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Your One Thing (win a DVD!)
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What’s your “one thing?”
The one thing that’s holding you back.
Sometimes the answer doesn’t lie in a new workout or some magical supplement..
Don’t get me wrong, those things can be great…
But chances are, you have “one thing” that’s holding you back from getting the body you deserve. This is the real secret!
If you can figure out what that one thing is, nothing can stop you!
So let’s have a little fun with this… watch the video below to learn more about the one thing, then let us know what YOURS is in the comments section below… at the end of the week, I’ll choose a few to win a copy of my brand new DVD (or some Valslides if you choose!)
I leave you with what motivated me to make this video…
Curly from City Slickers! (there’s one teeny-tiny curse word in it… 
)
If you feel like a new workout would get you past your one thing, take a look at I Want My Bikini Body 3.0 or grab a pair of Valslides
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229 Comments
My one thing is patience. I am so use to doing things for myself so when I need something done, its done. When it comes to exercise and eating right, it’s a process that leads to a lifestyle change. It is not something that will happen over night. I started working out about 4 months ago when I received your AHB workout. It was the first time in years I had stuck to a workout. Seeing how hard I was working, I started eating right. Now 4 months later I have a completely different mentality about working out and eating right. I have also purchased the “I want my Bikini Body” program as well as joined other fitness classes. I can now relate to those around me who say ” I crave exercise!” It took me not loosing my patience and letting the process happen to get to where I am today.
Rebekah I’ve just read your comment. It too took me ages to think of what my “one thing” really is and I missed seeing your comment until after I’d finally finished and posted mine, but I just wanted to say I can seriously relate to what you put and I can understand how you must feel and what led you to realise what your “one thing” is, but I just wanted to say you ARE enough and you do deserve an action hero babe body ;o)
I think I can relate to the “one thing” that everyone has posted so far! But I think my “one thing” really is I’ve been deluding myself into thinking that it’s been OK for me to eat the way I have over the years and not do a lot in the way of exercise to burn it off.
In my teens I had a fantastic figure and could eat what I wanted and never put on weight. The only exercise I got was walking everywhere and doing dance classes for fun. I had to give up the dancing in the end though due to knee problems, which has led to osteoarthritis in both knees. My weight went rapidly down hill in my 20’s and I’ve yo-yoed up and down ever since. I think I’ve tried so many diets over the years all I’ve done is make things worse and given myself issues with food and a complex over my appearance. Inside I still feel like an older version of the slim girl I used to be until I look in the mirror and glance down and I don’t recognise the person standing there. I seriously don’t do photos anymore, because I hate seeing what I’ve done to myself.
I know I can’t eat the way I used to and I’m not so bad with junk food, I have the occasional take out and burgers here and there and I’ve got my portion sizes under control now too, but my biggest weakness is, and always has been anything sweet, you name it, if it’s got sugar in it I’m all over it like a rash! I think I’ve been deluding myself over the years by saying I’m treating myself, but my “treats” have spiralled out of control and have become a really bad habit, which I know I need to break sooner rather than later.
I’m now 3 years away from 40 and seriously not happy with the fact that my health is rapidly starting to go south along with the figure I once had and I only have myself to blame. I’m back to walking everywhere and l’ve been loitering on Valerie’s site now for a few months, wondering if I should go for it or not, but I’m finally giving myself a kick up the proverbial behind and like Emily posted earlier dragging my head out of the sand and actually going to do something about it!
One question though, I’m finding it hard to get an exercise routine that I can do that’s not going to put me in agony for weeks at a time with my knees. I’m intending to get the Bikini Body plan next week, but want to know if the Valslides will put pressure on my knees doing the leg exercises?
My one thing… I’ve been giving this some thought over the past few days, trying to come up with any other answer than the the truth. The one thing I have a problem with (and now I’ve given it a lot of thought it sits in a couple of areas of my life at the moment) is I don’t think I’m enough, I don’t think I deserve an action hero babe body.
That’s quite a sabotaging thought that I need to get rid of.
My one thing is not working out when it gets hot. I have always worked out in the afternoon after walking my dog; during most of the year this suits me fine, but as soon as summer hits I get back from my walk and struggle to get the motivation to do anything else. I live in the UK, so we aren’t too used to the hot weather over here! The side effect of this is that it tends to throw my eating habits a bit off; generally my diet is pretty good, but when I haven’t worked out for a few days I become a bit too obsessed with the scales and what I am eating.
I have a whole group of “one things!”
BUT the one thing that I could do, starting tomorrow, that would make a HUGE difference is to eliminate my morning stop at the local Tim Horton’s for a large coffee, double cream, and a cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with butter.
My one thing is the SCALE! If I get on the scale and the number isn’t what I want to see I feel defeated and it sets the tone for the whole day. For some reason when the scale registers higher I eat more that day and when it registers lower I eat less which logically makes zero sense but I think part of me says “I am working so hard and nothing is happening so what’s the point”. I need to learn to let go of the “number” and be thankful that I am strong and healthy and that I consistently choose to be healthy on a daily basis. The scale has defined my self-esteem for so long that I actually think its what has impeded my progress and helped me keep these last 10 pounds on!!
That’s it! I am throwing out the scale as soon as I can convince my fiancee to tell me where he hid it! (LeeAnne made me promise to not get on the scale so I begged him to hide it for me).
My one thing – the thing that has kept me from being the lovely beautiful kind-hearted person that I am (who should not be 40 pounds overweight) is in jail as of two hours ago. The man who ridiculed my body, who told me I was ugly, that I was fat, the man who would fix a gigantic fattening meal and make me eat every bite that he put on my plate…. that man threw 2 pounds of raw meatloaf on me as I was trying to fix a supper he would enjoy while I was not working a 12 hour shift tonight. A meal that maybe we could enjoy together, then go for a walk. He decided that I was not conforming to his needs and his control so he assaulted me once again, only this time it wasn’t his fist. Now that he is where he should have been a long time ago – after all of the tears and the bruises and black eyes and insults – I am going to get ME back. The ME who exercised every day, who didn’t overeat because I felt so horrible about myself. The one thing that was holding me back, that abusive man, is no longer in control and I am gonna be KIM again!!!
My one thing is I get bored after the kids go to bed and I snack!!! Then I think oh, who cares so I snack some more….aaaarrrggghhh
My “one thing” is not being realistic about my calorie intake. I make excuses about why I can eat this or that and then feel horrible afterwards. My intention is to take responsibility for what I put into my mouth. No more excuses! I will plan my meals and snacks at the beginning of the week so I have no excuse to eat poorly. Thanks Valerie, for getting me back on track!
My one thing is snacking after 7pm. I am very disciplined with my portion control, my morning exercise regiment and eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day. I work during the day and get home after 7pm, but as soon as I get home I feel that I need something sweet to eat, so I’ll eat some nuts and raisins or a cookie or some sorbet. So my plan is to have a cup of green tea instead of the sweet snack.
Well, Val is right…only one thing that sabotage my plan is “no portion control and have too much calories on my diet” Okay, start from now…9pm(Central time), till the next 30 days, I will try to control my crave not too consume too much calories, especially nuts (almonds and walnuts), and sugar-free chocolates!!!!
My “one thing” is prioritization! Sometimes I do things before working out, which ends up taking up all my time and end up not having time to workout.
p.s. thanks for the awesome video!
I know exactly where things are going wrong – alcohol! A couple of years ago my husband and I developed this after work habit of having a couple of mixed drinks and now I just can’t shake the habit – I have a really stressful job and when he suggests a drink I am so torn between disappointing him by not joining in and resisting the taste of his yummy margaritas and knowing that I just can’t keep doing this and ever hope to get back my pre-baby body. I honestly don’t even like the way I feel after a drink or two but I just can’t seem to break free – I can go for a little while replacing it with red wine but that’s just a stop gap and is only slightly better than the drink. It’s the heart of all my body problems!
One thing???? How about 10 things? I guess my biggest “one thing” would have to be my comfy couch. When I get home from work or grad school, all I want to do is sit on that couch and relax! I’m exhausted! The last thing I want to do is exercise….
My intention (besides burning the comfy couch) is to do something (anything) physical once a day. I’ve been alternating the Bikini body workouts with cardio and we’ll see how it goes…..
My one thing is a certain time of day – after dinner when we are just relaxing watching tv. Don’t get me wrong, i certainly suffer from the munchies, but i find myself just wanting something in my hands and in my mouth to crunch. Most of the time i’m not even hungry or have a ‘munchy’. It’s just a habit now that when we sit in the living room watching tv, we pick at something. We even have jars of salted peanuts, chocs and lollies (candy), and bikkies (cookies) that are permanently on the living room table!!! So bad.
Anyway, the snacks now live in the cupboard, and i have started to have a hot chocolate or tea instead – something in my hands that i can sip for a long time.
Thanks for the encouragement and support.
My one thing is pure exhaustion.I’m always tired. My job requires a lot and so does my family.I get up at 5 a.m.Bedtime is around 11/12.Sometimes I make up for lack of sleep on the weekends.I just can’t possibly do any more.One of these days I think I’ll just stop functioning.I only really workout like following a rotation, etc.when I’m on vacation.For the next few wks. I’ll be doing great.How can I just not be so tired all the time when I get back to work?
My one thing is that I sometimes use food for purposes other than to fuel my body. I don’t do much emotional eating anymore, although that used to be a big problem. Now it’s more that I get tired – physically tired & kind of ‘dragging’ – and I eat something thinking that will perk me up and get me through. And I have to admit, what I eat is usually something sweet.
Carbs! I love bread! If I have a bad day at work, there’s nothing like my favourite pizza place to pick me up!
My plan of attack: I work an on-call schedule that is very very unpredictable. I have to plan out and pre-pack lunches and snacks so I can grab them at a moments notice. I pack a protein and veggies for lunch . . . I try to have just a few pretzles if I have to instead of a big chunk of bread (YES, with butter of course). On bad days, I try to focus on how much worse I will feel and look if I down that 1/2 a pizza and it seems to help me avoid it (at least until I lose these mysterious 20 pounds that I have re-accumulated!). If I absolutely have to eat out, I order a burger (say from In-N-Out) “protein style” and voila! – No Bread.
Thank You Val
Hey Val
Love your video very much, and I have to say that until viewing your video I had never really thought of it like that at all. So I am glad that you asked. After giving it much thought I have to say my one thing is fear.
I just have to admit that it’s truely just fear. I see these infomercials, and ads for weightloss pills, diet do’s and don’ts, or better yet the multitude of diet plans in general. when and how to use supplements, and then there’s scheduling, and choosing a workout plan amongst the various routines that are out there. I went to my doctor to discuss some of these questions and he just didn’t seem knowledge in these specific topics other than to say that I should meet with a personal trainer and an nutrionist, which I will admit is a strange, confusing, and extremely overwhelming experience.
O’ Val please don’t think that I don’t want to work hard I just don’t know where to start. I have gone to a few gyms and tried the free trial thing and done the whole “consulatation” thing which sounds great but it is so very expensive and it almost seems as though places like that only give you so much, well for as long as you pay for it, but not enough for you to gain the knowledge and confidence so you can do this on your own. It always seems like everytime I would ask a question I was told “we will go over that in your next session”
With 2 kids you know life is a constant juggle of time too,I will try some of the strategies you have mentioned. I am excited to do this!!
Thank You very much Val
I believe my one thing is not eating enough or I should say being afraid to eat enough. I excercise enough but I am a recovering bulemic/anorexic and it scares me some days to eat enough. I know what to do I have been through therapy and seen a nutritionist. I know that to excercise and remain healthy comes from a good clean diet. But, when you have this disease it is so easy to play the bad tapes in my head and tell me food will make me gain weight. So my one thing is to get up everyday, and make a conscious choice to eat properly. When I don’t, I set myself up for eating junk and then justifying “purging” because it was a bad food. So everyday, like most people, I have to say this is a new day, I am alive and I want to be healthy. I make time everyday for my workouts so I need to make time everyday to feed my body what it needs to continue working out and being healthy and a last note to remember that the scale should not ever rule how my day should go, I have learned not to let the number sabotage my day. Thanks for listening and thanks for all you do, Val.
my mind. i often appreciate what I dont have instead of focussing on what I got and living in the moment. I need to focus and do whatever plan I am on at the moment and not mess with it or think I know better.
My one thing is that I am full of intentions but then I lose my consistency. I need to plan my workout and plan to outsmart my weaknesses by thinking ahead of what I want to accomplish not how hard I think something could be. In another words, I want to be able to look back a month from now and see that I have scheduled and completed a workout most days of the week. On July 24th I want to see results from my taking care of myself.
The ‘one thing’ I have always struggled with is eating and drinking way too fast. At home and at restaurants both my family and I eat our food to consume rather than enjoy.
My intention to change this ‘one thing’ is to try and savor each mouth full…which I always have good intentions of doing but somehow forget about when the food is in front of me. I think I need to focus a little more on each forkful and try that chewing concept of 10 chews and place the fork down
Having just retired and trying to promote my PT business has meant personal training needs to be organised, so my ‘one thing’ is definately preparation of food and activity
Colin
My “one thing” is I need to be more consistent with my cardio! I am not a big fan of cardio, I’d rather do my weights, so unless I get it done first thing in the morning, I sometimes skip it. It’s a bad habit.
Hi Val! The one big thing with which I struggle the most is believing that I can achieve my goals. There is a part of me that doesn’t think I will ever get to where I want to be, so I think “why bother?” and then slack off on my diet or exercise. Getting to the place mentally where I believe in myself is the hardest part for me.
The “one thing” holding me back right now is not have a “personal” goal I’m trying to achieve. Just saying I want to be healthier isn’t enough of a reason to get me to give 110% in the gym. I need to want something on a “personal” level. Like say I’m going to an event and I want to look better than my friend I haven’t seen in years. I know that sounds awful and very superficial, but whenever I have an event/occasion looming, my workouts are hardcore and very focused. I need to figure out a way to stay that focused year round.
My one thing is consistency. I will do really good working out and eating healthy for a month or two then I slack off for a few weeks or a month with my workouts and do more emotional eating. I think it comes from self sabotage, I can see that I am starting to loss weight and get more definition and even though thats what I want I get scared because once I hit my goal I can’t hide behind excuses like oh I will do that once I loss the weight
I love reading everyone’s posts. Its nice to know I am not the only one that has problems with snacking, motivation, putting off working out
My one thing is evening snacking and making myself believe that because its a piece of my homemade healthy wholegrain spelt bread with peanut butter that its ‘ok’
my intention would be to drink more water and perhaps increase my green vegetable intake or perhaps eat slightly later to counteract this.
Ps Val your dog is adorable
The one thing that is holding me back from achieving my fitness goals is lack of time management. I’m a full time home care nurse and mother of 2 boys, ages 4 and 6. I walk around visiting patients in their homes all day and by the time I get home I’m so exhausted I just want to sit back and watch tv …which doesn’t happen because then I start on dinner, spend some time with the fam and start getting ready for the next day. I’m the last to get to bed at night, so just the thought of waking up early makes me physically sick….uugghhh! I’ve been consistent with eating balanced meals, cutting down on sugar, empty calories and drinking plenty of water…
I plan to overcome my time management issues by scheduling my workouts just as I would my patients and dr’s appointments etc. I have to schedule “me time.”
Thanks Val for this thought provoking question!!!!
My One Thing is believing that I am worth it. I deserve to invest in myself enough to plan my meals, to get to bed at a decent time and to get up and work out in the mornings. My job is not going to be there when I am old and unhealthy. My kids are not going to want a mom that is out of shape and unhealthy and a burden to them later in my life. And yet I let my commitment to those things keep me from taking care of myself in the here and now. The very things that I am putting first (ahead of my physical fitness) are the very things that will be gone for me and not there if I am not healthy. Wow..that is heavy.
DOING IT
DOING IT!
Hi Val; I initially thought my one thing was that I constantly tell myself that I can do it tomorrow (and then never do because something else comes up, I have to work, I’m tired etc.). Therefore, digging down a bit deeper I realize that my one thing is not making my health a priority.
Hey Val – my one thing is Laziness – yup. I have 2 little boys under 3 & when I get that moment of quiet (which is rare) – I jump online, watch tv, eat…anything but get my butt in gear. I had to physically bring my slides upstairs to put in front of the tv so that I would see them at night & get off my tush to try to lose some of this mommy sagginess I have going before its time to actually put on a bathing suit! I think because I’ve lost all the weight I think I’m ok – then reality hits when I see that none of me is toned & I realize I should be doing something about it! Laziness I tell ya…gotta fix that!
one more thing after losing almost 60 pounds i can’t be happy for myself people notice and compliment me and i always say but i need to lose so much more i would like to be at a place where i could just say thank you. simple aye!
my one thing is the nightime i’m so good all day active working out eatin right and then the night tv relaxing and snacking badly. i have to really watch it.
This post was really thought provoking, Val. My one thing is similar to what you shared in the video – allowing too many calories. Even at my lowest weight, when my pants fit totally loose and I have defined abs, I’m guessing I’m still about 10 pounds from the weight I’d like to be (stubborn lower body fat — ugh). But the loose pants and defined upper body make me feel all successful and virtuous, and then it’s easy to find all kinds of reasons why I deserve MORE FOOD. So I rationalize my way out of my deficit and never manage to get those last few pounds off.
I can’t do much about my defined upper body, but my intention is to stop wearing the loose pants that make me feel like I deserve to treat myself, and switch to tighter pants that constantly remind me that I have a way to go. I did this yesterday and already felt like it will be a good way to stay on track!
I find that when you are tired— rest don’t eat because eating will not make you less tired or give you more energy
I have the luxury of being retired [home every day] and working on a new career [at home]. Of course this brings with it several hazards: like sleeping till 7:30 or 8:00, then exercising around 9:30 which means I won’t have breakfast till 10:30 or 11:00. This turns out to be the domino effect as they come crashing down most days – argh! What to do!?!
My “one” thing is allowing myself to take a bit of something, anything, when I’m not physically hungry but instead feeling tired, stressed, or anxious. Most of the time once I’ve already had one hand-to-mouth experience, I realize what I’m doing isn’t helping me to achieve my goals, and I stop. Then there are other days when all of my training and techniques go out the window, and it feels out of control, resulting in a few “too many” bites before I’m feeling guilty and ashamed.
My one thing is prioritising and not putting myself first – there is always something for the family/house/work i must do so I need to prioritise my workouts and put my health first!
My “one thing” is what I shouldn’t do. I tend to crave sweets after dinner and have to battle my will just to avoid giving in to temptation. Normally, I don’t ming induging in my sweet tooth once-twice a week, but lately it has been every night. I know that if I can remain disciplined and squelch my cravings that I will be where I want to be health-wise. Sugar is my down-fall, so I have been replacing sugar with fruit and it has been workig for my sugar cravings. Plus, if I do give in, I do some squats, sit ups and some exercises on my awesome Valslides to make up for it.
Wow! So many of you are getting to the root of the issue. Awareness is the first step in the right direction.
I am going to talk about healthy snacking tomorrow. I will be getting to motivation, the tomorrow syndrome, not making it a priority and so much more in the next few weeks so stay tuned.
Write your intention for overcoming your “one thing” on a piece of paper and post it somewhere where you can easily look at it every day. If it is possible to ask your partner or family for support, please do so now.
My “one thing” is stress snacking. What I stress snack on changes as I get rid of the craving for one thing like trail mix or chips it changes. Now it’s dark chocolate and ice cream. I’ve tried eating more protein–didn’t work, now I’ve been trying to snack on fruit, but after all the fruit I still want the chocolate! This snacking thing is only a problem during the daytime and afternoon–I’m disciplined at night. My new strategy is going to be to reduce stress with a short bout of yoga, pilates, tai chi or some other gentle calming movement. I really think it’s a chicken and egg thing and I’ve been trying “eating” strategies to curb the mindless stress eating and after having two really BAD days of junk me thinks it’s time to get to the heart of the matter which is the stress.
Wow – great question. There are so many things that I can do better! Writing down everything that I eat, working out more consistently etc. I also watched Rehan’s video and it clicked. The one thing that I can instantly do is eliminate carbs at night time. Between cooking for my daughter (who loves carbs) and my husband bringing home wine (he works at a Napa winery) – evenings can be carb filled.
My intention? Tell my husband to stop bringing home wine!
and plan my meals to focus on salads and veggies.
Thanks Val!
My one thing is rationalization! I’m a nurse, and work nights, and it is so easy when 3 am rolls around to run downstairs and grab a soft drink. I just tell myself, “I’m tired, I’ve worked hard tonight, I can have one soft drink tonight”…which turns into every night. I schedule my workouts, but when it comes time to wake up 45 minutes earlier to get that workout in before work, I just think to myself “I’ll be walking for 12 hours tonight…that’ll be my workout today”. Not to mention there seems to be cookies or sweets in the break room 80% of the time, which is very hard to resist during that 3 am slump. I know I’m not doing myself any favors by rationalizing behaviors that aren’t good for me…but I’m just so darn convincing!
My one thing is inconsistency with my workout schedule…I enjoy my workouts but I can be distracted with my work, children, housecleaning, etc. and then the time goes by…I intend to overcome this “one thing” by checking my calendar and schedule weekly and daily and actually writing the time in so it is already planned for.
One thing, Val?? I have MORE than one thing! However, I will pick the one that stands out the most. I am going to have to choose SELF DOUBT. Doubting that I can get the body that I most want, on my own. Doubting that I deserve to reach that goal. Doubt is a dangerous thing. It sabotages my good works and brings me back to square one.
The truth is, I know I’m deserving of health and a body I feel great about. I believe that is the way my maker intended it. So thanks for helping me take a look at one of my “one things”
so that I could remind myself I AM DESERVING!
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