Do you say “I’m fine” to others when they ask how you’re doing?
This is the ultimate vague and ambiguous answer anyone could ever give me.
I’m sorry but I don’t want to settle for “fine” and I don’t want you to either.
I want you to be GREAT. AMAZING. NEVER BEEN BETTER.
But the problem I find is most people quit during the “I’m fine” stage so they never get to experience the GREAT, AMAZING, NEVER BEEN BETTER moments.
After spending last night and early this morning writing notes about this blog, I wanted to write for you, the 5 steps of evolution of change during most transformations…
1.) gather data, analyze current status
2.) set goals with daily action steps
3.) suffer through the ups and downs of performing the daily action steps
4.) surviving the suck as things begin to change
^^^^Where most people fall off track, quit, then fail^^^^
5.) reaping the rewards of the efforts you put in
Stage #1 “Gather data, analyze current status”
Accepting that you have a problem and something needs to be done about it!
They say the hardest part is getting started, well I disagree. The hardest part is realizing that something needs to be done, and NOW.
Typically someone doesn’t gain 10 pounds in a month, but 10-20 pounds in a year is possible and realistic. That’s only .19-.38 pounds per week which is barely noticeable, even to chronic scale watchers!
It’s a very similar situation to the story of the frog in the boiling water, let me explain…
If you had a pot of boiling water and you dropped a frog inside, it would jump out immediately. Because it’s HOT!
But if you put a frog in a pot of room temperature water and slowly turned up the heat, the frog will eventually boiled to death because it did not recognize the gradual change.
Have you been burned by gradually increasing boiling water in your life?
Well this is your wake-up call.
Because before you realize it you’ve gained 2, 3 and 4 belt loops in waist size which means 5, 10 even 20 pounds added to your body.
So if you’ve been on a dangerous slippery slope of gradual weight gain, make sure you keep reading because we’re going to talk about how you can reverse this unhealthy pattern and take control of your health once and for all!
Stage #2 “Set goals with daily action steps”.
So the next step is figuring out What, How, When and Why you are going to start fixing it.
What- most people shoot for the moon when setting goals, which is sometimes effective, but often leaves people disappointed when they fail to reach them.
Your goals need to follow the template I sent to you a few weeks ago about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely
Another thing I feel is so important to stress is that your goals should be focused around actions and action steps.
Ex…
S- 20 minute workout, 4x weekly
M- tracked on my cell phone calendar
A- at 7am after breakfast, before getting the kids before school
R- to look and feel better before vacation
T- on July 26th
So in this example, the ultimate goal is to create a consistent exercise schedule to look and feel better, with a deadline that is a little over a month away.
Doesn’t that seem WAY more specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely than just saying “I want to lose 10 pounds before my vacation”
Wanting and Doing are 2 completely different things!
How- setting your goals around action steps gives you the EXACT template to be productive instead of just being busy. By directing your efforts on what needs to be done daily, you’ll have LESS anxiety and MORE focus.
Why- this is extremely important because your “why” is what is going to keep you on track when times start getting tough in stages #3 and #4.
When- you need to have a deadline. Period. You cannot expect to maintain full speed, attention and effort for prolonged periods of time in pretty much anything in life. It goes against human nature and the cycles of life.
You need time to recharge, refocus and reset so having a deadline is a perfect time for this.
Once you hit your deadline, that’s your chance to re-evaluate your S.M.A.R.T. goals and make sure that your steps and actions are in line with your next goal/deadline.
Stage #3 “Suffer through the ups and downs of performing the daily action steps”
We are going to discuss going through the daily grind of executing your daily actions steps and how to stay on track, accountable and successful.
Which is basically where ideas turn into actions…
So the first day we had to come to grips with the fact that we need to make a change in our life.
The second day we isolated small daily action steps that we need to complete in order to reach our goals.
So today is where we need to put rubber to the road and actually start committing to our action plan that we created yesterday.
This is typically not the toughest step to begin, you just have to ‘show up’.
If you have already identified what’s wrong, what you need to work on and how to do it… Now it’s time to JUST DO IT!
The biggest sticking point and hurdle I find for clients at this point is when routine gets interrupted.
So what you need to do is identify safety nets for yourself if you do fall off track.
For instance if your goal is to work out 5 days per week, what will you do on a days that you missed a workout?
What will you do on the other two days of the week?
If you mess up on your diet, how will you make it up or get back on track?
Having simple checks and balances in place will help keep you on track.
Such as….
1.) Any day that you miss a workout you will do 20 Jumping Jacks and 10 sit ups for 5 total sets before dinner.
2.) Any day that you slip up on your diet, you will use intermittent fasting the following day to offset your excess calorie intake from the previous day. Just wait 16 hours after you eat your last meal before you eat your first meal the next day.
3.) If you miss a workout Monday through Friday, you will make it up with one of the at home bodyweight bootcamp workouts I post on my Facebook page on Saturday or Sunday==> https://www.facebook.com/livefitbootcamps
This doesn’t seem that hard does it?
Do you think instead of feeling down on yourself and discouraged if you miss a workout or meal, these 3 simple steps would help to keep you feeling successful and accomplished?
Of course you will, because you have a plan in place!
Every action has a reaction. Every decision has a consequence. When you plan for them in advance, there is very little guilt and emotion involved.
Instead your brain should travel back to your default fail-safes and know that you can get back on track tomorrow!
I hope this helps to give you some ideas to keep yourself accountable throughout your transformation.
Remember, everyone has struggles and difficulties. It is how we rise up and overcome them that separates us from the rest.
Stage #4 “Surviving the suck as things begin to change”
You see most people get stuck somewhere between Stage #4 and #5, mostly because they lack the patience and persistence to continue as things begin to change around you.
I want to stress to you is the power of momentum.
It’s one of the most powerful forces YOU CAN CONTROL!
MOMENTUM- noun: In physics, the property or tendency of a moving object to continue moving.
For an object moving in a line, the momentum is the mass of the object multiplied by its velocity (linear momentum); thus, a slowly moving, very massive body and a rapidly moving, light body can have the same momentum.
So let’s apply this to fitness and nutrition….
==> it’s always going to be easier to keep moving than it is to start moving
==> more energy is required to start than it is to continue moving forward
ex: think about how much more gas a car uses each time it has to stop at a light and start over, compared to cruising along much more efficiently on the highway.
==> you can either set a BIG goal and move slowly/patiently or you can set small goals and move QUICKLY.
ex: it’ll take longer and require more patience to move a giant boulder than it would to chip away portions of the boulder and move them one at a time.
Most people do not have the patience to move the boulder all at one time.
The pace is slow and if instant gratification isn’t fulfilled, you start to lose interest and stop pushing the boulder…only to have it roll back right over you…AKA- GAIN ALL YOUR WEIGHT BACK & MORE!!!
To me chipping away at your big goal is always a much safer strategy for the long term.
But how do you stay motivated?
1.) stay motivated by setting achievable short term goals like “I will not eat pizza or dessert for 30 days”. On day 30 order pizza and enjoy it without guilt, then set your new goal for the following 30 days.
2.) challenge a friend or co-worker to see who can walk the most steps in a 30 day period. The person with less steps has to buy a new gym outfit for the winner. The friend who has to buy the outfit decides the challenge for the next 30 days.
3.) wake up and do 100 reps of your most stubborn body part every morning while making your coffee (ex. hip bridges, dips, squats, crunches). Next month pick a new body part and continue the healthy habit.
4.) enter a transformation challenge where you are supported by friends, trainers and peers to follow a meal and training program. The following month repeat the healthy meals and workouts that you enjoyed most.
No matter which of these “carrots you chase” the key is to keep going after the short term time period is complete. Otherwise you’re always having to start over and regain momentum.
Once you are moving in the right direction, keep moving and never stop.
After all are you working out to look good next month or to feel great the next 30, 40 or 50 years?
If the answer is BOTH, start acting like it and stop quitting on yourself!
Stage #5 “Reaping the rewards of the efforts you put in”
We are going to imagine that you’ve pushed through all 5 stages and we’re 3, 6 or 12 months down the road with a bangin’ bod!
Shut your eyes and imagine a life where…
==> Your body is a highly functioning machine and you can easily identify when you’re hungry and when you’re dehydrated.
==> You have a consistent morning routine that includes 100 reps of your most stubborn body part each day, you plan your meals and pack your gym clothes nightly for the following day.
==> When you look in the mirror or try on clothes, they fit better with less bulges in the places your eyes go to first.
==> You have a slight idea of what you weigh, but the scale doesn’t matter to you because you know you’re healthy, your new found muscles are showing and your hourglass taper looks better than it has in years!
Sounds like a win right? It’s not as difficult as you think or as you’re making it.
Go back and read each email since Monday and start to make your own personal battle plan for all 5 steps. By having your plan mapped out, you’ll know exactly what to do when you’re faced with each hurdle.
Or…create a parallel example in your head and you’ll realize how ridiculous we treat health, nutrition and exercise.
Like think of this CRAZY example…
You’ve worked your ass off for months at work, saved money on the weekends and make so many sacrifices in your life to buy your dream car.
The proud day comes when you can actually afford to purchase your dream car. You love the way it handles, you love the power of the engine, you love how clean it is and you love how amazing you feel driving it!
Then the next day you quit your job…you know because you bought your dream car, why would you need to work anymore?
Then 45 days later, the bank comes and repo’s your dream car. Why?
BECAUSE YOU CANNOT STOP WORKING FOR YOUR GOALS!
THERE IS NO END. IT IS A LIFE LONG PROCESS.
YOU NEED TO ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
So why is everyone in a rush to ‘finish their diet’ or ‘finish their transformation challenge?’
You’re setting yourself up for failure. You need to set up your fitness plan/strategy to fit your lifestyle, your goals and your strengths/weaknesses.
A lot of healthy little changes lead to a lot of healthy transformations.
A lot of drastic changes lead to a lot of disastrous failures.
It seems so simple when I lay it out for you like this right? Because it is!
Together we can simplify your daily actions and steps to make your transformation a reality!
Committed to your fitness success,
Derek Kuryliw, your fitness Yoda 🙂
