Sometimes we just feel stuck.  Stuck in our discomfort zone feeling sluggish, putting on extra pounds or feeling unmotivated to exercise.  Covid 19 may have contributed to locking you in this zone – or maybe sticking to a healthier lifestyle has never been your strong point. Whatever the reasons, we’re going to break out and put a new twist on things 

Start now and start small:

Be in the moment and don’t worry about next week or next month, that will only discourage you.  Results are never overnight, despite what others may say or even what you think you see.  It took a long time for people to successfully lose weight, transform their bodies, develop stronger muscles, etc.    – you’re just seeing the end result of many weeks and months and even years of consistent behavior that worked in their favor.

Starting now, when you see an opportunity, take it and do one small step more. Grab a carrot instead of the cake, drink a glass of water before you eat, add one more push up or squat to your set.

Think long term which include many detours along the way:

Growth never happens in a linear fashion.  There are always ups and downs and side to sides.  To put it bluntly – you did not gain x amount of weight in one month, there is no way to lose it in 30 days.    That’s just not how things work.  It’s unhealthy and unrealistic.  You will have scores of gratifying workouts and successful meals but there will also be days you are hungrier than others and times you will be too tired to lift heavy weights or sprint uphill.  The point is not to outperform each and every moment, but to stay in the game.  Having a clearly defined long term goal can help you get back on track, in the right direction without much delay. 

Get Familiar with the Rules:

It’s all experimental – there is no ONE secret diet plan or workout routine for success.  Getting to know your body and what you need is a process and you are a scientist uncovering the formula to unlock your greatness.  Embrace it.  There are science backed  researched rules, yes, and I highly recommend you follow them, but beyond that it’s your body, emotional health, and lifestyle circumstances that create lasting and healthy changes.  Take the time to discover them.

For example, Rule #1 for losing weight: eat less than you burn.  If you want to lose weight this is the golden rule.  ( I’m only focusing on that right now because if you also want to gain muscle and have a toned body capable of lifting small children in the air while juggling a load of laundry, there are a few more rules – but we can get to that another time).  Knowing this rule, you can apply whatever diet plan works best for you in your experiment of weight loss.

Keeping to a consistent calorie deficit will result in losing weight. Therefore knowing how many calories your body needs at rest, how many calories you burn during your daily activities and the calories burned with exercise is how you determine the amount of calories you need to eat per day and week to either sustain your weight, gain or lose weight.  Seems complicated?  It’s really not – but I bet knowing this concept well will save you from spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars and getting caught in some unhealthy eating patterns.  (I can help you figure this out!)  

Here are the big takeaways:

1. Stay in the moment and look for opportunities to take small steps towards your goal.
2. Your body and your health are your own.  Put away your yardstick and stop comparing yourself with others.  It’s usually not an accurate picture anyway.
3. Use scientific research to back your plan – otherwise, you are liable to get lost on a ride of fad diets and false claims.

I’ll be happy to help you navigate your fitness and nutrition journey towards a more healthful future.