So at this time of year there's going to be a TON of information...a lot of it absolute bollocks...about how you can shed fat, and finally get the body of your dreams in 2018. This, of course, is true. You really CAN get the body of your dreams in 2018, if you're willing to work for it. I mean, REALLY work for it. Sadly, most aren't.
Most of you reading this won't be able to, either. Now before you start getting defensive and giving it the big old "That's not me, this REALLY is my year" - good!!! I hope it is, I really do. I would love nothing more than for you to prove me wrong!
However, most will fail, or struggle to really be happy with their success because of a few key reasons:
You choose Unsustainable methods
You're going to go on a juice cleanse or try Herbalife? Yeah good luck. Welcome to hunger, mood swings, dysfunctional hormones and being a complete weirdo..."No I'm not going to have lunch today, Susan. I already drank my meal 20 minutes ago." Errr, what mate? Give it up.
If you are thinking of drinking your meals and losing fat, you're living in fantasy land. Strike one!
Maybe you're going to start running 15 miles a week, because exercise is how you get fit and 'tone-up', right? Nope - wrong again. Strike two!!
Maybe you're going to go keto and just start eating sticks of butter, processed deli meat and cream cheese? But whatever you do...AVOID the vegetables. Can't be having those pesky nutrient rich bastards kicking you out of ketosis now, can we!? Strike 3!!!
Well we tried the trendy stuff - let’s wait until 2019 - new year new me and all that!
Truth is, the shit-list goes on and gets much deeper than the above. I’m not going to go after all of the fads and BS today, but there is a good chance that I did that in this video already :)
Regardless of what method you choose - unless your lifestyle change contains quality, whole, REAL food, proper emphasis on sleep, stress and lifestyle management, a sensible approach to exercise and lifting heavy things once in a while, you're not going to get any brownie points from me.
You're lazy and choose mouth pleasure over health
This one says it all, really. Poor you - you have been trying to lose weight for years. It must be your slowing metabolism? Here, cry into this pint of ice cream and wash it down with a bottle of wine. You can start again on Monday.
Speaking of starting on Monday. If you eat sensibly through the week, and when Friday night comes around, turn into an absolute sugar-driven maniac and wash all the cake and candy down with 56 beers or a few bottles of Prosecco...well yeah, you're not going to have success. Cheat meals are much different than cheat weekends. The latter rarely works. You can’t cheat on a diet - what are you possibly gaining from “cheating” on healthy food?
And please stop with the “treats”…you’re not a dog.
Try this - stope eating like a child. You're an adult. Act like one.
If you ARE an adult, that means you buy your food. So stop spending your money on subway meal deals, pizza and designer coffees. Stop buying junk food and stocking up your cupboards with it. Try replacing all those biscuits and ice cream that you buy with some veggies and steak. Let's see how many 10pm snacks you "need" when you don't have access to absolute crap.
Children eat junk food and candy - even though they shouldn't (topic for another day) - if you're not a child, then stop acting like one. Something crazy might happen to your waistline.
You seek perfection
This doesn't exist, first off. So get that word out of your vocabulary, as it pertains to health and wellness. Perfection in our current landscape is nigh on impossible, and Perfectionism in general, is a myth.
If you base your goals and self-drive around being perfect, you are going to drive yourself crazy...and then fail. Instead, set a realistic appreciation for yourself and your limits. If you truly do great most of the time, you're not going to have to sweat the small stuff so much, unless you're looking to get super lean. BUT...you have to be honest with yourself - are you doing great most of the time? Really?!? Or are you being a bit too "loose" with that candy grabber (your arm?).
The 80/20 rule is something I talk with my clients a lot about. Striving for perfection (you'll never get it, remember?) yet accepting the good. The 80/20 rule, when imparted honestly and truthfully in someones life, can be a major key to long term success and sustainability. If you really are killing it 80% of the time, you will be getting stronger, leaner and healthier week by week and a few slips here and there aren't going to be enough to stop this tour de force of healthy you!
But again, this only works if you're holding yourself accountable to the 20% bit. This is a rarity. You don't get 20% every night to just eat a "little bit of ice cream". The 20% can quickly become 30, then 40 and before you know it, you have a junk food diet that you've convinced yourself is "clean" and you will remain fat and frustrated.
You Abuse your body
We all know these go-getters. "Pain is weakness leaving the body. Go big or go home. Sweat is just the tears your fat is crying!"
How many of you go to "bootcamp" classes where the coach does nothing but make you exercise until the point of puking in a bucket? At that point they'll probably post it on their social media pages and warn the rest of their members that they're in for a real good thrashing!
Or even better - that trainer that guilts you into coming to their Monday class to "burn off all your sins" from the weekend?
See here; any idiot can make another idiot tired. Even one with nothing more than a couple of GCSEs and access to a rowing machine.
However, it takes a real coach to appreciate programming, skill development and appropriate training for clients, that doesn't include forcing their customers to puke at any given opportunity.
Hard does not mean better. And going hard all of the time, as many of you likely do, is COUNTER PRODUCTIVE to your goals.
We live stressed lives, in a stressful environment, where we don't sleep, move poorly, eat a crappy diet, are chronically inflamed, sick and to throw the icing on the cake, you're going to reward your body with 6 sessions a week of spin/cardio/weights/HIIT/Orange theory/pilates/booty-boxercise-bounce-banded-ballet-barre-blitz?
Yeah...that's not good. It is a sure fire way to burn out and hit a brick wall in your health, wellness and longevity.
Most people are attempting to beat their bodies into submission, doling out punishment for a perceived betrayal = what you ate last night/for not being 'good enough'/for not looking like people on instagram (btw - these people have fake assess and probably take steroids). The expectation is that anger, anxiety, frustration, and self abuse are the best tools for sculpting beauty. Nothing could be further from the truth.
You use extrinsic motivations to drive your behavior and choices
THIS is a BIG one! Many people are trying to lose weight and look better, in a quest for approval from others. This is one of the most unsustainable, yet common driving forces behind wanting to shed some fat.
Trying to change to impress others/seek approval is a sure fire way to remain frustrated and fail.
Again, most people are extrinsically motivated, which quite simply is not the path to success.
This road is laden with psychological pitfalls. "I had a hard day at work", or "just one bite...I deserve it", Or "this is not working fast enough!!!"
People in this mindset rarely ask themselves "What exactly do I think will happen when I lose weight? What will I have that I don't have now?".
You will often hear things like "If I were skinny, I'd be more confident. translation? - ”If I were skinny, I'd stop telling myself that I'm ugly every time I go out in public or see my reflexion.” That is a poisonous mindset and it never works.
How would you FEEL if you had the body of your dreams? Strong, confident, healthy? Enjoy those feelings every day you choose to get better, rather than being attached to an outcome that relies on nothing more than looking a certain way (extrinsic motivation).
Progress takes time, for some that could be months. However, the feelings of getting better come immediately. That feeling of treating your self with love and compassion? That feeling of getting stronger? That feeling of treating your body with care and putting in the best fuel?
That comes immediately. If you celebrate these FEELINGS and enjoy the journey (intrinsic motivators) - the rest will take care of itself.
What to do?
Do you want to put all of this nonsense behind you? If so, schedule a discovery call with me and let's finally get you on a path that will work. There's a better way. A more sustainable and happy way, to get to the body of your dreams.
One that doesn't involve negative self-talk, guilt, punishments and bull shit diets. Join me - it WILL be the best gift you have ever received.
Now, let’s actually make 2018 YOUR year.
Yours in health,
Ste