It’s That Time Of The Year

It is the first of the year and here we go… you see all the facebook, instagram, and twitter feeds fill up with motivation about people trying to get into shape. Fat loss, and all the behaviors and instrinsic/extrinsic rewards that come with it! Then you have the ones who are shameful towards people trying to make a change… to be honest, this is flawed behavior, but that’s okay, I’ll give you a pass for now!

 

Although it is wrong to shame people for trying to make a difference with their health, they are right to some extent. New Year’s fat loss plans tend to be poorly executed. And the stats are clear that most new years resolutions fail. They fail because there is medicore execution followed by piss poor planning. The truth is losing fat is hard! It is a difficult endeavor full of highs, lows, and sometimes super lows!  But today is the day we say this is okay! Let’s take back the power and make you fat-loss a journey much less of a task!

Tools/Stategies To Make It Easier

Having some tools, rules, and tips to go by will make the entire process less difficult. Notice how I did not say easy? Because as I said… losing fat is not easy. And the sooner we get out of our heads that it is a breeze the better off we’ll be.

Have A Method Of Tracking And Recording Your Progress:

This one is usually done but in the wrong ways. We tend to track progress the way many people track progress.

Scale weight…did the scale go up or down?

Although scale weight is ONE indictator. It is far from the only way to tell. And if you only have 10-20 lbs to lose… it’s oftentimes a poor way to track progress. Too many variables (water, stress, carbs, pizza because pizza!).

Have a method that can be repeatable each week. I say week because it’s not good to assess progress day to day. Too many variables within a day to really assess whether or not you are actually even progressing.

A better Way to Track

How does your clothing feel tightness/looseness wise from when you started? Clothes fitting that haven’t fit in years?

Are you feeling more energized at work?

Are you getting stronger in the gym?

Are you eating the amount of calories you gave yourself for the day? And are you tracking it or guessing?

All of these are far more specific methods of measuring progress. And they can tell a large tale as to whether or not you are showing progress. If you do not have a method of tracking… you are guessing. And guessing each and every day will be a failing effort!

 

Myfitnesspal is a great app to track food intake everyday BTW! They have a free and a paid for version… hell, we can even become friends on it!

Identify Life Stressors

We have a copious amount of reasons for why we are not at a happy/healthy body composition. And before we can lose body fat we have to be in tune with WHY the past did not work for us and WHY we want to change.

• Work stress
• Spouse Stress
• Child Stress
• Stress just because you’re used to being stressed (chronic stress)

When we are stressed we have a natural human tendency to seek the path of least resistance. Stressed at work and hungry? Grab that donut because ain’t nobody got time for that chicken salad down the street. Arguing witn your spouse? Grab the wine/beer and/or have that pizza in the frig instead of cooking. These are natural human behaviors that may sabotage our days if we are not intune with them when we’re doing them. So identify when these moments are stressing you out. And have tools in your head that can help you stay the course despite it all!

The truth about stress? Most everyone has it. We all have some sort of stress that is preventing us from doing exactly what we want to do. So will you put yours on a pedastal and let it drag you down? Or will you do something about it? You know the answer. It’s time to bring some action to your stress management.

Stress management is not a one size fits all approach. The reasons & methods are endless. And if stress is consuming your every thought you may want to seek out a qualified professional!

Do You Have A Supporting Cast?

People to support you and keep you on track is key. And the issue is that one’s “supporting cast” maybe the biggest sabotagers as well. Are they always suggesting impromptu restaurant dates? Do they continuously buy foods that are not suitable for your goals? Are they combative when you suggest making healthier choices with them? These things seem silly but they happen ALL. THE. TIME. And most significant others do not really even realize they are doing it.

If your supporters at home are lacking finding groups in your town/city and local health clubs would be a great option. Honestly, even if your home life is rock solid support wise…being with like-minded people promotes better adherence to a program and lifestyle change. Sometimes even supportive family may not be enough. Why do you think Cross Fit has been so successful? It’s the team/community setting. A room full of like-minded people coming together with a similar goal in mind. Never underestimate a group of people with the same goal in mind!

Hire A Coach

A coach can be a scary step for many people. But hiring the right coach can deliver the above points all in one. We often have convictions of hiring someone to help us.

1. Cost
2. Scheduling
3. Will They judge me?
4. I don’t want to disapoint them!
5. Fear that they’ll push us too far. And lack understanding.

These are reasonable concerns. But, hiring the right coach will add an extra layer to your plan…

1. They’ll be able to make adjustments for you. Instead of you making adjustments just because you gained 1 lb on the scale and/or you “feel” bloated.
2. They’ll be able to help you through food guilt situations. Food guilt is a major cause for loss of adherence to your fat loss plan.
3. When your support lines are limited… they’ll be there for you through your hard times.
4. There is countless amounts of diet information out there. A lot of it is good. But some of it can be down right dangerous. So having someone to coach you can steer you away from the potentially dangerous dietary methods you read about online!
5. There is countless evidence that supports a correlation between faster, more efficient results when you directly invest into the service. So results that may normally take you 12 months takes you only 6 months! I myself invest in a coach for my training. And I feel all coaches/trainers should invest. Coaches need coaches! We’re our biggest critics!

Need A Coach?

I coach clients with a varying degree of goals with their nutrition and fitness. I individualize the approach so they can be stronger and healthier and make better decisions in their daily lives. Or if you just want to get strong… how may I help you?!?

I take 4 new spots a month for my online coaching. So if you have interest  in creating long standing changes and sick of short term fixes feel free to fill out a link on my website and we can see if you can qualify for my online training program!

 

Contact Me

Mike