Making the decision to start your transformation journey is a big deal. It's you recognising you need to be in control of your health so you can enjoy life without health related issues getting in the way.
Exercise more, eat less, etc. This time around you're actually going to do it. You're going to stick with your fitness regime and transform your body and your life right?
BUT...
Did you know studies have shown the average length of time people stick with their new exercise regime is only 3 weeks! Just 3 weeks!
LESS THAN 10% of people stick with their plan after this period in time! Then the excuses start to creep in.. No time, too busy with work, your muscles are sore anyway... the list goes on.
We all know that on the whole 3 weeks simply isn't enough time to see any sort of significant improvements. Something has to change.
'If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.'
Do you want to be like 90% of the majority? I'll answer for you and say HELL NO. So what will you do differently this time?
Begin changing your bad habits SLOWLY.
Here's a primary example...
WOMEN...
Picture the scene. Jane is overweight, buys most of her meals from the work canteen, is a big fan of a the occasional slice of cake and snacks on sweets a fair bit. She has energy dips throughout her day and now the buttons on her favourite blouse are starting to strain. She simply can't continue this way. She decides to do something about it and heads down to her local gym and signs up. Fantastic! That's a step in the right direction.
But Jane decides it's also time to cut out cake, sweets and canteen food COMPLETELY... Cool.
She also decides she's going to come into the gym EVERYDAY to burn off those love handles as quickly as possible....
MEN...
Steve has a hectic work schedule and a lot of the time he eats ready meals or takeaways. He's not much of a snacker, but spends too much time at his desk. He's noticed his back is starting to niggle slightly and the waist on his trousers is beginning to feel tight.
Steve signs up to a gym and decides to give up all ready meals, stop ordering takeaways and orders a lot of chicken, brown rice and broccoli as he's heard that is how those in the best shape do it. A few weeks go buy and Steve has lost a good few kgs... But he's getting bored of the same food over and over again. In week 4 Steve slips and gets a takeaway... The scales shoot up.. How can that be?
Sound familiar?
Now at face value there is absolutely nothing wrong here. In fact I'm sure if you haven't been in a similar situation you probably know more than a few people who have. That's because this sort of behaviour is common.
As human beings we are impatient. If there is a queue of more than 2 people at a cash point at some point we've all said 'Ahhh screw it' and walked away. Most of us have at some point chosen not to buy a product online because you get to the payment screen only to realise next day delivery isn't an option. We live in the age of 'instant gratification'. We want everything yesterday, and to some extent technological advancements have made that possible..
The problem is, many people apply that same mentality to their approach to health and fitness.
Everybody wants results and wants them NOW. But it simply doesn't work that way.
Now I'm not for a moment suggesting you can't make rapid improvements in and outside of the gym because you can. But the problem is many people set themselves unrealistic food and training targets, AND expect everything to fall into place immediately. Then when they don't see the changes they were expecting after a few weeks... They simply give up.
THIS IS THE MENTALITY PREVENTING SO MANY FROM ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE RESULTS.
New faces come and go at gyms ALL the time. Don't be one of those who throw in the towel before you've really given yourself a chance. Giving up is the easy way out. And no-one benefits if that choice is made.
I encourage my clients to use the scales each week to see how they are getting on. But I also educate them on understanding that weight loss and fat loss are NOT the same thing! I have had some clients lose a stone in a few weeks and others drop 2-3lbs in the same time period, but both still looked COMPLETELY different from when they started and had to buy new clothes because their old shirts were now hanging off them.
So my advice to you is:
Make sure your weekly commitments to training are realistic.
The term start as you mean to go on really does apply here. Life takes twists and turns so it may not always be possible to get into the gym or exercise every day. If you are brand new to the gym, or a particular exercise regime, begin by committing to THREE TIMES per week for the first 2-6 weeks, then build up to FOUR from there (believe me this is sufficient for most people).
Stick to any programme you choose to follow for AT LEAST 6 WEEKS to see if it is working or not.
Give your body a chance to respond to the training you throw at it. 6 weeks is a good amount of time to allow visual changes to take place. Then you can reassess if you think it is for you.
Make small changes to your diet each week. You are more likely to stick with gradual changes in the long run. I am yet to meet anyone attempting a complete diet overhaul at once who has actually found long term success with it.
Take a photo of yourself in the mirror just once a week for at least 6 weeks then compare the photos at the end to check your progress.
We see ourselves everyday so it is hard to notice the difference visually, but the camera never lies (well as long as you aren't using a bunch of IG filters) and will display the changes if you are following the right programme.
Remember less than 10% of people stick with their fitness plans. If you want to join them and know what type of training style and eating style works best for you and your personal circumstances, you can learn more about my services HERE.
Join the minority and succeed. Unleash your true potential and take back control of your health for LIFE.
Speak soon
Leon