Happy New Year!!!
January 1st is usually the time for reflection, goal setting and resolutions. Many of you will have committed to losing weight this year and improving your health. Whatever the reason for your desire to make a change, your approach to successfully achieving your goal is paramount!
Around 60% of the messages I receive through Instagram are from Indian guys wanting to lose weight fast! Whilst the goal is great, and the challenge is exciting, the methodology in which it can be achieved can be an arduous process. Especially if this is someone completely new to training, with very little muscle mass and poor health associated to a bad diet and a sedentary lifestyle. The approach for someone in this position with a short-term goal would require a tonne of cardio, a very low-calorie diet and a stringent meal plan with no room for error! In this situation, I see people either struggle to adhere to their programme or reach their goal and very quickly put weight back on because they either did not learn enough from the process around nutrition or they feel the need to reward themselves for achieving such an incredible feat!
I always ask my clients in a consultation, if they are looking to develop a body shape for 3 months or something they can maintain or improve upon for the next 10 years! The goals you set are of paramount importance and require completely different approaches! In this age of instant gratification, it is often more desirable to achieve a goal quickly, however, your body, health and happiness are areas you want to optimise for a life time!
Today, rather than looking for a quick fix, I am going to give you five suggestions that can have an enormous impact on the way you should approaching your weight loss goals this month!
Rather than feeling guilty and beating yourself up about putting on weight, focus on something you can take control of. Start with a food diary, journal everything you eat and drink over the next 5 days, not only will this make you more mindful of your food consumption, it may also open your eyes as to why you are struggling to lose weight.
Avoid going from one extreme to another! It is so much easier to lose weight over an extended period if you make minor changes to your intake or activity every week. If you see a pattern of overeating on weekends or social occasions, which is causing a spike in weight or making you feel bloated, unwell or unhappy, look for a way to adapt your approach to these situations, or your intake or output through the week!
Find an approach to physical activity that you can build into your schedule and enjoy. Since launching the 5 steps to successfully losing your first 10lbs, the guys that have implemented walking more and consciously improving activity outside of the gym, have been successfully increasing their daily output and losing weight! Start by walking if you are very inactive currently and the phase in a structured approach to hitting the gym!
Most of you will hit stumbling blocks whilst on a mission to lose weight. Whether this be from the approach you are taking, plateaus in weight dropping or moments of weakness. Accept that this is a part of your journey, not everyone will do everything perfectly all the time! The worst thing you can do is go into self destruction mode just because you did not quite hit a target, so if you do have a blip, get back on track as soon as possible and don’t punish yourself with hours of extra cardio or avoiding food!
Stopping focusing on your scale weight and start to consider your health as the most important reason to make a change! I work with so many family orientated people, business owners and career focused guys and it has often been a health scare or a realisation that longevity will require a mentally and physically optimal state. If you fall ill, are constantly stressed or you are on the brink of autoimmune disease because of your current lifestyle, you will put into jeopardy everything you are working for! Take time to look after yourself, start to track your heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, stress and sleep and find ways to improve each element to help you look, feel and think better!
If you have any questions on how I can help you reach your goals this year or you would like specific guidance through my online coaching, feel free to contact me today! If you want to make a head start on losing weight, download my 5 steps to successfully losing your first 10lbs on the link below!
