First of all I would like to kick off today’s post with a bold statement.
“In Order To Have A Healthy Looking Body You DO NOT Need Any More Information – You Already Know Enough!”
Please, just hear me out a sec.
[I am assuming here that those reading this are over 30 years old]
You already know that drinking too much alcohol will NOT help you to lose unwanted body fat – empty calories and all that.
You already know that eating too much processed sugar is NOT good for your body and fat loss goals.
You already know that if you put more calories into your body each day than it needs then you will gain weight.
So
With more information than at any other time in history.
And
More gyms and fitness awareness than ever
WHY Is obesity the worst it has ever been?
Before I attempt to answer this question, I would like to share some of the ‘parenting’ skills that I have accumulated over the last 12 years and how I think some of this can actually help with everyone’s fat loss goals.
Back in June 2006 I became a Dad for the very first time to our son Harrison.
After the whole ‘childbirth’ experience, 48 hours later we were home.
Myself and Alex put him down on the living room floor in his basket, sat back, took a deep breath, then looked at each other and said
“Now what?”
There is no instruction book to becoming a parent.
You just kinda figure it out as you go along.
Fast Forward A Few Years
I think Harrison was about 4 or 5.
I popped into the playroom and it was horrendous. Looked like a bomb had hit it. Toys everywhere all over the floor.
So I did the right thing and asked him to tidy everything up.
I then got distracted for 30 minutes or so, but popped back into the playroom and……
It was even worse than before.
“Harrison. I asked you to tidy this room and put your toys away. Why didn’t you do it?”
Shrug of the shoulders whilst he was deeply engaged in the battle that his Ben 10 characters were having.
He was in his own little World.
It struck me then that he needed some guidance.
But also a deadline.
So I got specific.
I got down to his level, looked him in the eye and asked to talk to him.
I then pointed to the specific toys that needed tidying up.
Exactly where they needed to go.
Which order to do them in.
I then said that I was going to go upstairs to have a shower. By the time I got back downstairs in 10 minutes everything needed to be tidy.
Then [and only then] could he carry on playing his game. I then took the 2 toys he was playing with from him and said that I was going to take them upstairs – but he could have them back in 10 minutes if the room was tidy.
Success
10 minutes later after my shower?
I came down to a very tidy room and Harrison had a very pleased look on his face.
There was no resistance.
There were no tantrums.
It just got done.
Why?
After all I was asking him to do exactly the same job that I had asked originally?
Because I provided some clear guidelines and most importantly a deadline.
I provided an accountability structure whereby I would check in on him to ensure it had been done.
This early insight into human behaviour really helped me to help others achieve their health and fitness goals.
The Importance Of Accountability
How does this relate to fat loss and your own health and fitness goals then?
Whatever gets measured gets done.
Which would indicate the opposite of this statement to also be true.
Whatever doesn’t get measured doesn’t get done.
Whatever you set yourself as your goal, allow yourself to be held accountable.
The ladies that get the BEST results on our programmes do the following.
- Set a 6 week goal.
- Record their starting measurements – weight / body fat / dress size / measurements.
- Implement the 6 week nutrition plan – [it’s pretty simple. Cut down on booze, cut down on processed foods/sugars / make sure they are in a calorie deficit each day]
- Workout at least 3 times per week and push themselves each and every session.
- Every 1-2 weeks record their progress with the trainer – whilst asking trainer for any advice on stuff that they are struggling with.
That’s it.
5 very simple steps.
Let’s just break them down a second.
- Set a 6 week goal – very easy.
- Record starting measurements – very easy
- Implement the 6 week nutrition plan – moderate
- Workout 3 times per week – easy
- Every 1-2 weeks record progress – should be easy but the reality is most find it hard.
Why do they find no. 5 hard?
Typically because they do not stick to the plan advised in point 3 – boozy weekends / takeaways / couple of glasses of wine each night / grazing on snacks throughout the day.
We do not run a dictatorship.
We are not a military bootcamp.
You have to want to do this.
The weekly weigh-ins are NOT compulsory, but may be you should make them compulsory to yourself.
May be part of your 6 week goal should be behaviour based rather than result based.
“I will stick to the plan and make sure I record my progress with the trainer every week for 6 weeks”
Rather than
“I will lose 1 dress size in 6 weeks”…….and then not record any progress until 6 weeks later.
The improved behaviours will actually lead to the result being achieved anyway.
As I said at the outset.
You already know everything you need to know to achieve whatever you want regarding your health and fitness.
It’s now just a case of changing a couple of habits and tracking your progress on a regular basis.
As simple as tidying up a playroom!!
Ricky
Ps: interested in joining a 6 week programme? – Click the link below and select your nearest location: