STEP 1: Your Family Doesn’t Understand:
Growing up I was always playing sports and my parents supported me endlessly. They even signed me up for sports I didn’t want to do because they were ambitious and thought I would grow into them. They would bend over backwards to help me achieve anything I put my mind to. With them always having my back, I felt like I could achieve anything.
Having supportive parents all through my childhood made me rather confused and frustrated when my parents were extremely distant and not understanding when I got into fitness. They simply just didn’t understand why I wanted to eat healthier, why I wanted to make new friends, how come I always wanted to go to the gym, the lifestyle I wanted. They weren’t familiar with any of it and wanted nothing to do with it at. I remember my mom trying to understand and breaking down because she felt like she couldn’t help me. I was emotional from feeling alone in the battles I was facing to turn my life around. I was emotional and frustrated with trying to explain why I wanted to do these things and what they meant to me. It took time, were even still working on it.
My biggest recommendation is to introduce them to the things that make you happy, most likely they won’t enjoy it like you do because were all different and we all grew up in different times, however it will help them get a better understanding of you why. Another thing that helped was me showing them people I looked up to and how successful they were with this lifestyle. It makes them trust that what you are doing is healthy, thriving and not a fad. Lastly, I recommend reassuring them daily with positives from this life change. Mine was “confidence, diminishing my depression, feeling strong and in control, unstoppable.”
Sometimes even after trying your hardest, your family may never really understand. Whether it’s the fear of change, the fear of being left behind or just not grasping the value it has to you. It sounds tough, it is tough. It’s up to you to figure out how much it means to you and how much you’re willing to sacrifice. In no way am I telling you to give up your family, NO! In no way am I telling you to give up your fitness goals, NO! I am telling you to maybe just keep them separate and accept that they might not ever understand but not let it affect your motivation or end goal. Many people keep things separate. Think of a married couple, they do not have the same job or agree on everything but they still live in harmony.
I wish you the best with this step. It will not happen overnight, within a week or sometimes at all. Just be patient and stay true to who you are in the process.
