03 Aug Fitness Results – Own The Basics

3Very few people are not enticed by the promises of the fitness industry and celebrity news and media guaranteeing quick results by virtually almost doing nothing.

We live hectic, busy lives and thinking about adding something to this does not really sound too great, regardless of the fact that still millions of us spend ours watching TV, surfing the web or social media every day.

We look for gadgets and supplements to replace the foot work we might have to put in to be successful. In our never-ending endeavor for instant gratification the glamorous promises in fitness magazines, on TV, and the net are just too easy to buy into.

I might have gone a little overboard here but I think it holds some truth. Losing weight & or being fitter does not happen overnight, just like we did not become sedentary or put that spare tire around our waist in one day.

Being healthy is also not just eating healthily and working out. A lot of emotional & physical issues are connected to food and working out. If we do not address our problems like stress eating, boredom eating, food addictions, injuries, drives and urges we might become slave to the old yo-yo principal: having temporary results just to be replaced by bigger, or longer setbacks.

So please, I don’t want to hear about the latest fitness gadget, pill, supplements, pre-workout drink, etc. until you own & practice the basics.

What are the basics of fitness

Interestingly they are in essence the same for most goal. Obviously adjustments need to be made for different goals like muscle gain, weight loss, etc.

1. Nutrition is key. If you eat junk food every day, fried stuff, fast food, you name it; don’t expect to be healthy and lose weight. If you don’t meet your energy needs and protein requirements and want to gain muscle mass…don’t worry, it won’t happen. You need the necessary nutrients to accomplish your goals, to build lean, healthy tissue. Very basic advice: Have vegetables and some sort of protein with every meal.
2. Training: I know you live a busy life. Guess what most people live a busy life. You don’t need to work out like in college 6 days a week for 1-2 hours/day to accomplish your goals but if you cannot commit to 3-4 days a week of 30-45 min of physical activity [2.25 hours/wk]  while sitting down the other 109.75 hours in a week [assuming you sleep 8 hours a day] your success is going to be minimal. Now don’t go and be all mad at me. It is what it is.
3. Sleep: If you pride yourself as someone who does not need a lot of sleep…you are dead wrong, period! Sleep is important for our hormone household, and recovery. It helps regulate hunger and satiation. If you sleep 6.5 hours or less per week you are more likely to binge eat and stuff your face with above mentioned crap food. Reduce the blue light impact from cell phones and tablets or TVs…and that work manual or boring text that puts you to sleep every time….read it, since it seems to help with your sleep problems.
4. Emotional issues: I am not sure about you but I would say that about 80% of our clients have a dysfunctional connection to food in some regard. This includes me. I am a stress eater and have a food addiction that throws me every time I feel like I am “in control”. Maybe you don’t have emotional issues that connect to your food. If that is you, I am happy for you. Almost everybody has something that they are dealing with that leads to detrimental habits. Find a therapist, a friend, a support group and seek the help that can elevate you. We all mess up. Forgive yourself and move on [easier said than done –> therefore find help]

I prefer to get to the point. It is time to cut to the chase. Stop making excuses, looking for short cuts. It is time to act now.

If you look for compassionate support and help in your journey to fitness & health, we are there for you.