I read this quote and thought how fitting it was for those trying to achieve their fitness goals. Fitness marketing and uninformed personal trainers will tell you that they can help you achieve your goals in 30 days or something of the sort.
The thing is, most people can’t do this because of the shear amount of changes. You go from eating out to preparing your meals, watching tv to working out x5-6 days a week, and so on.
If somehow they do stick with it, they’ll more than likely fall off the wagon and slide back to the same routine after a few months, not sound pessimistic.
Why?
It’s clear that many people yo-yo diet or exercise. Meaning they’ll diet and train really, really, really hard for a few weeks/months and then something happens… it all becomes too much, they’re not getting the results they want, schedule sucks, and so on… now it’s back to square one.
This method of training and dieting isn’t sustainable, it’s WAY too much to go from nothing to being on point 24/7. No matter how much people hate hearing this you need walk first.
We all know those people that take on multiple tasks, get spread too thin, and then get nothing accomplished vs. the person that focuses on one job, crushes it, and then moves on. This is EXACTLY like training and dieting, the focus and tasks get spread too thin.
With that said, here are x3 tips to help you stay pin-point focused to get from walking to running:
Habits
This is probably one of the BIGGEST aspects for long term success. Habits need to be VERY specific and need to be focused. Stating general non-specific habits will set you up for failure.
Things like:
“I’m going to workout this week”
This opens you up to many excuses- “I’ll workout tomorrow” which leads to the next day and so on.
A better habit would be something like:
“I will go to the gym, do 15 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of weights- Monday and Saturday”
This is specific and very focused- you have specific days and a time frame for the workout. It’s also not overwhelming because 35minutes during the weekday and 35minutes during a weekend isn’t asking for much. NO one is so busy that they can’t prioritize 35 minutes at the gym.
Accept Failure
The reality of any journey is that there will be bumps in the road. You have to accept that there will be peaks and valleys but as long as you’re consistent, you WILL inevitable get there.
Fitness sleazy marketers will sell you the “easy” way of doing things and promise you nothing but lies. This has mis-lead so many people, thinking after one little bump in the road that’s it’s not working.
Despite the doctored photos or manipulated sales tactics, the truth is we ALL will fail at one point. However, that doesn’t mean you need to quit. With each bump in the road, you learn from it, adapt, and keep moving forward.
You can do drastic measures that have short term effects, like juicing but that will only cut water weight and you’ll immediately revert back to old habits when you implement whole foods again.
It’s a band-aide approach that only gives you false results. Accept that this will take time and completely forget about those BS 30 day transformations. Stay focused on YOUR path!
Be Truthful
It’s common to hear,
“I’ve been dieting and exercising for x5 weeks but haven’t lost ANY weight”
The thing about this statement is it’s just not statistically possible IF you’ve truly been exercising and dieting consistently.
Let’s break it down:
One pound is 3600 kcal, a deficit of 720kcal a week is needed to lose one pound over a 5 week span. This equates to a deficit of 103 kcals a day and this doesn’t even include calories utilized during a workout, so clearly something is missing.
If we dig deeper, I’m sure there is a reason why this person hasn’t lost a pound. Initially you’ll hear something like,
“I’ve been eating nothing but lean meats and veggies”
…dig deeper
“well we had a company outing so I had to have pizza and a few drinks, I need to live my life”
dig a little deeper…
“I rewarded myself with a pint of ice cream for working out consistently for two weeks”
and so on…
Whatever the situation is, you have to be truthful with yourself. You can’t expect results when you counter your diet with more calories somewhere else.
With that said, it’s hard for some people to recall what they’ve been eating. A good way to counter this is to take pic of your meals or use a diet tracker app. If you’re honest, this will be a great way to pinpoint the issues.
Conclusion
The bottom line, if you want lasting results there isn’t short cuts. It maybe uncomfortable at first but these changes will become habitual and you’ll soon realize that it wasn’t all that bad.
Stay focused on the long game ✊
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