Fitness coaching: The ‘Grown up’ approach to health and fitness without reps and sets!
COMMIT. COMMIT NOW!
Look. We all think we can start and stop when we feel like it because there is zero accountability! So our commitment is tenuous at best. A true formula for failure. We break promises to others but it is absolutely a heinous act when you break a promise to yourself… Jeez!! And you can see where that has gotten you.
DON’T BUY EQUIPMENT!
Ah yes, a time-honored classic psychology of ‘if I buy it I will do IT’ No you won’t! At least not for long. It’s the biggest ‘head fake’ you can do to yourself. So this is what you do: Use somebody else’s treadmill! Gyms all over the country love offering deals this time of year because they hedge that you won’t last long. Join up and stay for 3 months (see #1!). And not only will you set a new precedent for not letting yourself down but you’ll look good too!
QUIT STARVING!
The biggest fallacy in weight loss is “Dude. Just start eating nuts and 5-hour energy, you’ll be ripped!’ Oh Really? This is the stupidest advice. The opposite is true. Eat more.. healthier foods! A large part of weight loss is eating. Unfortunately, there is so much erroneous information out there, it is easy to get confused. Hire a registered dietitian, RDN for short. NOT A PERSONAL TRAINER WITH A SPORTS NUTRITION CERTIFICATE! AN RDN (I happen to know a pretty sharp one by the name of Kyle RDN. Look her up! has a background that far surpasses a week-long course! RDN’S spend countless clinical hours working with all sorts of populations. Some of those populations have sophisticated and complicated health histories. Don’t rely on limited education here. You would not go to a dentist that took a 3-day dentistry course. This is your health we’re talking about! Invest in a team of health professionals.
I’M TELL’N!! Trust me. You will ‘mess up’ but relax. Its built in. You have been conditioned to eat when you ‘think’ you are hungry. Those olfactory cells will fail us every time. Olfactory [smell] is closely related to memory. And those memories of eating fried chicken, mac and cheese, apple pie and stuff. Whew!!….Anyway, what I’m getting at is give in to those cravings. Yes. But be grown up about it! If you know you can eat 6 pieces of pizza, try 3 with a small salad. Salad will help decrease the cravings and you may not even make it to the third slice!
YOUR FRIENDS WILL LET YOU DOWN
Ok. Friends mean well. But if they are used to seeing you do something and not see it through, well…Keep your goals and intentions to yourself unless you are with others that are on the same path. This is what a real training partner is for: support when you having ‘one of those days’ cuz you gonna have’em!
YOU GOT ISSUES!
My wife is great at this stuff. She is an RD. She calls those moments when people eat and are not hungry: ‘Triggers’ We all got’em. And you KNOW what yours is! Don’t lie! Weight gain is a behavior issue. If you don’t believe me watch any reality show with people struggling with weight problems. Happiness is an inside job.
AEROBICS IS DEAD!!
Straight to the point on this one. You have to gain muscle to keep fat off as well as managing eating. Aerobics alone will NOT WORK! Anaerobic training: circuit training, sprints, progressive weight training, medicine ball work, kettlebell etc. is the KEY! Women are notorious for staying away from weights because they think it will make them bulky. The biggest impediment to keeping weight off for men and women is not adding a progressive resistance training program to your fitness regiment.
DON’T BUY IT IF YOU LIKE IT!
I love Amish Farm licorice. The red flavor of course. The finest tasting licorice in the whole universe. I have been known to eat a whole bag of these twisted sticks of ecstasy….so I don’t buy them. I also have been known to devour Hagen das Swiss almond in one fell swoop. A spectacle to see. So I don’t buy it. You see what I’m getting at? To tell yourself you can ‘regulate’ your weakness is the same mentality that got you tipping the scales at 20# overweight IN THE FIRST PLACE……Focus, man focus!
IT WILL NOT BE FUN
I hate when they show commercials of these real chiseled bodies in fitness/supplement commercials all smiling and shit as if its a piece of cake. It’s not! Body change takes work. Don’t believe the hype of fast weight loss. Biggest Loser is the biggest distraction for the public because the circumstances are NOT real life. These people are sequestered for 3 months with trainers, RD’s, and sociologists. So when you here they lost 80lbs in 2 months that is under very unique and ‘customized’ and I emphasize customized, conditions. Conditions that most of our economics or our bosses(“what da…?!”) won’t allow! In reality, you can begin to see that type of weight loss within 6 months, all things being equal of course. Refer to the above and rest of this blog!
THERE’S A REASON IT’S CALLED COMMENCEMENT
Three days before high school graduation, my Psychology teacher, Mr. McRae, made a most profound statement to the entire class: “Commencement means to start or begin.” Then he paused for effect then finished with “your lives will never be the same after graduation as you ‘begin’ a new life”. So as you renew your ‘vow’ to get better, look better and feel better remember its JUST the beginning!…
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired
-Jules Renard