The Never-Ending Quest That is Explaining Human Behavior

Hi everyone! Lindsay here….

I have no idea why – but I have some of my most profound thoughts and/or realizations while I’m driving. I know I certainly cannot be alone in this – what is it about driving that does this to us? The quiet? The focus? Hmmm....

I had one of these moments the other day, on my way home from work. I was reflecting on a couple different things and they collided. I was thinking about how Timothy and I have been “living the lifestyle” for a few years now, so the negative comments about what/how we eat, our exercise habits, etc. don’t really phase us anymore. But then I got to thinking about a friend who is starting his own journey, and how I was already seeing people react negatively to that person’s changes, and how fragile this person was and could fall back into old ways because of the lack of support.

BAM!

What the?!?! People react SO positively when someone breaks a habit, like smoking or drinking, or when someone makes a good and much-needed change in their life (leaving a bad relationships, finding a good partner, finding religion, whatever). People say “I’m so proud of you” “Good for you” “That’s amazing.”

But….

When you make the changes to eat clean, to exercise regularly…..you are most often greeted with negativity. “Oh, don’t invite her to dinner, she’ll only complain about not having any healthy food” “Ugh, I hate working out, why on Earth do you do that?” “You spend WAY too much time caring about what you eat and how often you work out, don’t you ever just relax” 

Seriously……W…T…F. Why would people praise someone for quitting smoking, but berate them for quitting McDonalds? Where is the logic in that? 

I posed my question to Timothy last night, “Why do people do that?” He promptly responded in one word “Jealousy.”

Ok, yeah – I get that. People might not be jealous that you quit smoking, but they could be jealous that giving up Mickey D’s and working out on the regular gave you a healthy body and confidence. But that can’t be the only reason….

Being that I’m a scientist by nature – I began to think of other reasons, besides jealousy.

• People are uncomfortable with your changes because they are worried you aren’t the same person, at your core, you were before.
• People are preoccupied with the idea that you might be judging them for engaging in behaviors you have chosen to leave behind (not working out, eating crappy food, etc.). 
•  Your change intimidates them.

I/We would love to hear about what the rest of you think, your personal experiences, etc. We certainly aren’t the be-all-end-all with regard to ANYTHING, so if you think we are totally backwards on this, let us know!

Also, if you are in the midst of making a life change with your eating and exercising and finding yourself on the receiving end on a lot of this negativity and criticism, reach out to us. Message us on our Facebook page here or email us at fitwithfarrar@gmail.com.We have been there, hell – we STILL hear all this non-sense, and we can help you find ways to deal with it (or my personal favorite – just remove those people from your life! :-)Clean house, baby!!)

Well – that was a bit of a heavy post….to lighten things up, some Pinterest faves.

 In Health, 

Lindsay