I focus a ton on mindset on the podcast because I think our mindset behind things ultimately dictates our success or failure.

We can have all the right tools and never embrace them or take action if our mindset isn’t there to move us forward.

And I think our brain is often partly responsible for our progress stalling.

We THINK we are doing all of the right things, but the reality is…

We often aren’t.

Yes sometimes we just need to stay consistent with everything because results are building and we just need to be patient…our least favorite thing ever…

BUT often we’ve also let little things SLIDE that we haven’t even noticed.

That’s why I wanted to touch on 3 things you want to assess if you’ve been stuck for awhile or feel like you’re even slowly starting to roll backward in your results…

1: Are You Actually Still Sticking With The Habits Consistently?

What does the data say?

Often we get a bit…well…comfortable and lazy as we go through.

In terms of our diet, bites, licks and nibbles sneak in and go unlogged.

Sauces get added with a few extra grams that we shrug off.

An extra day or two unlogged creeps in.

Our portions slightly grow as we get “looser” in our tracking because we feel confident in knowing our portions.

We start to slack a bit on our warm ups and rush them.

We miss a workout here or there more than usual.

Basically, while we are still overall consistent, the habits are beginning to slide.

And we need to help ourselves refocus a bit.

There will always be ebbs and flows. We won’t be able to drive forward at 110% every day all day.

BUT if we are getting frustrated that our results have stalled, we need to assess the little things that may be creeping in and hurting our true consistency.

The consistency that will make things happen faster.

There has to be a balance between long-term adherence and perfection…knowing that the more we are truly “perfect” with those habits, the faster things WILL happen.

So assess where you’ve loosened the reigns a bit. And then determine if you want to tighten things back up to drive forward OR if maintaining right now IS the win.

2: You Need To Make A Tweak.

Achieving a goal is such an interesting balance of staying consistent when you want to give up, yet making enough changes to help you keep pushing forward.

It’s why I think learning the fundamentals is key.

Nothing works forever and our lifestyle is evolving so we need to shift.

And sometimes we need to make a slight change even just because we MENTALLY need that sense of control.

A true plateau is at least 3-4 weeks. Most of us never wait that long with absolutely not change in anything before we make a change or say something isn’t working.

And I get it…I’m not patient enough for that either.

It’s why I set end dates. I make adjustments and slight tweaks in focus.

But I keep the same foundation.

It’s why creating progressions and macros are so key.

You have that plan. The basics dialed in, but you can also make small changes to give yourself the change you need on every level.

Try a different macro ratio.

Try a new move in your next progression or a slightly different workout design.

Heck even design for a slightly different schedule if you’re busy right now and your usual doesn’t really work as easily.

Make small changes to your plan while staying focused on those fundamentals.

Don’t be afraid to tweak but stop randomly switching and adjusting with no set plan to follow and clear end dates.

3: How Are You Determining Progress?

I know we often want a very specific change, but I think it is key we use a variety of metrics to really see results.

Too often I’ll hear someone thinks they aren’t making progress because the scale isn’t changing, but they’ve lost inches.

So while progress may “stall” in one metric, we may see that our results are still accumulating if we analyze another front.

This is key as sometimes we jump ship on something too soon when it is working just because progress isn’t happening in the exact way we’d envisioned.

Recognize too what your TRUE ultimate goal is.

If it is performance changes, not every day will your numbers increase, especially not in every lift.

If it is looking leaner, realize the scale may not change while you’re losing fat.

So while you want to use those metrics to know if something is working, realize you have to assess other parts of your lifestyle and progress in them.

Because sometimes realizing we are moving forward in some aspect can help us stay consistent enough to overcome what we see as a plateau.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

And while I said this wasn’t fully a mindset podcast, I think it is key to also realize that sometimes we FEEL like we’ve plateaued when in reality maintaining previous results is still moving forward.

Sometimes we need to maintain because we can’t just always have the focus to push forward.

So even embracing those times MENTALLY can be key.

Because what can be seen as a plateau, can be results building. And it can be us creating that new foundation, that new set point, off of which we can build even stronger!

Build the recipe for lasting results without cutting out the foods you love…

–> 3 Step Recipe For Results!

What is your favorite exercise? 

Sumo Barbell Deadlift

What is your personal mantra?

Act As If

What is your favorite cheat day food?

Carne Asada Burritos and chips and guacamole (all of those at once is ideal)

What is your favorite desert?

Rice krispy treats with frosting

What is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

A Margarita – any kind

What is your favorite vacation spot? 

Palm Springs

What is your favorite movie?

I Feel Pretty – Love watching this when I work

What is the most unexpected piece of advice you ever received?

Your passion is a double edged sword was the gist of what Dave, my GM at the first gym I worked at told me. It was an eye opening moment. And I credit it with making me more self aware to realize how my passion needs to be harnessed.

If you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

Step into your fears and face them. You don’t know what will or won’t work until you’ve tried so be willing to embrace outside perspectives as opportunities. BE OPEN!

What is one item on your bucket list?

Honestly I don’t have a bucket list as I could never predict what life has already thrown at me. I just want to see where it goes.

What quote most resonates with you?

Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.

What is your general outlook on life?

You get out of life what you put in. Nothing will ever go as you expected so embrace the journey and be willing to take risks.

What brings you the most joy?

When I see something with diet and exercise just CLICK for a client….that and drinking margaritas with Ryan anywhere near the beach.

If you could learn one skill instantly, what would it be? 

MMA

If you could eliminate one word from the English language, what would it be?

Can’t

What is your favorite simple pleasure?

That pump from a really good glute burner. No joke.

What is an unpopular opinion you hold?

We can always move forward and improve no matter what. I believe we are ultimately in control. Stuff happens of course that we can’t control, but we still always have a choice in our perspective and how we take actions.

What do you believe is underrated?

Macros. And being open. 

What do you believe is overrated?

Healthy foods – clean eating

What is your favorite thing about yourself?

My awkwardness. And odd decision making skill to live with what I’ve chosen.

What is the oddest way you ever accidentally hurt yourself?

Slipping on a puddle I was trying to jump over in the street in Palm Springs.

What is one trend you wish would come back in style?

Low rise leggings. I have a short torso. High waisted pants go up to my bra.

What is your favorite kind of weather? 

Hot. Sunny. 90 degrees. Basically I don’t mind sweating.

What is your favorite pump up song

Lizzo – Like A Girl But previously Fort Minor Remember The Name (I’ll always love this)

What is your favorite tv show?

The Office 

What is your favorite childhood memory

I honestly don’t know…It’s those in between moments I feel are so special that you remember but they’re not really stories.

Like when my mom told me I had to walk home if I beat her at tennis. She was joking but I think it did make me nervous.

Or like random moments just making meals together. Or car trips to tennis tournaments with my mom when we would just talk about random things.

Those moments that aren’t truly special but just have that FEELING when you think back on them. 

What is your favorite type of workout

Picking up heavy shizzle

What is your favorite food to cook

Uhm…one that is cooked for me!? 3 ingredient peanut butter hershey kiss cookies.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten

Probably something at this sushi tasting in Japan, but I wouldn’t know because they served us whatever they wanted.

What movie or tv quote do you repeat the most

Inappropriately – that’s what she said.

Also inappropriately – “I don’t give a flying fart in space” which I couldn’t remember even where that came from.

I know I’ve personally been guilty of this even…

The comparing where you see someone else’s success in, well, really any aspect of life and you think…

“Yea well they didn’t have to deal with (insert thing you think is holding you back).”

But that is a self-limiting belief.

And honestly not beneficial as a thought in any way, shape or form.

It does nothing to move us forward and only reinforces the belief we are somehow unable to find a way forward.

But the simple fact of the matter is, life involves sacrifices no matter your situation.

And we each have our own priorities and values.

If we CHOOSE to bring something into our life, if we CHOOSE to make something a priority, we have to understand how it will impact other things.

And this isn’t a bad thing. There is no right or wrong to what we should or shouldn’t value or prioritize.

But each time we do put something first, we do automatically push other goals by the wayside.

And we can’t BLAME those things.

Instead we need to identify what truly matters to us and find ways to work around or balance the things we want.

We need to find ways to even adapt our values.

Often I hear…

“Well you don’t work 8 hours a day and then have to go home and cook for a family.”

A. You never truly know someone else’s situation to compare.

B. Ok so if you feel that work and family are priorities in your life and you WILL always put them first, instead of blaming them, what is something you can do to work AROUND them?

Sure you may have to sacrifice gym sessions at times. But then how can you steer into that and plan out something quick at home?

We have to remember we’ve CHOSEN what we value. What is a priority to us.

And to ever move forward with other goals lower in that list, we need to find a way to make them matter to the things we value most so we still find a way forward. And we even need to find ways to do the MINIMUM when these other things need to come first!

So how can we stop making the excuse that someone else doesn’t have to deal with something and instead embrace the priorities we’ve set and work around them to move forward?

#1: Focus on small changes.

Too often I think we believe we need these sweeping changes to get results when small changes really add up. Focus on the easiest changes first too to build momentum.

Like maybe you chance one meal that doesn’t at all impact your family dishes. Or you just set 5 minutes to roll out before bed.

But small changes build momentum.

They allow us to build around what we value and want to prioritize. They can even help us realize changes aren’t that hard or can fit in our lifestyle.

They can make it feel like our whole ecosystem doesn’t have to be changed.

#2: Tie your new goals into your current values.

If you want to lose weight, how can you tie this into the fact that your family is your priority?

Will this allow you to do more things with them? Keep you strong to chase after grandkids? Inspire your kids to love their bodies too or realize their own strength and abilities?

Can you get them involved in making fun new macro friendly meals? Test out new desserts or breakfast recipes?

Can you get them doing more activities to get moving? Like maybe catch in the backyard or evening walks with the dog? Pull ups on the playground as they play?

Could you even be watching TV with everyone and try some commercial workout breaks?

#3: Think in terms of minimums.

Too often we think about all we have to do over setting a minimum to get consistent. Sure maybe you like to usually get to the gym 6 days a week, but if you’re struggling with consistency due to your new job?

Instead of saying “Well I can’t get in my usual training sessions because of my new hours so I won’t be able to get results” so that you give up, set a minimum to make it through this time and at least maintain your results.

Too often we believe we need this ideal, to do MORE, to get results, when less is more because of the consistency it creates even during the toughest times. Small changes during tough times, when life works against us, really add up!

Even just make one small tweak to one meal you’re eating. Make one dietary change instead of thinking you have to go from doing nothing to everything.

Seriously even just tracking alone makes you more accountable!

#4: Assess if your priorities will change…

I think sometimes it even boils down to us realizing this IS our life. This IS what we value. Those ARE our priorities.

And if this is the reality, we need to stop blaming it.

We need to assess if this other success we are jealous of is really something we want. We have to recognize that there is sacrifice any time you prioritize something as something else has to fall by the wayside.

So you need to assess and OWN your priorities.

And then find ways to do something to achieve other goals knowing that they aren’t as valued to you. This may mean knowing that weight loss will be slower as you’re doing the minimum.

It may mean that you need to switch your workout routine.

Stop focusing on someone else’s ideal, someone else’s journey, someone else’s priorities.

Stop blaming your own values.

We’ve chosen what matters to us and the only way forward is to find ways to strike the balance right for us.

So stay focused on what YOU need to succeed.

I definitely come at this from a personal perspective and one of a person who really freaking hated change growing up.

My mom loves to tell stories about how I wouldn’t sleep like a month before school started because I was so nervous about the new year.

And I went from this person who sooooo didn’t like change to a person forced to constantly change it seems like on a daily basis.

I still don’t like it. I like routines and consistency and doing things the way I’ve always done them.

But I also don’t fight change any more.

And I attribute the fact that I have just learned to go with it because I’ve realized why it was such a challenge.

I also own up to my own dislike of it vs trying to downplay it.

But I’ve realized that change is such a challenge because it isn’t really the actions that have to change but the MINDSETS.

And part of making a change is sort of admitting we are currently WRONG in something we are doing even.

The more tied to something we are, the more we view things as right and wrong, good or bad, the harder it becomes to embrace something new.

It becomes hard to shift those very binary mindsets.

It becomes a process of not only embracing new actions, but also new mindsets.

And that means UNLEARNING THE OLD as we LEARN THE NEW.

It’s that unlearning and retraining process of not only the body to some extent but also the mind that is hard.

That’s why I wanted to share a few things I feel have changed my perspective on change and made me a bit more easily adaptable even though I still don’t like it haha

#1: Realize It’s Not Part Of Your Identity

So if you think about what is often hardest to change, it’s things most tied to our identity.

The more we think something reflects on our worth, how smart we are, how people really perceive us, the harder it is often to make a change to it.

The more we perceive something to be part of our worth and identity, the harder it is to change.

But so much of what we act like is who and what we are…well…it really isn’t.

I know it’s why often even diets become religion.

We start to fall into a camp and define ourselves by that camp instead of seeing opportunity in other perspectives.

But the honest truth for most of us is…these are just phases in our life.

We will join many camps. Go through many groups on our journey to self discover.

Most of what we do and the habits we implement aren’t truly who we are, they are different outfits we wear.

So realize that these beliefs, while yes some are your identity, many you shouldn’t hold on to so tightly but embrace as part of your life now, being even WILLING to allow them to change as you learn.

But the more you find that solid identity and realize the other things are just a part of this current situation, the easier it is to shed the things that ultimately don’t serve you best.

The easier it is to unlearn the old while embracing the new!

#2: Realize Things Really AREN’T So Binary – Life is truly an annoying continuum

The most annoying answer when someone asks a question, that I also oddly love giving is, it depends.

And it’s because many things really do depend on so many factors.

Change is also easier when we realize that there isn’t a true right or wrong, good or bad.

There is opportunity in options!

The more we embrace that and see things as an experiment the better off we’ll be.

#3: Set End Dates To Create Change

Too many of us start things thinking THEY WILL BE THE LIFESTYLE we’ve been looking for.

I start things now thinking, “Well this will be a fun experiment. Let’s see how it goes.”

Everything in my opinion now has an end date. A date at which I assess what does and doesn’t work.

Not only does it help me actually better whole-heartedly implement the plan BUT it also helps me embrace that something may need to change or that it may not be the right thing.

And if it does work out?

Then I fully embrace the change as something new and move on to the next experiment. I slowly build and add pieces even to my identity that match…also realizing there will probably be another experiment along the way that tests them.

SUMMARY:

So much in our life evolves and our priorities will shift.

It’s a good thing.

But we have to realize that we need to be fluid and embrace changes. It doesn’t mean that we don’t take a stand with things. That we don’t have solid beliefs.

We will always filter things through a lease.

But it just means we need to be open to new perspectives.

Because the more we fight changes, and feel like changing a habit is changing our identity, the less likely we are to truly see growth!

Motivation is fleeting. When we are just motivated other things easily take priority. We do things when they are convenient for us.

Now discipline…

When we are disciplined, no matter what else is going on in our life…well we do the things we should anyway.

But how do you become disciplined?

I think there are a few key components to discipline…

#1: Priorities

What we value, we find time to do.

If a change is a priority to us, we are going to find a way to make those changes and keep implementing them.

So if we value a new habit, an ultimate goal, we are going to find a way.

But then the question also arises, how do you make something new a priority when you have so many other things in your life going on.

1. I think we need to recognize that getting started is the hardest part. That if you can prioritize something new to start eventually it WON’T take as much thought to do.
2. We can base changes off our current lifestyle.
3. We can put the NEW first.
4. We can realize how this new goal ADDS to the other components of our life we value.
5. We can set motivation end dates and really understand WHY this new things deserves our full attention.

#2: Habits

Discipline boils down to habits.

But habits aren’t easy to change as it isn’t just learning a new way of doing things, it’s unlearning the old instinctual ways of doing things too.

And all new habits often feel weird because they aren’t what we are naturally doing. What we are naturally wanting to do is what we’ve always done.

And motivation is what gets us started. But to keep doing the habits, we need to truly VALUE them.

We need to know WHY they are important.

We also need to have made them small enough that we aren’t just constantly trying to out willpower everything.

Life is going to get in the way.

The more we’ve found ways to even just start implementing the minimum, the better.

While we may feel like all or nothing people, we need to realize that doing too much at once relies on willpower and motivation which won’t last.

We need to find ways to create habit changes we can easily replicate. Habits that keep us disciplined!

#3: Mindsets

Whether it is setting priorities or creating new habits, everything relates back to our mindset.

If we want a change, we have to truly embrace the changes, not slightly fight against them.

Not do one action but think something else.

We have to value them and understand why they are necessary.

We can’t for long just force ourselves to do something because we should or someone else said it was good.

We need to VALUE what we are doing.

That means BELIEVING in the changes you are going to make. It means BELIEVING in the habits. It means believing there is a greater purpose to what you’re doing.

Discipline comes from having a purpose. The mindset that you will do these things because that is the person you are. These things are things you value and the overall goal is the most important thing even over momentary discomfort.

So as you seek to make changes, as you want to find a way to do something ANYWAY even when you aren’t motivated, you need to find ways to create discipline! 

We all do this…

We say “It won’t work.”

“I can’t do…”

“I’ll never be able to…”

“I’ll get turned down….”

But we don’t actually “KNOW” what the outcome will be because we’ve never actually done the thing or tried to find a way around the situation.

And I do understand we don’t have to try everything to know that some ideas are good or bad…

Like jumping off a cliff…

BUT I also think too often we write something off before we test it.

We think we know the answer BUT we don’t actually know if we haven’t tried something!

Sometimes we NEED to try it and fail to truly know whether or not it will work for us!

Sometimes you’ve got to test something!

It’s so funny how we avoid taking the risk when it feels like there could be embarrassment or failure.

So funny how we won’t do that with things that feel too intimidating yet someone will tell us a plate is hot and we’ll touch it to test….don’t know if we don’t try right?! Haha

We draw our own lines.

We DECIDE what is or isn’t worth the risk.

We decide what we do or do NOT know until we’ve tried.

Which got me to thinking, when faced with my own situation of not wanting to do something because I had the thought of “it probably wouldn’t work” how I could get myself to take the risk anyway….

Because I didn’t really know. And wouldn’t know for sure unless I tried…

So this is what helped me dive in, put myself out there, and well…now wait and see as to how it truly all panned out…

#1: Question Why You Don’t Want To Do It

– Is there really a risk to this? Or is it just fear of failure?
– Why don’t you believe you can accomplish this task or thing?
– Will there be no value in the experience itself?

#2: Remember Risk Brings Learning

– Think of what you can learn even from failing – failures are often the best learning experiences
– Stepping outside your comfort zone is key
– Change requires change and growth is only achieved with risk

#3: Remember You Get More Comfortable The More You Do It

– Doing something new is hard – but the more we take on situations like this, the more comfortable we get being uncomfortable in that way
– By doing you can learn better ways to improve your success
– This will allow you to even seek out educational opportunities to address things you now realize you don’t know!