Nothing could be further from the truth.
Sure, you need to find a different gear to operate from, but getting in the best shape of your life does not require that obsessed mentality.
Most of the things that you can do to fine tune your body & health are relatively easy and it can be implemented right away.
Here are 8 things to help on your quest:
1.) Shift your focus to habits, not end goal.
Most people get caught up in the final goal (ex: losing 30 pounds) and completely lose sight of the process. It starts with a single step. It may be putting the alarm on, then getting out of bed when the alarm goes off, putting your running shoes on, and so forth.
Reverse engineer the process and visualize each step.
The focus should be on each action step, not on the end result. Focusing on the process will eventually take you the finishing line.
2.) Get Specific.
Instead of saying: " I want to lose 30 pounds." Be more specific by placing specific timeline and actions.
"I want to go to the gym 3x per week for the next 4 months and drop my junk food habits by 50% each week and add one more vegetable to my plate each day"
Break down your ultimate goal into daily goals and cross them out (actually do that in a calendar) each time you complete them. Every nutrition challenge we've had, we require participants to mark down an "X" on a google sheet doc if they completed the day without sugar, alcohol or over 100g of heavy starch.
The result is incredible and so consistent year after year; the people that mark down daily are more psychologically in tune and conscious of what they are eating and over 80% of participants that mark down their daily "X" during the entire challenge lose the weight required.
That's what builds momentum! Speaking of which...
3.) Momentum Creates Motivation.
Despite what you may have been taught to believe, motivation doesn't just happen. You have to create it.
Sometimes motivation comes from watching others practice a behavior that we want to adapt, but that is very short lived.
A more sustainable way is learning how to develop our own motivation by building momentum with the 'just do it' attitude.
Have you ever started washing a couple dishes and then ended up cleaning a few extra, then wiping all the countertop, stovetop and even microwave? Or you started cleaning something out of the garage and found yourself tackling boxes even 2 hours later.
That's momentum in action and the hardest part is starting out. Once you get going, you start to immediately build motivation to finish the project. This works amazingly well for workouts too. Just get your butt to the gym! Once you're there, you're going to do something.
At K-Fit, you don't even have to think, we'll have the workout of the day all planned out so all you need to do is show up!
You know our coaches will make you do something once you get there =)
4.) Plan it out.
This one is so important. Simply putting on the schedule when you're going to workout or when you're going to do your meal prep can change your life.
Speaking of meal prep, that is the number 1 way to start eating healthier.
There are several key reasons why everyone should be doing meal preps:
-Saves time during the rest of the week
-You're able to plan MUCH healthier meals
- You're able to practice (and teach others) eating in moderation
-Saves money from eating out. You're also able to buy the proper ingredients without having food going to waste.
-You can spend time on things that really matter (instead of spending 1-2 hours every night in the kitchen after a long day).
I recommend reading the blog, checking out some Youtube videos (HERE is a good one), buy some bento boxes (plenty HERE) and get to work!
Initially, the first couple times you do it, it may take a little longer...but once you get the hang of it, you'll be doing it on a weekly basis.
Did you now that here at K-Fit we have our very own master chef on call? Well, not technically, but we do have an incredibly talented chef, Theresa Rowland who's a member (and is awesome!). She will sit down with you and your family to come up with some meal prep and recipe ideas suitable for your lifestyle. Email me if you're interested.
5.) Reduce Decision Fatigue.
Let's face it, you have enough on your plate (no pun intended) with several decisions that you have to make all day long. Decision fatigue is a real thing and it affects us the most when we're hungry and also when we're tired (usually at the end of the day).
Decisions based around food and what to do eat can be very draining, especially when you're hungry or for some people hangry.
And when that happens, we usually make the wrong decisions.
Shift your decision making to things that are more important in your life. In regards to food, follow #4 to plan it out so you can add structure to your nutrition and achieve a level of health you've never experienced!
6.) Front load your calories.
Aim to eat most of your daily calories before 3pm (at least 3/4 of it). If you’re not exercising, try to eat your complex carbs for breakfast and lunch. If you do workout, add a serving of complex carb for dinner time. Veggies (which are carbohydrates) can be consumed at any time. Legumes also make the winner's circle and can be consumed at any time since they are very nutrient dense.
7.) Clean your environment.
Simple and effective. Out of sight, out of mind. If you leave that pint of ice cream in the house, you will eat it. Get the junk out of the house, and you'll improve your eating habits 10x!
8.) Maximize Your Workout Time.
Many of us don't have the time to workout for hours on end. We want to get in, get it done, and get out (hopefully feeling better than when we came in). Now, this can be done in many ways, but the very best way--in my very bias opinion--is K-FIT HIIT.
The K-Fit HIIT was originally designed as a low impact, high intensity cross training workout for a group of runners I was training. Little did I knew, it would become the studio's signature class with 28 sessions weekly.
Over the years, I've seen some pretty incredible transformations in participants' weight loss, muscle tone, energy level, blood panel readings, and simply overall well being.
You get core, full body functional training, interval sets utilizing both pull/push levers of the body and some pretty awesome coaches to make sure you're doing it right, and turning it up just for you when you need it. Oh yeah, and you'll be burning no less than 500 calories per session.
If you can't get into the studio for the K-Fit HIIT, just make sure to add some intensity to your workouts. Even if it's just a walk, throw some speed walking or jogging pick ups.
Then find a bench after your walk and do some step ups, pushups and dips.
The more muscle groups and energy systems you can engage, the better the results.
And remember, fat is lost via exhalation, so as long as those heavy breathing sessions outweigh the heavy eating sessions, you'll be in good shape. Literally.
Choices are all up to you. With nutrition and fitness you have the power to choose and absolutely change your life. Take advantage of these choices.
Committed to your health,
Coach Kendrick