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The Worst Diet For Fat Loss – Why Intuitive Eating Doesn’t Work For Fat Loss

The Worst Diet For Fat Loss – Why Intuitive Eating Doesn’t Work For Fat Loss

by | Feb 20, 2022 | Blog, Diet

I was in a discussion about weight loss with a couple of people and one of my clients was listening in.

One person said that they believe the best way to lose weight is to listen to your body and eat intuitively.

When my client and I walked away, she said to me…

“What if my body is intuitively telling me to eat ice cream, pizza and cake every day?”

While she was joking, it did really highlight a key issue with the promotion of Intuitive Eating as a weight loss strategy.

Let’s face it…most of us honestly have destroyed any intuition we have about what we need to fuel.

And processed, hyperpalatable foods only create another challenge to “eating intuitively” as they are designed to work against our natural cues.

Now yes, you could say that we shouldn’t be eating those foods anyway, but the reality is, most of us WANT TO and ENJOY processed foods and will plan to include them long term in our balanced diet.

So we need to understand how to balance them in.

While the idea behind intuitive eating is a good one, and it has a very specific purpose and design, saying to just intuitively eat to lose weight is a recipe for disaster.

One that ultimately leads to a lot of frustration as we don’t get results and aren’t sure why.

It’s why we can even feel like we’re eating healthily and not seeing the results we want.

Because the simple fact of the matter is…most of us need to RE-LEARN how to eat intuitively.

And you can’t just do that by “listening to your body.”

So if you’re just starting your weight loss journey, the worst thing you can do for yourself is expect yourself to just instinctively know what you need. Because let’s face it, what is instinctual and easy is what got us to the point we’re seeking out something to lose weight.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 tips to not only help you lose weight but actually learn how to keep it off by re-learning what proper portions and dietary practices are for you so can eat according to your needs and goals, even as they change over time.

But before I dive into those 3 tips, I do want to remind us to STOP the guilt around eating certain foods.

Too often what also derails our weight loss efforts is the feeling of guilt we inflict upon ourselves when we eat something “unhealthy” or “unclean” or “off plan.”

Let’s face it, so many of us eat for reasons other than purely fueling…socializing and having fun or even out of stress. And while we always want to work to understand our personal relationship with food to establish a healthier balance, we do also want to avoid making ourselves feel bad when we aren’t perfect with our plan.

Because it’s often those feelings of guilt that lead to us ultimately failing, not the one indulgence or overindulgence. The guilt makes us self-sabotage even more.

It’s like we get a flat tire and instead of calling a tow truck or putting on the spare, we slash the other three tires. And that ultimately is what holds us back from moving forward faster.

I know there are those clean eating crusaders out there who make you feel like a horrible person for not just eating healthy foods every day, but the fact of life for many of us is that we enjoy foods that aren’t the best for our health.

And finding our own personal balance for our lifestyle is key.

Because we have to be able to be consistent long-term. And constantly having to drain your willpower to fight your urge to have anything you enjoy just isn’t sustainable. It ultimately leads to us eating more crap over the year than if we’d just struck a balance in the first place.

So stop worrying about someone else’s version of a healthy lifestyle and start first by focusing on small sustainable changes to what you’re currently doing!

Now what are 3 tips to help you start to lose weight and ultimately understand how to eat according to your personal needs, goals and lifestyle?

#1: Embrace The 80/20 Rule.

Those processed foods you love, the candy, chips or other treats? They are designed to make you crave more and even overeat. They basically disrupt our natural hunger cues.

Let’s face it, they’re empty calories. And because they don’t really fill you up, you can consume more calories you need without feeling full. They also have a lower thermic effect than whole, natural foods, which means you won’t burn as many calories to process them.

Now you may be expecting me to say you have to cut them out to lose weight. But I don’t believe in doing that.

I believe in the 80/20 rule to eating well.

80% of the time you do focus on those nutrient-dense whole, natural foods. But 20% of the time, you just don’t care as you enjoy those foods and mentally they’re satisifying.

Within that 20% you do want to understand what foods you can have in moderation and those that just trigger more cravings.

If you find you just want more of a specific thing, since processed foods are designed to make you crave more, you may decide to keep that treat to specific days to strike an overall lifestyle balance.

Or you may even experiment with more macro-friendly variations of that treat, say Halo top over Ben and Jerry’s or even greek yogurt with granola, that satisfy the craving but without triggering your desire for more.

Also, I honestly believe the more you tell yourself you can’t have something, the more you want it. And the more you’re having to FIGHT against eating something, the more you ultimately just drain your willpower, eventually give in and then ultimately even overeat what you would have consumed to start.

Heck, often just telling yourself you can have something, even if you ultimately don’t eat it, makes you feel like you have the choice and over feeling forced to not eat it.

And then if you do want it, by focusing on macros you could work it. Plan in something you’re craving even first and work backward around that.

Ultimately, we strike an 80/20 balance because, to still hit our macros because we need to include a lot of nutrient dense, high volume foods around the processed treat.

And those other volume foods keep you feeling full even when enjoying the processed treat that doesn’t trigger make you feel full even when it’s more than enough calories.

You may even find you ultimately choose NOT to have the treat because the way you’d have to adjust other meals isn’t “worth it.” But the point is you are choosing your balance and creating something sustainable.

You need to assess your lifestyle and make small adjustments to that if you want them to be sustainable.

Small changes can add up.

Even swapping white bread for whole grain and a process cheese for a less processed cheese can increase the thermic effect of the foods you eat.

And as you make those tweaks you want to realize that processed foods may be a part of your balance BUT that they won’t make you feel full while being calorically dense and are hyperpalatable foods that make you want to eat more and more!

#2: Don’t Start By Making Changes

It may sound strange to tell you not to make changes when you’re first starting your weight loss journey, but too often we just jump into these all or nothing programs without assessing whether they will even be sustainable.

And part of what ultimately works for us is what will allow us to dial in our macros and our calories to meet our needs and goals long-term.

One size doesn’t fit all.

It’s why your friend could do really well on Keto while you feel horrible and ultimately gain weight.

If you want to create a sustainable version of your lifestyle and ultimately learn what you really need fuel, you need to create changes based on your current lifestyle.

One of the most eye opening things is to just track what you’re currently doing.

And the accountability of tracking helps us automatically start to make changes that aren’t forced.

Tracking begins to make us more aware of how we’re truly fueling and can even help us start to assess how certain foods make us feel.

It gives us true feedback as to what we are doing and the results we then get based off of specific habits.

And then from here we can make realistic and sustainable changes personalized to our needs.

Too often I hear people say, “I just don’t have as much willpower or discipline as (insert person/friend/family who got results).”

We feel like we don’t have the willpower someone else does because we aren’t creating small changes that allow ourselves to engrain the habits and mindsets need.

We cut out something we love most first. And feel deprived.

We create so many changes we’re constantly fighting against everything that is habitual and instinctive, even if it isn’t “right.”

The key to actually building lasting results isn’t some sexy extreme fad diet.

It’s small changes over time that build and allow us to make those habits so engrained they don’t really take willpower to replicate. They are our new normal.

So don’t start to try to lose weight by following some all or nothing plan.

Start by determining what your current lifestyle is and then make tweaks to it. For some that may mean setting a calorie cap or calorie intake range based on their goals. Even just 100 calories under what they’re currently doing.

For others it may be making small macro changes, increasing protein while not worrying about where carbs and fats fall.

For others it may mean making one simple swap and including veggies at a meal. The key is first assessing where YOU personally are currently to make small changes you can build upon.

#3: Realize that change is uncomfortable.

Most of us simply don’t like change. It’s hard going against what has become instinctual and easy even if we know its for the better.

But change requires change and that means stepping outside our comfort zone.

It’s why this idea of eating intuitively and whatever you want is false.

Because we will keep just repeating the habits we are comfortable with, the ones that aren’t moving us forward and may even be causing us to gain.

So as you start to track, and learn about the impact of the foods you are consuming, realize that there will be times you don’t feel comfortable. That there will be times you don’t want to do what is needed.

There will be times that things that ultimately are sustainable don’t feel that way to start.

But new habits will become instinctual and easy if we give them time and base them off our current lifestyle.

The key is even realizing our mindset behind the new habits.

We can’t just take actions we don’t believe in. We can’t just fake it till we make it.

We’ve got to recognize that we are CHOOSING to make these changes and believe in the process.

Your mindset has to back the actions you’re taking or you’ll set yourself up for failure and ultimately fall into old patterns.

So even recognizing before you start to make changes that things WILL be uncomfortable can help you embrace the process more.

Too often we make these sweeping changes and try to tell ourselves they are easy when they aren’t. And then when they aren’t easy, we feel discouraged and give up.

Instead lower your defenses against the changes and even tell yourself they’re going to be challenging. Honestly, you’ll be surprised by how much easier it ultimately makes the process of change that you aren’t surprised when you do encounter a difficult time!

SUMMARY:

Change requires change and if we knew how to eat intuitively for our needs, we wouldn’t be seeking out a weight loss solution.

Learning to better understand what we need is a process.

So if you’re starting out on your weight loss journey, start tracking what you’re currently doing and be ready to be a bit uncomfortable as you make those changes that build toward results!

Ready to create the healthiest version of YOUR lifestyle?

Schedule a call to chat about the program right for you!

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FHP 407 – A Lifestyle Isn’t Forever

FHP 407 – A Lifestyle Isn’t Forever

by | Feb 15, 2022 | podcast

Often when we talk about creating a lifestyle with our diet, we act like we’re going to do one thing for the rest of our life.

Which is interesting because we don’t just do exactly the same workouts forever.

Heck, if you look at your current lifestyle it probably isn’t exactly the same as it was just even last season.

I know personally my schedule and even activity level slightly shifts from Summer to Winter.

So if our lifestyle is constantly adjusting and flowing, even due to family obligations and work, why would our diet ever stay exactly the same?

The thing is it shouldn’t.

Your diet should evolve over time as your needs and goals change. Your lifestyle should evolve as you get older.

Menopause will change things.

Injuries will change things.

This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We just have to be open to the changes.

And it’s why creating a lifestyle doesn’t mean you’re doing one thing forever.

And honestly, it’s why I love teaching clients about macros.

No one macro ratio works for everyone. And even when you find ratios that work for you, they’re going to change and adjust.

But the key point is, you have a solid foundation off of which to build.

Macros is like having the house frame set up and laid out.

You can adjust the paint colors, the decorations inside, anything else you want whenever you need or want based on what you want at the time. But you have that solid foundation off of which to build and tweak to suit your needs.

So instead of running from macros and letting the learning process push you to seek out a quick fix, embrace the learning process knowing that it will give you that solid foundation off of which to create a true lifestyle.

Because a fad diet and quick fix isn’t that. It may get you fabulous results, but you can’t keep doing it often which is why you fall off.

Results don’t come from doing something then going back to old habits.

Results come from evolving as your needs and goals change.

And remember evolving doesn’t mean what you were doing was bad or wrong. But if systems are mismatched, you’re not going to see results from them even if they are good independently.

What worked for you when you were training hard 6 days a week for hours, may not work now when training 3 days a week.

What worked for you at 20, may not work for you at 60.

It doesn’t mean you’re doomed. But you have to meet yourself where you’re at. And that’s why I wanted to share these 3 tips to help!

1: Track what you’re doing.

I know everyone hates hearing this but what you measure, you can manage.

If you don’t truly know what you’re consuming, you can’t accurate adjust.

The only way to know what may be mismatched to your needs is to have a clear picture of your current lifestyle.

This isn’t judgement. It’s data so we can get the results we deserve.

Tracking isn’t about cutting out either.

Heck, so often with clients we actually need to ADD IN calories because they’re actually under fueling.

Tracking just gives us the power to truly adjust to have that solid foundation off of which to build.

2: Embrace Learning Why

It is easy to start defending what you’re doing, even when it isn’t working. But if it isn’t working, see opportunity in making a change.

To help yourself embrace the change, learn why it may be worth testing out.

If it does’t work, you can always go back to what you were doing. But you don’t know if a better system is out there if you don’t risk experimenting a little.

Just do your research. Learn how or why it may help in your situation.

This knowledge can make you truly embrace testing and implementing new habits that may seem scary.

And it even helps you understand when NOT to test something as, even though it may have helped your friend, the ratios or plans don’t match YOUR specific lifestyle even if they may have at another time even!

3: Set end dates.

I’ve mentioned this a lot recently but you want to have end dates to things. We don’t do well with forever and staying consistent.

When there are end dates, there is accountability. AND there is a chance to re-assess and adjust.

This can help us get more consistent because we don’t feel like we’ll be stuck doing something that isn’t working and end up jumping ship too soon.

It can also help us even plan in consciously to adjust when our lifestyle evolves so we aren’t using an outdate “system.”

But having end dates gives us times to learn and tweak and grow while remaining consistent.

SUMMARY:

Our needs and goals change. We have to be willing to evolve with them.

It’s even FUN to adjust workouts, try different ratios, experiment with new activities.

See changes as an opportunity instead of an obstacle.

Don’t get so frustrated repeating the same old systems that are outdated just because they used to work.

The Most Underrated BODYWEIGHT Leg Exercise

The Most Underrated BODYWEIGHT Leg Exercise

by | Feb 14, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Butt, Exercises, Functional Fitness

Too often we only think about progressing movements to build muscle by adding loads.

However, you can build muscle by creating progression in other ways especially if you don’t have any tools at your disposal.

If it challenges you, it will change you.

So if you’re only training with bodyweight but want to strengthen your legs?

You’ll want to try this amazing move, and one of my favorite bodyweight leg exercises we often aren’t doing – The Airborne Lunge!

Before I go over how to do this move, I want to highlight other ways you can create progression without loads all of which can be done with this great lunge variation.

One, you can use unilateral movements over bilateral moves.

Two, you can create more instability, through changing the surface you’re performing the move on or even the base of support you have, such as doing a fully single leg movement.

Three, you can change up tempo. You can slow down the whole movement, parts of the movement or even speed the move up and make it more explosive. You can even slow down one part and speed up another. Or you can even add a pause or hold.

Four, you change up the range of motion you’re working through. Increasing the range of motion of a move can make it more challenging. It is also a great way to make sure you’re working to maintain the mobility you build through your other prehab work!

It’s key to remember we can find ways to progress movements and build strength and muscle even when we don’t have weights.

So if you’re training at home or when you travel and need to progress the basic bodyweight leg exercise, try this Airborne Lunge Variation.

It’s a great move if you even want to build up toward that pistol squat!

The Airborne Lunge:

The Airborne Lunge is a great bodyweight glute and leg exercise that can help you build up to that full pistol squat even with a more hip dominant movement pattern.

It is however a deceptively hard move.

To do the Airborne Lunge, stand tall and shift your weight to one foot, bending the other knee to bring your heel up toward your butt. You want to keep that foot pulled toward your butt so you only touch your knee down when you lower.

Then sit your butt back to hinge at the hips as you bend your standing knee to drop your back knee down toward the ground. You will lean forward as you hinge, but do not round over. You are leaning forward to counterbalance your weight and sit back.

Touch your knee to the ground gently without letting that raised foot touch down.

Do not reach that raised leg back too far or you will get too spread out. Your standing knee may travel over your toes. This is NOT a bad thing and this ankle mobility is required to build up toward the full pistol squat. Just make sure you’ve pushed your butt back to load your glutes while keeping that standing foot, and especially your heel, firmly pressed down into the ground.

Lightly touch your back knee down, then drive back up to standing. Do not push off that knee or the raised foot.

You want the entire movement to be powered by that standing leg.

Stand tall at the top and squeeze that standing glute. Try not to touch the other foot down.

Repeat the move again, sitting your butt back to hinge as you bend that standing knee to lower down.

The range of motion on this move and the instability of the unilateral movement make it a challenge. To progress it further, you can increase the ROM, by performing the lunge with your standing leg up on something so you have to sink deeper.

Or you can change up the tempo, slowing things down, even pausing at the bottom.

However, you can also modify this movement by reducing the range of motion and touching your knee down to a block or box. You can also reduce the instability by holding on to something to help you balance.

But this unilateral move is a great way to build strong legs and glutes, correct imbalance and progress your bodyweight training WITHOUT adding loads!

And it’s a great way to perform a more hip dominant exercise that can help you even build up toward that full pistol squat as well!

SUMMARY:

Just remember, if it challenges you it will change you. Muscle growth and strength increases come from forcing our muscles to adapt to a challenge!

My Most Hated Video – Stop Exercise Shaming!

My Most Hated Video – Stop Exercise Shaming!

by | Feb 8, 2022 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness

You know why there are so many different perspectives out there in fitness?

Because there are a ton of different things that can work based on your needs and goals.

Are some of them a bit far out there and only work for those rare few?

Yup. But as my husband was told growing up because of his weird approach in baseball, “You don’t tweak the freaks.”

Now while I’m not encouraging you to go find the strangest thing possible to test, I do think it is key we start to embrace the opportunity in different perspectives and see these differing opinions as a chances to learn and improve.

Over simply demonizing moves or opinions as wrong.

I can’t tell you how many times early on I “wrote off” a cue or training technique because it didn’t fit the “tribe” I was in at the time.

This ultimately held me back from becoming as strong and as fit as I could be as efficiently as possible.

It’s why I can deadlift more now than when I won the MA/RI State Powerlifting Championship.

It’s why I’m leaner now than when I fought tracking and focused only on “eating clean” and restricting arbitrary foods.

We need to seek to learn and even challenge our own perspective with differing opinions. This is the way we can find little tweaks to make to help ourselves personally improve and create the Frankenstein program right for us.

Because ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL.

Now I bring this up because of the interesting comment chain I read on my Underrated Arm Exercise.

Let’s get one thing straight about what creates results and helps you build muscle…

If it challenges you, it will change you.

Heavier loads are only ONE way to create progression and muscle hypertrophy.

Muscles grow stronger and bigger in response to a challenge that forces them to adapt.

Time under tension using different tempos, changes in range of motion, changes in tools used, changes in the exact movement pattern and your postures, all can create a new stimulus and challenge for your muscles.

And all of these can force your body to have to adapt and grow.

Progression can be simply created from doing the SAME BUT DIFFERENT!

And that’s why I love that amazing arm exercise.

It isn’t just a bicep move. It isn’t just a basic tricep extension. It isn’t just an overhead press.

It works your entire arm in one movement.

And there are so many ways you can vary and tweak it to match your specific needs.

Now I wanted to address a few “concerns” people raised to hopefully share a different perspective on things and help guide you to determine if this move has benefit to YOU personally…

First concern…

Now what if one muscle is weaker and limits the weight you can use?

Many people mentioned that one of the muscles involved was stronger than the others so that they felt like they needed to use different weights on each move to truly challenge each muscle group.

There is definitely ALWAYS a limiting factor in movements. It is why for especially stubborn areas, as I mention in the full video, you may at times still include isolation exercises.

However, these same people vilifying this move because a muscle required for the movement may be stronger than another also love bench press and do push ups and pull ups and squats.

In all of these compound, multi-joint movements, there is a limiting factor. Be it your shoulders or triceps or chest on bench, something impacts the loads you can move.

It doesn’t still mean you don’t get results from it and that you can’t create progression to create hypertrophy.

Not to mention the actual technically ideal strength ratio between your triceps and biceps SHOULD be 1:1. So if you have a huge difference between the two that is actually something you may want to work on.

And it is probably based on what you’ve trained or utilized more.

Technically the triceps accounts for around 55% of upper arm muscle mass, while the biceps takes up about 30%. While many mentioned their biceps being stronger, this is likely due to preferential training.

And although the triceps are a bit bigger than the biceps, both are equally important. As antagonists, an equal strength ratio can be key.

So maybe more of us need moves like this that force us to work BOTH muscle groups more evenly.

Not to mention both the triceps and biceps play an important role in our overall shoulder health. Why not work them at the same time we also get the benefits of an overhead press!

And instead of simply writing this move off because one area is stronger so the weight doesn’t challenge it as much, why not tweak the exact version of the move you do?

You could slow down the tempo, especially of the eccentric portion of the exercise component you wanted to make more challenging.

You can do an extra rep in that piece of the movement even, performing two curls to one overhead tricep extension.

And on top of all of this, we have to remember that our hypertrophy goals may all be different. Not all of us are training for a bodybuilding competition nor super experienced lifters.

We may not need to use isolation moves to truly challenge those muscles. 

It’s why we need to understand that different moves may be right for different training experiences and goals!

Now the second concern…

Why use a hybrid movement?

It seems like a lot of people confused what a compound movement is for a hybrid movement.

To get the best results, I believe we need to use a diversity of movements.

While compound moves are the most time efficient and key for overall functional strength as you’re working more muscle groups at once, for those stubborn areas that sometimes need extra focused work, isolation moves are key.

If a client comes to me wanting to really build muscle, but short on time, I may completely forgo any isolation movements to start. We want to think “bang for their buck” in their workouts.

However, a more advanced lifter who has an area that refuses to grow or change. Maybe you opt for a progression focused on more isolation movements than you would usually do.

The key is you’re embracing the options.

Same goes for hybrid movements – which are movements that combine multiple different movements into a single flow.

A hybrid movement CAN have isolation exercises included.

A bicep curl is still an isolation exercise for the bicep even if you combine it in a flow with an overhead press (which is a compound movement) and then an overhead tricep extension (another isolation movement).

So by doing this flow you aren’t wasting any time doing a bicep curl then a tricep extension.

You’re also getting in the BONUS of an overhead press which works not only your shoulders but also your triceps before that overhead tricep extension.

More time under tension for those muscles! You’ll be surprised by how much you feel that burn adding up!

Another benefit of hybrid movements is the increased energy demands because you are working more muscles in a short amount of time. Especially when usually you’d be doing say 8-12 reps of just a very isolated movement. This can be good to get more benefit in less time if you’re trying to keep your training sessions short!

While you may be thinking why not just superset tricep extension and bicep curls? You have to consider the change in rest you’ll actually be giving the areas. While yes it is only one curl to one overhead extension, the rest between each is shorter than doing your 10 reps of curls before your 10 reps of tricep extensions.

Not to mention you’re then not working in that overhead press at all!

I also called this an UNDERRATED arm move not the BEST arm exercise or the best tricep or bicep move. This move hits the entire arm which you can’t say about those other isolation moves. Not to mention underrated means not valued highly enough, which I believe this move clearly isn’t.

And often the people not seeing the value, haven’t even tried it.

So instead of writing it off, like I feel far too many have done, try it to actually SEE whether it benefits you. You may be surprised.

Now…even with all of this you may decide the move is not “underrated” as an arm exercise (note I didn’t say bicep or tricep or shoulder exercise, but arm exercise).

You may not include it. But why not see opportunity in this movement to allow yourself to be open to options and improve your training.

You may find at some point it does come in handy…I can’t tell you how many times something I decided not to use I’ve brought back in special circumstances or with a client who really needs it.

Think about this…

What if you only have one weight?

Not everyone has a whole gym full of weights.

This is a great way to make use of that one weight in a time efficient matter if someone has 20 minutes to train and wants to spend most of their workout on those key compound lifts and movements.

What if an area IS stronger, but someone likes the look of this move?

Why not even hold in one position as the other arm goes through the movement? You could hold a curl halfway up as the other arm goes through for added bicep work.

SUMMARY

Instead of just writing a move off…Why not find ways to even TWEAK the basic move? Whether it’s changing tempo, making it a unilateral move, adding in holds…There are so many ways we can adjust moves to match our needs and goals.

We have to remember that not everyone has the same needs or goals or even training situation and experience.

So instead of just writing a move off, why not learn who or when it could benefit someone? You may find it ends up being the missing piece to your training!

Too often I see the same people who are labeling moves as bad or pointless, struggling to achieve the results they want. And it’s because they aren’t open to new perspectives, instead sticking by the mantra of their fitness tribe.

Don’t hold yourself back from achieving the results you want. Be open to progression through the same but different. See opportunity in different ways of doing things even if they aren’t right for your needs or goals!

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FHP 406 – Stop Fighting The Process

FHP 406 – Stop Fighting The Process

by | Feb 8, 2022 | podcast

So often we are our own worst enemies. Not intentionally but we are.

We’ve all been guilty of this…fighting the process.

We start a program but we keep trying to do things we’ve always done. We keep fighting against the new changes. We find reasons NOT to do them or to keep doing some of the “safe” things we’ve always done.

Why?

I’ve asked myself this multiple times.

Why do I struggle to embrace certain changes more than others? Why, even when we’ve invested time and energy and money into something do we fight against actually doing it even though the other isn’t working?

It’s definitely a weird quirk of us humans… repeating the same thing we’ve always done expecting a different result while KNOWING that is the definition of insanity.

But if we want results, we’ve got to STOP fighting the process.

I know letting go of control is hard, I know making a change is uncomfortable…

But isn’t being stuck and frustrated while working hard worse?

Isn’t it better to at least have HOPE and try the suck and pain of change?

I think so.

So here are 3 tips to help you stop fighting the process and better embrace change.

#1: Build Awareness – Compare Habits

I think awareness is the first phase of making any change. If we don’t truly know we are doing something, we can’t change it.

And often I don’t think we are even aware of when we are defaulting back into the old and comfortable. Because well…it’s instinctual and safe.

So I think before starting a new program, we need to make ourselves aware of the habits we may want to default back to and the new ones we want to repeat.

List out the 2-5 new habits you’re working to build and list out the actions you USUALLY have repeated. That you’ll want to default back to.

Post this somewhere you can see and remind yourself of this daily to start.

It can be helpful to post it somewhere you’ll even see when you may be guilty of wanting to repeat those old habits…like say skipping your warm up to get to the good stuff. Or adding in more to your workouts. Or eliminating rest. Maybe you put a reminder in your workout space or on your workout log.

Then at the end of each day, each week, mark your adherence and even when you deviated. It can help you stop reverting back to old habits and truly show you why your results may have been amazing or not so stellar.

So often we think we’re doing the habits just because we started a program, when we aren’t in reality. And then we get frustrated when our results aren’t there. This can often be a practice that shows us the habits really weren’t there either….

So today list out 2-5 habits you plan to start and the ones you’ll have to break in the process…

#2: Realize Your Mindset Is The Problem

Our mind is ultimately in control of our success or our failure. Because if we tell ourselves we “can’t,” that something “won’t work,” honestly…it won’t.

Because we won’t really embrace the changes. We’ll easily allow habits to slide.

We’ll implement things half-heartedly.

So if you want to truly make a change and see results, you’ve got to Act As If you are the person you want to be.

You might hate change, but you’ve got to “Act As If” you like it. You’ve got to find ways to embrace the new systems and processes.

Maybe it’s breaking things down. Maybe it’s understanding the why behind things to know why they’re worth testing.

But you’ve got to find ways to truly MENTALLY embrace the new habits, not just replicate actions.

Because so often when we say we’ll do something just because we’re told to, we don’t actually ingrain the change. We often easily fall back into old patterns.

Now with Acting As If, you aren’t faking things. You’re finding a way to embrace the habits and mindsets of the person you want to become.

This means you’ve got to embrace learning. Find reasons WHY something may work or is worth the test.

Remind yourself of why you want the changes, why you chose the program.

Realize that if you don’t change your mindset toward the changes, you won’t see the results they can bring.

Just remember what your mind believes, your body achieves as cliche as that is.

And if your brain doesn’t want to do the changes, your body won’t either.

Take time today to assess your mindset. What are you truly telling yourself about the new habits?

What are three things about each new habit you want to create that you can find as a good reason to keep repeating and embracing them?

#3: Change Your Expectations

We all come into a program with a goal. Something specific we want to achieve.

And we can define success in binary terms – did we or didn’t we achieve that very specific outcome.

But this honestly holds us back from lasting changes.

Because if we didn’t hit that outcome, we deem the changes a failure and often give up on them even if we’ve learned things not to do and have actually made progress forward.

I’ve seen it countless times, people lose weight doing something but not “enough” weight and give up.

They go back to old habits. Jump ship to try something crazy new.

Just because they didn’t hit their ultimate goal even though they moved forward.

And this is why they end up yo-yoing right back to where they started to ultimately have to start over again.

If they’d instead seen the progress as a win, and kept going, they would have actually achieved their ultimate goal!

We need to change how we view our wins and successes.

Honestly I feel I’ve gotten the results I have because I’ve never thought any program I’ve done was a failure.

Sure were there some that didn’t move me forward toward the goal I’d set for them?

Yup.

BUT they taught me something that didn’t work for me so I could avoid going after another program that was similar.

Because I learned from each experience, I was able to use each as a building block.

If you just say nope, didn’t work. It was a failure and don’t assess or use it to learn and see that as a win, you’re likely to end up repeating exactly the same mistakes again and again and again.

Change how you view success. If you see it as taking away something that will move you forward, even what not to do, it’s a lot easier to embrace the systems and process.

You realize that embracing the systems IS the win.

So as you even go through anything you’re doing right now, make notes. What makes you feel good? What has been tough? What can you use to make good decisions in the future? What will you avoid in future programs?

Even recognize those small steps forward. Stop overlooking that progress as even though you might not be there yet, that’s still closer than you were to start and you can build off of that momentum!