Halloween has come and gone which can only mean one thing. Stuffing our faces and deluding ourselves by saying its ok, it is just the holidays. We make that promise that starting January I will get back on track and next year is going to be my year. Maybe I will get a six-pack, maybe I will finally be able to do a pull up, or maybe I will finally shed that dad bod I have been rocking since 25. The only thing that usually ends up happening is we try we usually fail by March then we shame spiral until the following fall where we start the whole cycle again.
There is hope fitness seeker! It is not impossible but the key is to think short term instead of long term. Set a new goal every two to three weeks. I usually recommend to my clients to start by making sure they are eating consistently. Many times people are inadvertently starving themselves causing the weight to stick around more stubbornly then the drunk uncle who is passed out on the sofa Christmas Eve.
Once we start eating more consistently, we can set the next goal of more aggressively tracking what we are eating. I would recommend Myfitness pal to do this but there are many options available. Take a week or two to get a good batch of data to look at and see where the changes need to be made. Maybe you are eating too much sugar, not enough protein, whatever. Now we have our point of attack. We can make the changes little by little, usually by this point we have been making little changes consistently for about two months, weight has been shed, you can see the changes, maybe dare I say it you are feeling confident that this truly will be your year. Keep going chase that success.
Remember brave fitness goer, small changes over time will lead to a more successful outcome over time than trying to change everything at once. It seems simple and I am sure a lot of you reading this are saying duh no kidding. Nevertheless, in the 7 years I have been training it is the biggest roadblock to people getting the results they want. We tend to get overzealous and want what we want now. Just remember those extra pounds did not appear overnight, and they will not go away overnight either. Stay strong and take it one-step at a time.
Your friendly neighborhood trainer,
Alex
