It's 10:45pm on this beautiful Sunday night, everyone's finally sound asleep and I'm wide awake.
I tried to relax and lay down, I really did, but I had a million things I wanted to tell you so here I am, typing away.
Where to start...
Oh yes, I’d like to start with the fat guy on the dirt bike - his own description of himself, not mine!
A friend and I were out biking when a guy approached us to chat for a minute while he took a break. While we admired his bike (a beautiful CR500, for those who don't know that's a very big 2 stroke bike) he made a quick comment that caught my attention. He said "Dirt bikes aren't meant for fat guys like me". He explained to me that they had bought the biggest suspension they could find and it still wasn't really enough.
Weighing in at 260, he wasn't an overly big guy, but it just goes to show you how weight affects everyday life.
I said, quite directly "you could always lose weight" and he continued to tell me that he was always working, which was out of the country, and found it very challenging.
Want to know what his work schedule is that made him soooo busy? 1 month in, 1 month out.
That's right, he works for a month and then is OFF for a whole freakin' month!
Don't some excuses just make you go "that's ridiculous you have no excuse!"?
Well, here's the kicker, that thought goes through my head with almost ALL the excuses I've heard at the gym, and maybe even some of you have tried to feed me.
In my books, there are NO excuses for having love handles on your love handles on your love handles.
So what seems to be the problem? Why can't you keep the weight off? Why did you let yourself get so overweight in the first place?
What changed? What values did you give up on? What identity did you lose in order to gain this one?
Here's a thought... Life got in the way. Here's a better thought, Life got in the way because your priorities were messed up. Here's the best though, Life got in the way because you had no important goals, or no goals at all.
Without a goal, your life is still going to experience change. Change happens all the time, it's inevitable. If you stand still, life doesn't wait for you. Want to know the worst part? There is no such thing as static, standing still or remaining the same. If you are not progressing, you are going backwards.
If you are not regularly working to get fit or maintain good health and fitness, what happens? You put weight on or at the very least slowly lose your health and vitality.
Why did I take the time to interview all my clients before accepting them into my personal training program? Because if you aren't ready, if you don't want it bad enough, if it isn't at the absolute top of your priorities, it isn’t going to happen.
Ok next topic...
Oh yes, junk food, crappy diets and staying accountable.
This is one that always comes up, but believe me, and actually, believe my one on one clients, it's easily fixable.
How? Bust your butt. Plain and simple.
After an incredible workout, one where you went all out and completely emptied your energy reserves, what do you think goes through their mind when they have a craving?
"I just worked too damn hard to spoil it on that".
And it works (almost) every time. Bust your butt in the gym, and the motivation to eat better will increase. Don't believe me? That's ok, add it to your list of excuses!
Now, for the accountability factor...
When I used to run weight loss challenges, often times those who DID NOT continue with some form of exercise and healthy eating after the challenge ended, ended up putting weight back on.
Now not all of them, but it's amazing, and heart breaking, when I run into someone or see them around town a month after and they've put it all back on…
Why?
Because they stopped getting weighed in each week.
It sounds too simple, but it's true. It always amazes me how something as simple as keeping track on a weekly basis can make a huge difference in your results. We all know we need accountability. I’m a huge fan of weekly checkups, even if it’s just a friend who’ll call you each week and ask you what your weight is!
So keep an eye on your life, set goals and stay accountable. You’ve only got one life, make it what you want it to be. You are in charge, you are in control, you have the power.
To your success
Al