FHP 430 – Fast vs. Sustainable

FHP 430 – Fast vs. Sustainable

I think something we too often like to gloss over is the sacrifices and challenges involved in achieving results.

Getting a new and better result, making a change is NOT easy.

Even something that eventually feels sustainable can be hard to start because it isn’t instinctual. It isn’t what we’ve always done.

So when I work with a client I like to discuss the options in how we move forward.

While I don’t believe in fad diets or quick fixes, I do believe we have a choice in the speed of our results…

And how fast we choose to move forward toward a goal is dependent on how much we are willing to go all in, embrace change and make sacrifices.

While everything in our program needs to be focused on the basics of macros and a clear workout progression IF we want to create sustainable habits we can adjust as we transition to maintaining our results, how we dial in our programming off of these foundational things at any given time can shift based on how quickly we want to make progress vs how much we want to really just create something that’s a lifestyle.

So basically what I’m telling you is…

If you want something that really feels like a lifestyle right from the start, you’ve got to be prepared for results to take longer to build.

However, if you are willing to go to the faster side of this sustainable continuum, you can see results faster…you just have to be ready to make more sacrifices. You have to be ready to be more “perfect” and precise for awhile.

You almost have to be ready to overcorrect to then slowly come back to more of a lifestyle as you reach your goals or even need a break.

And then you have to recognize you may adjust over time. You may be more motivated at points to push harder. Or you may need to back off because other things in your life take priority.

And this isn’t a bad thing.

But it’s key we constantly assess what we need to realize that WE control how fast we go or how much we focus on just that lifestyle balance.

We also have to recognize that we can’t necessarily have both all of the time!

That’s why I wanted to share some things I discuss with clients so we can determine what they need or truly want in terms of results vs. the habits they are willing to commit to.

And again…just remember, once you understand this balance, you can choose to change at any time. You may have an event you’re willing to do more to feel and look a certain way for.

Or you may have too much going on right now and need to back off. No right or wrong but we want to know the “cost” of any decision we make.

1: Know thyself!

The biggest thing to first consider is who you are and what has derailed you in the past.

Do you tend to get too gung-ho to start and ultimately derail yourself with too much restriction?

If this is the case, maybe ease in. Start with more of a lifestyle balance and, as you adjust, maybe then consider periods to kickstart things.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with strict macro ratios or 6 days a week of training. Start with something more manageable. Maybe even just tracking. But allow yourself to make the transition in easier by breaking things down so the changes become innate before you build further.

However, if you know you’re a person who will give up if results don’t happen fast enough to start, maybe you consider jumping in with more of a cut ratio or more dramatic change to ease up a bit after you’ve built that momentum.

Maybe you do habits that you know aren’t fully sustainable with a game plan to transition progressions or ratios as you settle in and see progress happening.

The key is assessing you and knowing what will help you settle into changes and stick with things.

2: Know you’re going to adjust.

Creating a lifestyle doesn’t mean doing one thing the rest of your life. You can have periods you’re more intense and times you’re less intense. And if you feel motivated, use it.

If you don’t feel motivated, also don’t be afraid to give yourself that strategic break or transition to minimums.

We have to remember that part of what leads to lasting results is sometimes embracing the ebbs and flows and even accepting minimums.

The more you allow yourself breaks at points, often the more we can capitalize on those times we are motivated because we are fully charged to go.

But this is also why it is key we embrace the learning process. When we understand macros, we can adjust ratios to be more dialed in or even more maintenance. We can know how we’re truly fueling to adjust.

Same goes for workouts. We can know what is or isn’t working and even tweak our schedule to work for different realistic schedules based on what our lifestyle is at that point. But when you think through how you’re programming, you can truly adjust for the time you have so you keep moving forward.

The key is not ignoring our mindset so we can even plan ahead and adjust accordingly so we don’t just fall off!

3: Remind yourself of your decision.

We always want results faster. But I think reminding ourselves of the sacrifices involved in going faster can be key if we’ve chosen NOT to implement all of the habits that are needed.

I think at times we need to remind ourselves we COULD go faster, but we’ve chosen something more based on a lifestyle.

I think it’s key to remind ourselves it is our CHOICE because it also allows us to reassess if we want to get results faster. We can CHANGE our decision.

Too often with lifestyle changes, with trying to reach a goal, we act like things are done to us. This takes away our control and makes us feel like we’re suffering more.

Realizing that we are “inflicting” these things on ourselves can often be helpful. Because then we can change things if we need!

Just remember you can change at any point. Remind yourself of why you’ve chosen the habits you have and why they relate to the speed of progress you’re going to make!

4: Plan end dates and cycles.

Honestly, it may even be best to plan in set cuts. To plan in set times you’re going to do a diet break or even just maintain. It can make things easier when you know you have an end date.

It can be helpful to allow you to know you won’t have to “suffer” with more sacrifices forever.

It can even allow you to embrace different times in your life where you may have more or less time to commit. It can also help you capitalize on motivation when it strikes to use bigger events to drive forward and make more sacrifices while also allowing you to embrace those times you can’t do as much because you can see them as the breaks you need.

But don’t be afraid to even look at your overall year and plan in times you know you can bring that intensity while also recognizing times you may have to strategically back off. I think knowing there will be times you get a break can motivate us to do more during the more ideal times we have!

We don’t do well with suffering indefinitely and driving forward faster does mean more sacrifice!

SUMMARY:

Remember we have some choice in how fast we get results. And while we shouldn’t turn to crash diets and need to focus on those fundamentals, we can choose to make more sacrifices or focus more on the lifestyle balance based on how quickly we want results.

And we can change our focus over time…but it’s key we’re constantly assessing to adjust based on what we need and what is possible at that time!

FHP429 – Oversell The NEgative

FHP429 – Oversell The NEgative

Often when we start a new program, we tell ourselves it’s going to be THE THING. The lifestyle change we’ve been looking for.

We tell ourselves it’s going to be easy and magical (ok maybe not the magical part).

Heck maybe we’ve even been convinced of this by friends who claim it was soooo easy to do and the BEST thing they’ve ever done.

We can even manage to convince ourselves there won’t be struggles.

But this is exactly the OPPOSITE of what we should be doing.

It’s honestly what often sets us up for failure.

Because if we think or believe that a change should be easy? We’ll only end up super frustrated and overwhelmed when it isn’t.

Which 98% of the time…IT ISN’T!

Something almost always comes up.

And when it does, if we’ve told ourselves things SHOULD be easy?

We’ll feel like there is something wrong with us because it isn’t, especially if we’ve been told it was easy for someone else.

We have to realize instead that there will ALWAYS be set backs and hiccups and mistakes.

And that often when someone is LOOKING BACK and saying it was easy, even they encountered struggles when first starting out.

So instead of trying to convince yourself that the process will be easy, OVERSELL THE NEGATIVE.

That sounds…well…negative but it is the best way to set yourself up for success.

Because if you recognize that the changes WILL be hard…that there WILL be setbacks…that life WILL try to get in the way…

You’ll be ready for it when it happens.

And being prepared makes it so much easier to embrace the hard.

The more we even slightly “oversell” the negative, the more we can make the hard times even feel…well…easy because they aren’t as bad as we expected.

So as you’re starting to make changes in this program, don’t try to gloss over the challenges that will arise.

Instead prepare yourself for them admitting there will be struggles.

Oversell that negative to prepare yourself!

Take some time right now to think of a few problems you could see popping up…

If you aren’t sure of what may be the hold up or hiccup, consider what has caused you to fall off of programs in the past.

Will life try to get in the way? Will you get so busy you can’t stay consistent with your workouts?

Will you struggle to track? Will it be hard to stop snacking?

What struggles have derailed you before so you can recognize they may pop up again to try to hold you back?!

Here are 4 big points to consider and make notes on…

What’s been the biggest challenge for you in the past when it comes to being consistent with a program?

What’s been the biggest workout struggle for you? consistency or making time for it?

What’s been the biggest struggle for you in terms of adjusting your nutrition? Have you struggled to track?

What makes you the most nervous about this program? What do you think will be the hardest part?

SUMMARY:

Plan for the worst! It will help you better handle hiccups and issues when they arise.

FHP 428 – 6 Things That Hold You Back From Achieving Lasting ResultS

FHP 428 – 6 Things That Hold You Back From Achieving Lasting ResultS

Honestly the more we want overnight results, the less likely we are to truly see the results we want and deserve.

Fad diet results often not only aren’t real results, but they aren’t lasting results because we haven’t truly created sustainable habit changes.

So as much as I know we all want results yesterday, we have to get ready to make some true lifestyle changes if we want to see the amazing results we deserve.

That’s why I wanted to share 6 things that often hold us back from truly reaching our goals…

1: Trying to out exercise and out diet time.

The more we try to do more to get results faster, often the less sustainable the habits are and the quicker we burn ourselves out.

Sure we may see slightly faster results, but often we just waste a ton of effort spinning our wheels.

Because the simple fact of the matter is, we can’t out exercise or out diet time and often results need time to build.

Plus we have to go through a learning process to realize what our body truly needs.

Instead of trying to do more short term, focus on the small changes you can create to build.

Too often we simply overestimate what we can do short term, while underestimating what we can accomplish long term with consistency.

So find ways to help yourself get consistent and realize that build is truly needed.

And by doing more often we just sabotage our own consistency making ourselves run out of self control and willpower so we fall off our plan.

2: Not taking pictures and measurements and recognizing the progress along the way.

This may even mean tracking your pace for your race or anything else that is focused on your goal.

But too often we just see our end goal and we just see how far we still are from it.

If we want to make progress forward and keep ourselves focused though, we need to recognize the changes along the way AND we need to track different types of progress.

With weight loss, don’t just use the scale. Measure. Take pictures.

Even focus on performance goals along the way that you know will help you stay consistent in your training.

Find ways of measuring and showing yourself progress in ways that you can celebrate daily and even weekly.

As cliche as it is, even find ways to celebrate consistency in habits as we know those things done daily will build as unsexy as they may be!

3: Not reminding yourself of how long it took you to gain/how long you’ve been NOT at your ideal.

We often didn’t get into your current position overnight, and we won’t correct it overnight either.

I think often it is even key we recognize how long we’ve been struggling to give ourselves perspective when we wish results would happen faster.

We have to remember that the longer we’ve been away from our goal, the longer it will take to get back there as our body doesn’t like change. Our body thinks where it is at is normal and best.

So the longer we’ve been at this “normal” the more our body will fight changes, even if they are good changes.

It can even be good to set out a calendar or chart that reminds you of how short, in comparison, you’ve been working at a goal. Sometimes seeing the visual reminds us to appreciate the gains we’ve truly seen in a shorter time!

4: Trying to avoid the hard.

The more we look for a quick fix, the more we set ourselves up for a lot of wasted time and effort and huge ups and downs.

Sure you may see results initially but that Keto diet working for you that you ultimately can’t sustain is just you wasting time and effort avoiding the true learning process.

I know everyone loves to hate on macros but macros are the dieting fundamentals.

I know people want workouts of the day, but progressions show you the build so you can track what is and isn’t working.
Stop searching for the new sexy thing. Go back to basics. Seek to really learn about your lifestyle and how you mentally and physically respond to changes.

The more we can stay focused on who we are and the goals we have, the more we can make 1% improvements that truly add up.

So as hard and as sucky and as frustrating as it can be to be BAD at something new, stop trying to find a way around the hard. Embrace it and head right into it! You’ll ultimately get there faster!

5: Not tracking.

What we measure, we can manage.

When you track, you have accurate data to make changes. You don’t have to guess or wonder at what is or isn’t working.

Emotions can’t win out and make you “feel” like you aren’t making progress when changes are actually happening.
Data is objective and allows us to make changes.

That tracker isn’t telling you to feel guilty. It isn’t telling you to restrict. It’s telling you what YOU are doing so you can make changes and feel your best.

So remember data is power. It is the power to truly adjust what is going on in your life in a sustainable way vs letting feelings sabotage you or having to arbitrarily restrict.

The more data you have, the more you can learn what you need to even be able to be looser with tracking as you maintain your results.

Tracking can then be a tool we can return to whenever we need that push back toward a goal.

6: Believing results are all about discipline.

So often people will comment on my photos about my discipline. And while discipline is key to success, I think too often we try to overly rely on it and that is why we fail.

We try to out discipline life. We try to out discipline our needs. We pretend discipline is just infinite for some and it isn’t.
Self control is a gas tank that can become depleted very easily throughout the day.

And while discipline is having the habits a bit more ingrained so we replicate them at times when we don’t even want to, too often we try to force so many habits we can’t create that discipline with them before motivation fades.

Instead of trying to create all of these restrictions and massive changes, make small improvements.

Focus on who you truly are. The more you know yourself, the more you can work with your personal freakdom and lifestyle to make the healthiest version of your personal lifestyle.

The more you can base changes off of your current lifestyle, the less discipline you’ll need to use to replicate them and the more you’ll truly be able to build that new lifestyle that you need.

Because we do have to create changes that last to maintain our results. We have to realize we can’t go back to what we were doing BUT also that maintaining often doesn’t just mean doing what we did to get to a goal.
So focus on learning. Focus on improving daily. Focus on small habits. Those will allow you to build momentum and ingrain them so you don’t have to feel like you’re out disciplining life and what you want to do in life to ENJOY it.

SUMMARY:

Remember changes will not happen overnight. And the more we focus on who we are and what we need and make those 1% improvements the better our long-term results will be.
We all want results yesterday, but we need to take ownership of our journey and embrace TIME if we truly want to succeed!

FHP 427 – We Make Things IMPOSSIBLE

FHP 427 – We Make Things IMPOSSIBLE

Yup you heard that right. We make things impossible because we tell ourselves they aren’t possible.

And guess what?

Sure…everything isn’t possible…nor we will achieve that goal in the same way someone else has even if we get there.

Getting abs for you may be different than for me.

We of course all have genetic limitations and pre-dispositions.

But to just say you can’t get abs…well why not still strive for YOUR version of your leanest physique?

Why just say you can’t have that exact thing and give up?

Seriously then what is the option?!

So often if we believe we can’t have something we just don’t even try!

But we’ve got to stop telling ourselves we can’t if we want to move forward.

Life is about constantly growing and improving. That is the fun in it.

And I do truly believe that too often we write ourselves off.

I didn’t think I could get abs!

I didn’t think I could deadlift 310 pounds.

I didn’t think I could get a tennis scholarship to a Division I team and play.

I didn’t think I could start a business and go out on my own.

Heck I didn’t think I could be that person in front of the camera!

But I also didn’t not try.

There will always be a DOUBT that you can’t do something, but while I didn’t necessarily know it was possible until it was, I believed in the opportunity.

I believed that there was no point not to try.

And I think that’s the key, realizing the alternative.

Which the alternative is to just give up, never move forward, never improve.

Is that really what we want?

Any time I’m presented with these situations I like to reflect on what I do, what I’ve seen successful clients do, to share tips…and here are 3 mindset shifts I think are key to putting ourselves out there and seeing what is possible.

#1: So What If It Isn’t The Same?

If you have loose skin, your abs may not look like that Inspo picture you have.

But guess what? Almost no ones abs look exactly like someone else’s.

Our lifestyle and previous habits and scars are all there.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have YOUR best looking abs.

We need to shift our mindset to saying we want this as it pertains to OUR best selves in that area.

Whether it is an aesthetic goal or performance goal we need to see that “ideal” as us achieving it in our own version.

This drives us forward.

Maybe you’ll never deadlift 400lbs. Maybe you’ll never be an elite marathoner.

But why not say you want to reach the elite level that YOU can?

We can always be our healthiest, fittest, happiest selves. But we need to remember that our journey and our ultimate win WILL look different than someone else.

#2: Possible ALWAYS Seems Impossible…Until You Get There

If you’ve never achieved something before, you don’t know how to get there.

It’s also why I hate those fit to fat to fit again things…so difference when you know how to do something or your body even wants to get back to that point.

But honestly, over your entire journey to results, you don’t fully know if you’ll get there until you do.

It’s why celebrating the habits, remembering why we started and then recognizing the wins along the way are key.

It’s why you also have to see everything as an EXPERIENCE.

Life is meant to be LIVED. What experiences do you want out of it?

What ways would you like to improve?

Because even if you don’t “get there” isn’t it fabulous to see the growth? To know you moved forward? To know you’ve learned?

Heck to even know you tried?!

I never want a regret because I didn’t at least TRY at something.

So just remember it will be impossible till you prove it is possible!

#3: What’s The Alternative?

This might sound weird, but when I doubt myself, when I consider not doing something, I always think…

“What’s the alternative?”

And often I realize the alternative is keeping myself stuck. Keeping myself in a situation I do NOT like.

Not seeing what I CAN actually achieve.

Really if we aren’t choosing to try for a goal, often we aren’t allowing ourselves to grow.

And who doesn’t want to learn and improve and grow?

Who keeps wanting to be frustrated feeling like they’re stuck?

So if you’re scared to get started, if your scared of failing…which there is always a chance you will, think about the alternative of never trying.

There is the saying, you never regret the workout you did…Well I honestly think that applies to most goals we work toward even if we “failed.”

Most of the time we don’t regret TRYING. We feel good for it.

Strength comes from overcoming things. Growth comes from stepping outside our comfort zone.

Don’t fear failure.

Realize it is a part of success.

And realize honestly that the alternative of not at least TRYING to reach something we think MAY be impossible is staying stuck and believing it will never be possible.

I don’t know about you, but that gives me FOMO!

FHP 426 – Do You Value Yourself?

FHP 426 – Do You Value Yourself?

Body acceptance…Loving your body…

I’m going to be brutally honest, I don’t think we’ll ever be 100% happy with ourselves or content.

I think it is the human condition to always want more.

BUT I also think we need to find a balance where we appreciate who and what we are flaws and all.

We need to love ourselves despite the struggles and even value ourselves potentially more because of what we’ve gone through.

Struggles do not diminish our value.

Personally I believe those life experiences enhance our worth.

But I thought this was also an interesting way of thinking about value…

If I offered you a crisp and new $20 bill right now, you’d want it.

If I crumpled that, you’d still want.

If I rubbed some dirt on it and stepped on it, you’d still want the $20.

Because the value of that bill hasn’t changed despite the dirt.

Honestly the wear and tear on the bill really doesn’t matter, it’s still $20.

We’ve got to value ourselves in the same way – we need to value ourselves despite painful conditions and failures.

We can’t degrade ourselves just because of temporary setbacks and struggles.

We need to realize all the worth we truly have.

I think when we can see our value and realize it is unchanging despite our current circumstance we can start to better achieve acceptance.

We can work to improve without being unhappy.

So how can you help yourself see your own worth?

#1: Recognize you’ll always want to improve something, but flaws don’t make you less worthy.

No matter what we achieve, we will always find something that can be better. And I think it’s key we realize this instead of feeling like we will be fulfilled, we will be valuable if we achieve something specific.

Because so often we achieve a goal to then not feel satisfied and feel even more broken because we aren’t happy having achieved what we thought would make us feel fulfilled.

So by recognizing that there will always be more we want, we can start to value the journey better.

We can start to appreciate our growth.

I think it can also help us take pressure off of achieving something specific too, ultimately making it easier to reach the goal we wanted in the first place.

To be flawed is truly human. And we will always want more growth.

Life is about the journey. We need to recognize this over putting so much value just in a destination.

Your worth isn’t about a specific outcome. It’s about how you choose to constantly learn and grow and appreciate the ride.

#2: Take time to recognize your value.

So often we deem things we don’t have as valuable over recognizing what we have.

There is that line – you never know who you’re inspiring.

But we need to take time to see what we have! To appreciate how we can inspire others and even share of ourselves to recognize what we have.

I think when we start to consider how we can help others, we can better see our worth.

So what do you have to share? What can you teach? Recognize those things to give yourself credit for all you’ve accomplished!

#3: Remember that your current situation is always temporary.

We are always able to move forward from where we are at. Even if we’ve suffered a setback and may not get back to “where we were,” we can always move forward.

Our situation is only as permanent as we allow it to be.

If you want more, choose to make changes to work toward it.

Any setback or slip up is temporary. It doesn’t impact our worth or our value.

We can always move forward and grow.

For me it’s even defining value in something I can control – aka am I letting myself stay stuck. If I’m choosing to stay stuck then there is the problem.

But my value isn’t lessened from struggle.

If anything it grows.

Diamonds become diamonds because of pressure!

Realize you can let those struggles even increase your worth!

SUMMARY:

Realize that seeing our own value is never easy. Accepting our flaws is hard.

But little setbacks and struggles don’t take away from our worth.

There is also always a way to move forward. But we’ve got to enjoy the journey knowing it will never really be done!

FHP 425 – Can you Gain Muscle As You Get Older? (THROWBACK)

FHP 425 – Can you Gain Muscle As You Get Older? (THROWBACK)

It’s undeniable our body changes as we get older. But so much of what we attribute to age is actually other lifestyle factors adding up.

Not to mention there is so much within our power to change and control.
For example, we CAN gain muscle as we get older. We can be a lean, mean, fighting machine at EVERY and ANY age.
Here are 3 tips to help you build that amazing lean muscle to be functionally strong and look amazing.
And if you’re ready to dial in your diet and workouts to feel, look and move your best, check out my free training