Achieving body transformation results feels amazing not only upon reaching the intended destination but also just seeing the change along the way. You cannot beat seeing improvements in yourself, knowing that you are constantly growing as a person, constantly getting one step closer to the greatest possible version of yourself.
However if you cannot maintain these results I’m afraid it will be heart breaking, you will be disappointed and your motivation will die a short lived life.
We live in a culture where everything must be done by tomorrow and long term quality is almost always sacrificed.
You get out of life what you Constantly put in.
Being Too Aggressive In Your Approach
I would say this is the number one mistake that individuals make upon deciding to set out on achieving a specific goal which will allow short term success but will almost always lead to failure in the end.
People decide what they want to achieve, they get excited, the brain goes crazy and huge amounts of ideas crop up. This often leads to lots of ideas been implemented which along with the energy that this new excitement brings can be initially implemented.
However this is usually at the cost of sacrificing other things in life. This will usually last for about 4 weeks if the individual is extra keen, but then things start to get in the way, the body starts to get tired, the process is not as exciting as it first seemed, work, family and social scenes start getting in the way and we will probably realise that we don’t want to continue making the sacrifices that we are.
Trying to fit a plan of action into our lives that cannot have a permanent seat within our diary will eventually fizzle out. There is no point in completely changing the way you live for a short amount of time if the result you want is a long term one. Short term success that doesn’t last will upset you more than if you didn’t even bother to begin with.
So if you are always going to have a drink at the weekend, removing this for a month, will really have no benefit. If your usually only going to exercise 2-3 times a week, training 7 times a week for one month will have little benefit and may also have a negative effect when you return to less activity, eating a low calorie diet that gives you no energy will not last. Whatever you do, if you cannot see yourself following it for at least the next year with the intention of it becoming a lifestyle then I’m afraid it will short lived and disappointing.
Start what you can continue doing around the areas of your life that you do not want to sacrifice and allow the results to come at a pace that can be sustained for a lifetime.
I do not want to put you off giving your all, but I do want to hopefully influence you into following a sustainable approach where you are consistently growing as a person instead of following the YO-YO effect of achieving something only to rebound repeating this process and seeing that over the years not only are you moving backwards but it is also negatively impacting your energy for life and your health.
Prioritising Now Over Your Future
Going on holiday next month is one of the more common and best examples of this.
The holiday is booked, its going to be nice and sunny, your going to be wearing a swim suit And its all you can eat and drink all day long (All Inclusive).
The average person, will drop their calories, eat less junk and exercise on a cardio machine like a Duracell bunny in anticipation of this holiday for a month. Unfortunately by the time the holiday comes your body has adapted to your new regular exercise regime and controlled eating plan which down regulates your metabolism, then you sit on a sun lounger all day drink cocktails and eat like a king all day long, your body bloats up and by the time you get back you are at your fattest ever.
If you know you will be going on holiday this year, take a more sustainable approach and start earlier, before you even book the holiday. Even better, if you can up regulate your metabolism before going on holiday, the holiday will have little negative effects on your body and you will return a happy bunny. So aim to eat a diet that ensures you are stocked up on nutrients and getting the energy you need, while stopping just before your intake is too much that it causes weight gain. You can do this by slowly upping your food intake until you see a negative effect and then stepping it back to where you saw no negative effects.
Along with this start lifting weights with the aim to continually improve adding more lean muscle to your frame.
If you want to experience faster fat loss at some point then you can slowly lower your intake, whilst ensuring you consume enough protein to maintain muscle mass, but I would advise planning well ahead so you can slowly bring your intake back up again allowing your metabolism to recover rather than just falling into bad habits or going on a holiday.
SO INSTEAD……….
Start With The End In Mind
Where do you want to be in 10+ years, If you know where you want to be in 10 years, then you will relax more and take a more sustainable approach that guarantees long term success. Me personally I want to be the fittest Grand dad in the gym one day, I don’t want reoccurring injuries because my training approach was too aggressive that lead to inactivity and stoppage of an activity I love to do and I don’t want to fat because while I was active I ate too restrictively damaging my metabolism. Start living with the aim to consistently grow as an individual and I promise you will be happier.
To your happiness
Harry