

Get support from family and friends by communicating your needs. Be specific about the ways that they can help make your plan a success. Maybe your partner is willing to take on extra tasks, or your kids could help out more around the house.

Your employer might be willing to support your healthy lifestyle by offering wellness resources or flexibility in your work schedule. A healthier employee is a more productive employee. Luckily, more and more employers have begun recognizing the benefits of wellness programs.

If going to the gym is out of the question for you, plenty of at-home workout options are available. You can find free workouts online (check YouTube or Instagram). There are also plenty of smartphone and tablet apps that provide exercise programming. You'll find different types of classes as well as tips, forums, and other resources.

You can also take advantage of the resources right outside of your doorstep to get in shape. Walking is a wonderful way to exercise. Walk on neighborhood paths, climb the stairs in your office or apartment building, or plan a family hike over the weekend. Many shopping malls offer special hours for walkers who want to exercise before the crowds take over.

It sounds counter-intuitive to say that you want to lose weight, but your feelings about weight loss hold you back. Nonetheless, emotional barriers to weight loss are well-documented and often significant. These barriers may include skepticism about your ability to reach your goals, negative associations with physical activity, high stress levels, or simply a lack of motivation.

Many behavioral health specialists (including social workers, therapists, and psychologists) focus on the emotions related to body weight. If you have already investigated possible medical reasons for your weight concerns, consider speaking to a therapist about emotional concerns.

Motivation is a skill that you can learn. Techniques like positive self-talk and journaling are proven to boost your motivation levels and power you forward in the right direction.

Self-monitoring has also been shown as an effective tool for weight loss. Self-monitoring may include keeping a food diary, regular weigh-ins, or tracking your physical activity with a paper log or an app. Self-monitoring helps you observe your daily behaviors to increase awareness to make changes as needed.

Stress—related to your busy schedule, family issues, a lack of weight loss results, or an ongoing medical condition—can quickly lead to emotional eating and weight gain. Chronic stress is associated with obesity.

On the other hand, stress reduction techniques (such as deep breathing or guided visualization) have been shown to improve weight loss outcomes. Learn stress-reduction strategies such as breathing techniques, meditation, or journaling. Schedule these activities into your day to keep yourself in the right mindset for success.

Remember, attaining and maintaining a healthy weight is a marathon, not a sprint. In the same way that one day of healthy eating won't undo a month of less healthy choices, the reverse is also true.

Take advantage of opportunities in your day-to-day life to make nutritious choices. Balancing your lifestyle with regular physical activity and stress management techniques can go a long way in feeling your best at any weight.