I’m always asked what I, or other staff members do to stay lean and fit. The easiest way is to just photoshop yourself like I’ve done with my image above this article 😉 ..In all seriousness, I could divulge a list of all my habits; but I’m not so sure that’s the best way for YOU, or anyone else, to find success. Let’s be honest, we all know WHAT to do, right? Nutrition for a relatively healthy person trying to lose weight isn’t rocket science. Plants, lean protein/meat, and minimally refined carbohydrates, should make up the majority of your diet. You also need to move a lot, and exercise intensely a few days each week. It really is that simple.
The hard part is fitting all of that into YOUR life. Work, kids, husband, wife, house work, nights out, holidays, wedding, etc… Life throws out a never ending barrage of road blocks. My road blocks as a 31 year old bachelor that only has to worry about work, lifting weights, and babysitting my clients’ pets from time to time are MUCH different than the road blocks a college student, mother, or father, will face on a day to day basis.
So if my blueprint for success won’t work for you, what will? Luckily there is a solution that could have AMAZING tips for YOU. So where do you find it? All you have to do is REMEMBER! For most people, the key to fixing their weight loss problem lies with the positive behaviors they’ve exhibited in the PAST. You see, in America we really don’t have a weight loss problem; we have a weight loss maintenance problem. We’re actually REALLY good at losing weight, statistics suggest over 80% of people have obtained weight loss goals in the past, however, the majority of those 80% that lose weight end up regaining it. We know what to do we just can’t seem to figure out how to MAINTAIN it.
Where to start?
Write down what you did when you had success with weight loss/improving your fitness. Assuming this weight loss was by healthy means. Fad diets are NOT something I am suggesting you repeat.
- What did you change with your diet and what allowed you to lose weight?
- What did you do for exercise? How did you fit it into your life?
- What tweaks did you make to your environment to encourage the behaviors you had?
Find bright spots in your current routine
- Did you hand in a food log last week? Did you have any good days? Use those days to formulate a grocery shopping list. You can also print those days off and keep them close by so you can reference what you did.
- Have you had weeks where you exercised at your goal frequency? If so what did you change in your week that enabled you to hit those goals?
TALK to FRIENDS
- Most people are surrounded by like individuals. Form a small group of friends that have the same goals and exchange ideas. Are you a mom/dad with a full time job and kids? I’m sure you know other moms/dads with kids that are looking to get into better shape or have recently made significant changes! Share ideas on how to deal with the common barriers you share. You can do this via email or a Facebook group.
Add structure
- While what you did before may have worked, it didn’t last. One way to ensure that it lasts this time is by adding structure to your program. The easiest way to do this is to have regular body composition / goal setting appointments with a certified personal trainer ( enter AFS 😉 ). These meetings are critical for assessing if what you’re doing is helping you achieve your goals in a healthy fashion or helping to maintain your progress.
So take a few minutes, reflect on the good ole’ days when you had great success with weight loss, and or fitness, and try to reincorporate those habits into your life. When you’re done reminiscing find a few friends with similar barriers and compare notes! If it helps, you can even list some of your barriers in the comments below and we can write a separate blog on clearing them! Hopefully you’re feeling upbeat and positive now that you’ve read my blog, but if not, here’s a photo of a puppy just to get you through your Tuesday.
-Jared
PS- Checkout this cool infographic on mindful eating!