it won’t happen overnight
We live in a world of instant gratification. Anything you want to watch can be streamed, anything you want to eat can be delivered to your doorstep, anything you want to learn can be googled, and so on. And I’ll tell ya, it’s quite nice 🤷♀️
Getting used to this can be a slippery slope though, because some things still take time. And yes, you guessed it - I’m talking about fitness. Unfortunately for our somewhat spoiled society, it takes time to get fit. Whether your goal is to lose body fat, build muscle, improve cardiovascular health, get out of pain, or live longer . . . . . it will not happen overnight.
Real fitness progress takes time. You might not see results day to day or even week to week, and this can be frustrating - I get it! But don’t let that be your excuse to quit. Keep at it, even when you don’t feel like it and even when it doesn’t seem like it’s working. Because it is. A year from now you’ll be so happy you listened to me 😉
It won’t happen overnight. But if you quit, it won’t happen at all.
Need some help with your results? Grab our New Member Special and come workout with us! We’ll help keep you accountable on those days you don’t feel like showing up.
DON’T LET YOUR WEEKENDS DERAIL YOUR PROGRESS
Spring is in full effect! Warm weather got you ready to partaaaaaaaaaaay?
beach trips ✅
drinks on the patio ✅
pool days ✅
This time of year makes it difficult to stay on track. Perhaps you find sticking to your fitness/healthy eating routines attainable Monday-Thursday, but then Friday starts a 3-day indulgence extravaganza that leaves you feeling like @ss on Monday morning.
Sound familiar? No judgement, happens to the best of us.
There are a couple things that are likely happening here.
YOU'RE BEING TOO RESTRICTIVE DURING THE WEEK
Most people only have so much self control. If you're not allowing yourself certain foods during the week - especially foods you love - there is a strong likelihood that eventually you'll binge TF out of them. For example: you love dessert but don't allow yourself any during the week because you're being "good." Then Saturday night one bowl of ice cream turns into an entire tub real quick.
You'd be better off eating a small bowl of ice cream every night. That way you avoid eating so much at once that you feel ill, inside and out.
YOU'RE DRINKING TOO MUCH
Sorry, I said it. And I'm not judging you - I love a good cocktail! But if you're drinking multiple days per week, it's going to be really difficult to meet your fitness goals.
While drinking obviously adds extra calories to your daily intake, it's not just that. Most people's eating habits change drastically while they're drinking and of course the next day. Do you come home and indulge in some late night broccoli? Is your go-to hangover meal grilled fish, rice, and vegetables? 🤢 I think not.
YOU’RE BEING INCONSISTENT
In order to continue progressing in your fitness journey, your body needs consistency. Consistently getting to the gym and consistently nourishing our body.
Under-eating Monday through Thursday then blowing it out of the water Friday through Sunday will probably result in an overall caloric surplus (which can cause weight gain) AND probably leave you feeling like crap for about half the week. If you feel like crap, you probably won't have the best workouts . . . . or might even miss them altogether.
And that my darling, is not what I want for you.
I want you to reap all the benefits of working out, I want you feeling your best all day every day.
IF I FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE, I’LL BE GOOD RIGHT?
You've likely heard about the 80/20 rule when it comes to health and fitness. According to this rule, as long as you stay consistent 80% of the time, you can still make progress towards your goals.
While staying consistent can mean different things for different people, let's focus on the basics. The things most people need to be nailing to reach their goals:
Working out 3-5 days/week
Getting 7,000-10,000 steps per day
Eating about 1g of protein per pound of body weight per day
Sleeping 7-9 hours a night (sometimes this is not possible with little ones in the house)
Drinking enough water
If we're following the 80/20 rule, we're achieving these basics 80% of the time.
If there are 30 days in a month, 80% consistent means you'd be on point at least 24 of those 30 days. That's . . . . a lot of days.
My point here isn't to make you feel bad if you're not being 80% consistent. My point is that 80% might be more than you think. So if you feel like you're consistent 80% of the time and not seeing the results you desire, you might need to take a closer look at your consistency rate.
You can still make progress at lower consistencies, it will just take longer. And for some, that might be totally fine! Just make sure you're honest with yourself about where you are and where you want to be.
CONSISTENCY ≠ PERFECTION
Many people think that being consistent means they can never fall off track. That they have to nail their workouts, nutrition, water intake, steps, and a million other things 100% of the time.
But that, my friend - is not consistency. That's perfection. And perfection is not realistic.
Consistency means staying on track most of the time, but more importantly. . . . getting back on track immediately when you fall off. Whether you fall off intentionally or not, being committed to getting back to business asap is what drives consistency.
Being consistent is about persistency, not perfection.
So next time you fall off (because you're human and you will) try not to beat yourself up over it. Do your best to avoid the "F it, I already feel like crap - who cares if I make it worse" downhill spiral. Get back to your plan and keep pushing. Until the next time you fall off 😬 then rinse and repeat!
HOW DO YOU GET RESULTS FAST?
How do you get results FAST?! The truth is, you don't.
Any results you get in a flash are likely acquired through unsustainable, unhealthy, uncontrollable behavior. Think fad diets, ultimate restriction, being so sick or stressed that you can't eat . . . . . yes you'll lose weight quickly but as soon as you get back to normal those "results" are a long lost memory.
The best way to results is CONSISTENCY.
What do I mean by "consistency?"
Workout. Getting to the gym 3-5 days/week is a great start.
Walk. Shoot for 7,000 - 10,000 steps per day.
Sleep. 7-9 hours per night is a good baseline.
Eat enough protein. Try for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (if you weigh 150 lbs, try to eat about 150 grams of protein per day.
Get outside. Contrary to societal norms, we were not designed to sit in front of computers under fluorescent light all day. We need sunshine and nature to feel our best!
Limit alcohol consumption. I know, booooo! I'm not saying you should stop drinking altogether. But if you're drinking every night and/or binge drinking every weekend, it's going to be challenging to reach your fitness goals.
These are the basics. Are they sexy? No. Will they help you achieve long-term health and wellness? Absolutely.
If you can consistently nail the basics, you may find that you don't need to change anything else to be where you want to be.
STOP TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY
When many people embark on their fitness journey, their goal is to lose weight ASAP. And while we love the motivation and eagerness to get started. . . . we also have some bad news. Losing weight quickly rarely works :(
Research shows that somewhere between 75%-90% of people that take weight off quickly put it right back on. Oftentimes if you go in too hot, drastically reducing your caloric intake and/or increasing your energy expenditure you will indeed drop weight quickly. The issue is that most people can't sustain these dramatic changes for long and as soon as that motivation wears off and your behavior goes back to "normal," so does your weight.
Losing weight quickly can also lead to muscle loss, low energy, and nutritional deficiencies. Your body needs to be fueled to feel and perform it's best!
Your weight does not define you or your overall health. There is no shame in wanting to drop some lbs, but the number on the scale is not the only indicator that you're kicking @ss. Your strength gains, sleep, energy levels, and so many other factors are important players as well.
Maintaining a healthy weight over time is achieved through balanced nutrition, consistent training, and a lifestyle you can maintain and enjoy.
So consider ditching the quick fixes and find a more methodical approach to wellness. It's the only thing that works in the long run!
HOW DO I STAY MOTIVATED?
Motivation happens in motion. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear out of thin air and it doesn’t last forever. Sometimes we have to get moving to start feeling motivated!
Are you in a slump? Trying to find the motivation to workout, eat nutritious foods, complete a nagging task on your to-do list? How do we stay motivated??
The sad truth is . . . . . we don't.
We've all felt that intoxicating rush of motivation when we first started a training program, a new job, or were preparing for an exciting event - it's amazing!
But much to our chagrin - it's not human nature to remain amped up to do anything forever - d@mnit.
So what do we do when these slumps hit? Sit on the couch, eat cheetos and wait for it to return, right?! Been there, done that, possibly doing it as you read this? But alas, it's not what brings the motivation back.
Research shows that motivation alone is not enough. In order to stay on track, reach our goals, not feel like a lazy POS :) - discipline must come into play.
We have to be disciplined enough to get to the gym on the days we don't feel like it, eat a balanced meal when we really just want ice cream for dinner, and tackle that annoying task instead of binging Netflix.
This doesn't mean we need to be perfect all the time - lord knows that ain't happenin (speaking from experience.) It means that we need to be disciplined and consistent most of the time.
Inspiration happens in motion. So even when we don't feel like it, oftentimes if we just GET MOVING, the motivation we've been yearning for returns.
This isn't easy, and most of us can't do it on our own. Finding a workout routine that you actually enjoy, a workout buddy or coach to hold you accountable, and a trusted program that delivers results will help.