Feeling Overwhelmed? Learn How To Navigate it Without Losing Momentum

How often have you waited for the "perfect moment" to take action, only to find that moment never arrives? How often do you set grandiose goals, only to feel overwhelmed and perceive yourself as a failure when you can't maintain them? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone, and this episode is exactly what you need.

In this episode, I'm tackling the theme of overwhelm head-on, offering actionable insights to help you break free from the cycle of unrealistic commitments and self-sabotage. Let's normalize these feelings and learn how to manage them effectively to achieve our long-term goals without the burden of added stress.

This episode is for you if you’re tired of starting and stopping your fitness journey due to feelings of overwhelm, or if you’ve ever made grand resolutions only to feel like a failure when you can’t keep them up. If you’re looking for practical, sustainable ways to maintain progress in fitness and other areas, this is your episode.

In this episode, we cover:

The myth of waiting for the "perfect time" and why it doesn’t work
How to break the motivation and failure cycle caused by unrealistic commitments
The importance of consistent actions, even when they’re small
Adapting your routines and expectations to fit different life seasons
Strategies for maintaining momentum despite feeling overwhelmed
Insights into the Powerhouse Academy’s simplicity-focused approach to fitness
Why acknowledging and managing feelings of overwhelm is crucial for long-term success

Remember, success isn't about perfection; it's about being consistently present through life's varying seasons. Mediocre but steady participation always trumps the pursuit of perfection, which leads to inactivity. Take a cue from the busy doctor I mentioned, who started with just 10 minutes of exercise three times a week and slowly built up her routine. The keys are adaptation and incremental progress.

Stopping your fitness journey because life is busy or because you're waiting for that perfect time is the biggest mistake that you can make because it is going to keep you stuck on this cycle.

What aspects of your life have you been waiting to perfect before starting? What's one small step you can take today to move closer to your goals? I would love to hear from you! Message me on Instagram to let me know your biggest takeaways from this episode and what topics you'd like to delve into in the future. Let's keep the conversation going and support each other in our journeys toward sustainable, lifelong wellness.

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Thanks for joining us on the Unfiltered Fit Life podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on Apple and Spotify to help us reach even more women ready to simplify their fitness journey so they can lose weight, regain their confidence, and feel sexy AF!

More about the Unfiltered Fit Life podcast

Ever wish you had a fit and straightforward BFF with over 15 years of experience to help you filter through all the information regarding fitness, nutrition, and life?

That’s exactly what you’ll get when you listen to the Unfiltered Fit Life Podcast.

Join Former Bikini Olympia Champion, mom of 2, and fitness coach Nathalia Melo each week as she shares fitness, nutrition, and life tips to help busy working moms simplify their fitness journey so they can learn easy and simple strategies on how to lose weight and feel sexy AF.

After helping over 5000 busy working moms, Nathalia has found the blueprint to fitness, nutrition, and life success, which she will be sharing in this podcast: actionable tips that will help busy working moms be more present at work and at home.

This show is for you if you realize that nothing good comes from your comfort zone and are ready to challenge yourself to achieve great things. Follow Unfiltered Fit Life wherever you are listening to join us each week for a splash of sass, humor, and a whole lotta truth.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Leah Bryant Co.

The podcast transcript for this episode of the Unfiltered Fit Life podcast follows.

[Nathalia Melo]
Hello, hello there, fam! Welcome to another episode of The Unfiltered Fit Life Podcast. I’m your host, Nathalia Melo, and let me start by officially saying Happy New Year!

I know the first week of January feels like we’re still in the previous year, but now that we’re back in the swing of things, it’s time to get serious. And today’s conversation is one that I know will resonate with so many of you because it’s something I’ve personally experienced and something I see our members going through too.

Let me ask you:

Are you feeling overwhelmed after the holiday season?
Are you struggling to catch up with everything—work, family, fitness, and personal goals?
Do you feel stuck in a cycle of starting strong and then losing momentum when life gets busy?

If you’re nodding your head, this episode is for you. Let’s talk about how to break that cycle and stop letting overwhelm derail your progress.

The Overwhelm Cycle: Why It Happens and How to Break Free

I had a conversation recently with one of our amazing Powerhouse Academy members, and it inspired today’s episode. She recognized a pattern in her life that I think many of us can relate to:

She gains momentum with her fitness during slower seasons.
When work and life get busy, she loses that momentum.
Once things slow down again, she’s too drained to get back on track.
By the time she feels ready, she’s lost so much progress that it feels overwhelming to start again.

Sound familiar? I’ve been there too. Life gets chaotic, and it’s easy to fall into this cycle. But here’s the truth:

Overwhelm isn’t a sign of failure. It’s a sign that you’re moving, growing, and doing things. The goal shouldn’t be to eliminate overwhelm or frustration—it’s to learn how to navigate it without losing progress.

Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time

Let me be real with you: The perfect time doesn’t exist.

Waiting for the perfect moment when work is calm, the kids aren’t busy, and life feels “just right” is setting yourself up for failure. That moment rarely comes, and when it does, it doesn’t last.

Instead of waiting for life to slow down, you need to build systems that allow you to keep moving forward, even when life is hectic.

Why “All or Nothing” is Holding You Back

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is adopting an “all or nothing” mindset.

All in: They go to the gym 7 days a week, cut out all sugar, and overhaul their entire routine.
All out: When they can’t maintain that extreme approach, they give up completely.

This black-and-white thinking leads to burnout, frustration, and feeling like a failure. You don’t need to be perfect to make progress. Consistency beats perfection every time.

How to Navigate Overwhelm and Keep Moving Forward

Let’s talk about how to break this cycle and keep moving forward, even when life gets chaotic.

Step 1: Acknowledge Your Feelings

Stop pretending you’re not overwhelmed. It’s okay to feel stressed or frustrated. The problem isn’t the feeling—it’s how you respond to it.

Acknowledge it: “I’m feeling overwhelmed right now.”
Identify why: What’s causing this feeling? Work? Family? Unrealistic expectations?
Take action: What’s one small step I can take right now to move forward?

Step 2: Simplify Your Plan

If your plan requires perfection, it’s not sustainable. Simplify it.

Can’t work out five days a week? Commit to three 20-minute sessions.
Struggling to meal prep every meal? Prep one or two meals ahead of time.
Can’t track every calorie? Focus on eating more whole foods.

Progress comes from consistent, small actions—not massive overhauls.

Step 3: Adapt to Life’s Seasons

Life has seasons: busy seasons, slow seasons, stressful seasons, and relaxing seasons. Your fitness routine should adapt to each one.

During busy seasons, focus on maintaining momentum.
During slower seasons, you can push harder.

You don’t need the same level of intensity year-round. Adaptability is the key to long-term success.

Why Simplicity Works

Let me tell you why I work out when I travel, even if it’s a short, mediocre workout:

It’s not about crushing every session—it’s about maintaining momentum.
Stopping completely makes it harder to restart.
Small, consistent actions prevent the all-or-nothing cycle.

Simplicity reduces overwhelm. The more complicated your routine, the harder it is to stick with it when life gets busy.

The Power of Small Wins

One of our members is a busy doctor and mom who struggled to find time for herself. When we started working together, she told me she could only commit to 10 minutes, three times a week.

Guess what? That was enough to build momentum. Over time, she felt less overwhelmed and asked to increase it to 15-20 minutes.

Small wins build confidence. Confidence builds consistency. Consistency builds results.

Final Thoughts: Feel the Feelings, But Keep Moving

Overwhelm, frustration, and setbacks are part of life. They’re not stop signs. They’re signals that something needs to be adjusted.

Feel the feelings, but don’t let them control you.

Acknowledge the overwhelm.
Simplify your approach.
Adapt to life’s seasons.

This is a long-term journey. It’s not about being perfect today. It’s about showing up, even when it’s hard.

3 Action Steps for You:

Be honest about your reality.
Don’t commit to a routine that doesn’t fit your life. Start with what you can actually stick to.
Feel your feelings—but don’t dwell.
Acknowledge when you’re overwhelmed and ask yourself: “What’s one small thing I can do right now?”
Keep it simple.
Focus on the basics. Fitness doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective.

Let’s Make This Year Different

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of starting strong and burning out, this is your sign to try something different.

Stop chasing perfection.
Stop overcomplicating your routine.
Start focusing on consistency and simplicity.

That’s how you win long-term.

Thank you so much for tuning in! If this episode resonated with you, please take a minute to leave a review. That’s how we keep this podcast growing and reaching more people.

If you want to learn more about how the Powerhouse Academy can help you simplify your fitness journey and stay consistent, click the link in the show notes to schedule a call with me.

I’ll see you next week. Until then—feel your feels, take action, and keep moving forward.

Bye for now!