Health is more than just calories in and calories out.
It’s how we feel physically and emotionally. Many of us are focused on weight loss, and many want to jump into the deep end with both feet on day 1.
If we’re being honest… it’s because we are looking for the quickest and most painless way to reach our weight loss goals.
We just want to look and feel better… NOW.
I get it.
It’s appealing to have results immediately so we can live our ideal lives. But weight loss is a weird thing. Very few people really enjoy doing what it takes to reach their weight loss goals.
Sometimes you will be hungry, sometimes you have to say no, and sometimes it just sucks!
Most of our clients aren’t ‘gym people’ either – this is a place that is new to them, they typically aren’t proficient with exercise (hence why they come to see us) and let’s be honest – few people LOVE to work out and skip delicious cookies and desserts.
And if you do LOVE that kind of thing… well then, you spend your life working in the health and fitness industry like me.
Here are 3 things that I share with my clients to feel better when they want to go all in.
I know from experience, that doing everything at once doesn’t last or get as good of results as one thing at a time, but we also need to balance a smart plan with a client’s motivation. If someone wants to go all in, this is an easy way for me to help focus their energy and ‘prove that they can do it all.
These are simple and overlooking, but done well they add up. After all, the basics done well are responsible for 80% of results!
- DRINK LOTS OF WATER
I know you read this one a million times, but how much water are you actually drinking?
I’ve learned 2 great approaches for those who want to jump in with both feet:
OPTION 1: I challenge you to drink only water for the next 30 days – no juice, pop, milk, anything. If you must drink coffee or tea then make it decaf (or herbal) if you can and limit it to a single cup once per day.
OPTION 2: Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces each day. For instance, if you are 145lbs, you should aim to drink 72.5 ounces (2.1L) of water per day.
2. GET ATLEAST 7 HOURS OF SLEEP
When you start a fitness or fat loss program, your body is going to expend more energy. It’s going to need proper rest so that it can keep burning that stored fat – after all, your body recovers when you sleep, not when you exercise. It’s been shocking for me to see how many of us are already sleep-deprived as it is… so adding in a weight loss routine just knocks us out even more.
Take care of your body and get some sleep, and you will see an improvement in your body composition. Plus, more sleep means more energy, more energy means better workouts, and most of all better workouts mean better results!
3. GET ACTIVE EVERYDAY
Do I want you to have a workout routine where you are pushing your body to get healthy and lose extra fat? Yes – absolutely. But even if all you can commit to is a brisk 20-30 minute walk every day then do that.
Part of fat loss is something called N.E.A.T, which stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It’s a fancy way of saying all the calories you burn just by being active in daily life.
Walking the dog, getting the mail, doing groceries, walking to the bathroom – they are all small but they add up to be a massive caloric burn – for some people, this is over 1000kcals burned per day.
For reference, that’s over double what most workouts do, so this isn’t chump change!
By setting a goal of being active every day, you can increase N.E.A.T., which burns more calories to help shed at. Exercise is critical, but in modern life getting that extra little bit can make a massive difference.
I’m all about keeping your weight loss goals and plans challenging, but realistic.
The last thing I want you to do is to start some intense workout plan or strict meal plan when we both know it won’t last. You’ve tried that before, right? We both know that if you work out on your own or start some random diet you read about in a book… well the community, the coaching, the support – it isn’t there. You’re left to your own devices to figure out what you should do and when.
So let’s make it different.
Let’s get you set up with a program that makes sense for you, your life, and your goals.
Let’s make sure you have everything you need to succeed.
Start with these 3 steps, commit to doing them for 2 weeks, and then see if you feel different. And, if you are looking for a hand with any of this, don’t hesitate to reach out and click here to book a call.
