If you are interested in losing weight there are a ton of different factors that you probably are thinking about. Weight loss can be a very complicated thing but our job has always been to make things simple and easy to follow for you.
If you want to lose weight, tone up, or just be healthier you must consider these 4 factors. Books have been written about each but I am just going to touch on a few to help you apply things today and get better results faster. It might be tempting to skip some of these or only focus on one, but I promise you will never see the results you are looking for without implementing all of these.
1. Mindset
When I was younger I never would have thought about having the right mindset and I bet this is something you probably haven’t spent much time considering. But this has to be the very first thing you do BEFORE starting a fitness program.
Evaluate where you are and how successful will you be when you get started. I have written about this before but one of my pet peeves is when someone comes in and says “I know I will never be at XXX weight again.” When you say something like this you are settling for failing.
You must KNOW you are going to be successful. I’m not saying you should have unrealistic goals, but do not settle for anything. Define what you want and don’t take anything less.
When you develop the right kind of mindset you won’t fail. You might have small failures but these are just ways you are finding that are not working for you. For example maybe you decide you want to lose weight and you are going to start running. You run for a few weeks to find out that you really just don’t like running and you can’t do it anymore. This doesn’t mean you failed it means that you just found out that running won’t be the best way for you to lose weight. So you attempt something else.
It is amazing what a powerful mindset can lead to. But you have to know what your destination is first. Be clear with exactly what you want. This could be a weight goal, but maybe it is a feeling of energy or less pain with movement. Whatever it is make it clear so you know when you will reach it. Don’t aimlessly try things but not really know what you are measuring. You need laser focus on the prize so you can have the positive mindset you need.
A few things you need to consider to help with this first step. You need to realize that this will be hard and you will be uncomfortable. If you are not uncomfortable you are not doing the right things. The more uncomfortable you get the more likely you will be successful. Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people won’t do. I can’t remember where I first heard that line, but it hits the nail on the head. You have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and face your fears. Yes you might fail (initially) and yes you will be challenge in every way, but you will accept this and be able to face it head on.
The second thing to consider is to surround yourself with the right people. A positive mindset is contagious but so is a negative one. Don’t let others around you determine what will make you happy. If you have people consistently telling you to stop or that you won’t be successful, you need to get away from them if possible. Start finding the people that are pushing you in the right direction.
2. Nutrition
Obviously nutrition is a huge part of the equation. I still believe the right mindset needs to be number 1, but a good nutrition plan should be right after.
If you have followed my writing for a while you know that I am not perfect and never teach anyone to be perfect. In fact I don’t believe there are good and bad foods like so many claim. You can eat too much of certain foods that cause weight gain, but that doesn’t make them bad.
For years people tried to avoid fat at all coat because they thought that dietary fat was leading to more fat on the body. While yes eating too much fat is going to lead to problems, this doesn’t mean you should completely avoid it. First, you won’t be able to absorb very important vitamins without the presence of fat in your diet. Things like vitamin A, D, E, and K. Also, those that eating higher fats tend to lose weight easier than those that don’t.
Think of all the nonfat or low fat diary food products. A new study just came out from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showing that women who ate higher amounts of fat in dairy food where less likely to become obese.
I am not telling you to go out and just eat all high fat foods. What I am saying is that you need a variety of foods in your diet and follow certain rules.
- If I diet tells you to eliminate an entire food group- Don’t Do It
- If a diet tells you to eliminate exercise- Don’t Do It
- If you only can eat packaged bars and shakes- Don’t Do It
- If you feel hungry all the time- Don’t Do It
- If it just sounds crazy- Don’t Do It
For your nutrition program the main thing is to start implementing habits. Take a look at your current diet and see what the biggest thing preventing you from reaching your goals. Maybe it is you always have something sweet after dinner. This is a habit that we want to try and change. You probably aren’t even hungry after dinner but you are craving that sweet taste. Until you realize this pattern you will keep doing it.
To truly change this habit you just need to change the routine. After dinner you have the cue to go eat something sweet. That will always be there. And then you have the sweet treat, followed by a satisfied craving. So your goal is to not just say you won’t eat anything after dinner (some can do this but most fail). Instead you still need to do something after dinner to satisfy your craving. Maybe this is just a healthier option. After dinner you have a bowl of fruit instead of the ice cream or pastry. Even a small square of dark chocolate might do the trick. The point is that you don’t completely give up the routine you just make a small change.
Improving your diet is all about small changes. I can’t tell you how many people try a complete overhaul and set up unrealistic expectations. The ones that are the most successful are the ones that pick just small, simple habits to implement. Start with the basics. If you don’t drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water, then start there. If you don’t sleep at least 7 hours per night, work on that. Until you get those two things down, all the nutrition “tricks” and strategies won’t help as much. It is like driving with the e-brake on. You will get moving but not very efficiently.
So make small changes, eat real foods, and don’t be afraid of fats and carbs. Just be smart about the kind you are eating and how much.
3. Movement
Once you have the right mindset, and better nutritional habits, you can start focusing on moving more. Here is where exercise comes in, but remember all movement counts. Many times people feel like they failed if they didn’t get their workout in for the day. Yes working out is crucial and should be a weekly habit you have. But walking throughout the day counts for movement, taking the stairs instead of the elevator counts, parking further away from the store counts, and taking the dog on a little longer walk than normal counts.
All movement is good. If you can’t get a workout in then just find other ways you can move more and sit less.
If you do decide to exercise make sure you have specific resistance training and cardio training. Your resistance training is designed to help boost your metabolism, burn calories, improve insulin sensitivity, increase bone density, and build lean muscle to name a few benefits. Make sure you choose appropriate resistance that is challenging your muscles. If you are still using the same weights after months of training you will no longer get much benefit from it. You always need to progress to continue seeing results.
Your cardio routine should consist of variety. If you are just getting started your goal is to establish the habit of exercising regularly. When you are ready to progress you choose different intensities to train.
A simple way to look at it is to pick one day of low intensity exercise that last for longer duration. This would be an activity you can do for around 60-90 minutes. Your next workout would be at a high intensity that you could only last for 20-30 minutes. Then you can just alternate between those workouts to maximize your results.
Whatever you do just make sure you move as much as you can. Whether it is structured exercise, play, or any other movement it will all count.
4. Recovery
This is the often left out component of fitness and wellness but it is critical to consider. Exercise is stress on the body. It is good stress but still stress. If you want to see results you need to push yourself, but you must allow for proper recovery. If you are constantly sore after workouts you are probably overtraining or under-recovered. This effects your hormones and other factors that will limit your progress.
So focus on a few things. It is ok to be sore but if the soreness is always there you are not completely recovered. Make sure you are following step 2 and implementing a good nutrition program. The foods we eat help us recovery and grow bigger, stronger muscles, denser bones, and make sure our bodies are functioning properly. If you are putting bad nutrition in you can’t recover properly.
And of course we can’t forget sleep. Sleep is the ultimate performance enhancement and key to better results. So many great things happen when you get a good nights sleep and more and more research is showing the link between sleep deprivation and weight gain.
For example, when you don’t sleep enough you decrease the ability to metabolize carbohydrates. Your brain’s primary source of energy is from carbohydrates (glucose) and you will start to crave it. Then you eat more carbs because you crave them, but can’t break them down and use them properly so you never really satisfy those cravings. The vicious cycle continues as long as you are not getting enough sleep.
You probably know exactly what time you need to wake up in the morning. Then you know exactly what time you need to get into bed to allow for 7-9 hours of sleep. This is a habit you will have to start. Set an alarm each night for when you need to start getting ready for bed and stick with it.
I know this was a long post but I needed to get these things out because this is the foundation for any health program. If you can master these 4 elements I can guarantee you will get the results you are looking for and feel the best you have ever felt.
If you ever need help setting up these foundations please do not hesitate to contact me. Click on the button below to set up a free consultation and I can will help show you how you can maximize each of the 4 elements in your routine.