I am always amazed, well, maybe amazed isn't the best choice of words, when I see someone who was on the fat losing streak then puts the weight right back on.
To many, it's confusing. Why would a person who knows they want to be fit and healthy, know they need to be, know how important it is, and KNOW they can do it and ARE doing it, but slip back into obesity?
Well actually, it's not confusing at all. I think one of the reasons is most of us are so used to getting everything immediately, instant gratification. Many of us have absolutely NO discipline when it comes to not eating like a total pig.
I like the way this one comedian put it "I jumped on the scale this morning and was in shock. I weighed 280 pounds. I thought to myself, man, I don’t think I’m supposed to weigh 180 pounds PLUS 100 extra pounds!"
How overweight are you? 20 pounds? 30 pounds? 40 pounds? Head to the gym, no not to work out, not yet at least, and head to the dumbbell stacks. Find the weight that represents how overweight you are and pick it up. So if you want to lose 50 pounds, pick that dumbbell up. Can you even lift it? (And you wonder why all your joints hurt). Ok, so you got it off the ground. Now lift it over your head. Or walk around with it, run with it, go up a flight of stairs with it, heck carry it all day long.
Get my point? Moving on...
So, you've lost weight, then you put it back on. Sucks doesn’t it. It's funny because I always ask, "so what made you decided to put it back on?" often that’s received with humor, the other half, not so well.
Want to know a cheap excuse?
"[something not relevant] makes it so I can't attend your classes, and I can’t do it without you, I need you motivating me"
Want to know why that one bugs me?
Because I DONT WANT TO BE THE REASON YOU LOST WEIGHT! And I sincerely believe I had nothing to do with it.
Ya ya, you think I motivated you… Wrong. That's completely inaccurate. I got you to motivate YOURSELF.
You did it.
You did the work.
You should thank yourself.
You can do it yourself.
Let's get this clear one more time... You CAN lose weight and reach your goal even if you:
Live out of town
Travel
Need to motivate yourself
Have to watch your own diet
Can’t afford it
Broke a leg
Can't make it in the mornings
It's all you! Make it happen. So, why don't you? "I don’t know, I just can't".
Try this.
Stop at any sports store and buy a pedometer, they are cheap, like $5, or download an app on your smartphone.
Add 10% of your steps to each and every day, i.e. you walk 1000 steps one day, walk 1100 the next.
It'll be slow at first, but it'll get challenging fast. And in case you thought of it, if you don't have a pedometer, simple use a watch, walk 10 minutes, then 15, then 20, then 25 and so on....
Now we have you moving, let's do some ab work.
I say start with 10 sit ups, that might be easy, might be hard, doesn’t matter.
Everyday add 2.
10
12
14
16
18
...
Want a bigger challenge, try twice a day, one in the morning, one in the evening.
10 10
12 12
14 14...
You get it..
Now legs. Squats. Yes, you have to do these. Squats use up some of the biggest muscles in the body, so best bang for your buck in terms of caloric burn. Same as abs, two sets, 10, 12, 14... EACH AND EVERY DAY.
It doesn’t matter if you are sore, stiff and can't walk. Do you want to be fit or not?
Every day, even on Sunday, you get up and:
Do your walk, adding 10% every time.
Do your sit ups, adding 2 every time.
Do your squats, adding 2 every time.
Do this for 5 weeks straight at this pace.
The point to all of this is simple; it's not me, it's not the gym, it's not your friends, it's not the weather, it's not the country…
It's just you, it will always be just you.
In health and fitness there are no sides you stand alone. Which is actually amazing, because nothing else in life is so yours as your own health and fitness.
This is one of the only things you can take complete control of and accomplish and, when it comes down to it, thank no one but yourself. You can do it, thousands before you have, thousands after you will.
Now get to work already, jeez, all you do is read.
To your success,
Al