There will ALWAYS be ups and downs.

That includes cycles in our leanness.

I do NOT stay one weight, one exact leanness all year around.

Have the ups and downs gotten smaller over the years?

YUP!

But that is due to constantly learning, creating that new set point and finding a BALANCE aka focusing more on consistency.

It’s from the YEARS adding up.

The longer we are at the weight we want to be at, the easier it becomes to maintain.

It’s why when you first lose it can feel like you gain just looking at a cookie.

It takes time to create that new set point, that new normal.

But it’s key we even then still realize we will always fluctuate as our motivation and goals shift.

I say this because of the lean physiques we see year around.

I think instagram and social media can lead us to feeling weird we can’t achieve this ridiculously lean look and not maintain it long term.

It’s part of why I try to share photos and videos when I’ve just rolled out of bed, post workout, traveling in random mirrors with not ideal light….

Because we don’t always look perfectly primped with the perfect lighting.

We have to remember that social media IS a highlight reel.

And that often let’s face it, we all share our favorite photos and angles.

Also, there is a big difference from looking lean and being essential body fat like the fitness competitors.

I don’t say all this to make you feel like it is hopeless, but to make you realize we all have ups and downs.

Times we are more or less dedicated.

Times we hone in on specific goals.

And then to show you how much can be accomplished with consistency over time.

Yup CONSISTENCY!

That comes from focusing on these key tips.…

1: Accept motivation fades and sometimes you just need to do the minimum to maintain your results.

This can actually help results continue to build. AND it can help you create that new set point so you don’t regain the weight and can actually stay leaner once you’re motivated to move forward again.

2: Put less pressure on yourself to be perfect.

We derail ourselves by expecting perfection. This desire to be perfect makes us often give up instead of continuing to move forward however we can.

3: Take everything as a learning opportunity.

There will be times you don’t do what you should. That you do things that don’t workout and make you gain weight. But the key is learning from each experience to be a little bit better next time.

Progress not perfection!

4: Results snowball – your current situation is the result of your previous action.

What we did last year, the year before and the year before that are part of why we are where we are. The more we seek out quick fixes in the moment, the more we often pay for them years later!

And as you focus on these tips and getting in it for the long haul….and see far too many perfect images constantly on social media…

Remember….social media IS a highlight reel.

That even when we are lean, there may be angles or lighting we don’t like.

EVERYONE takes a bad photo.

There will always be times we deviate.

Times we have inflammation or bloating and don’t feel perfect.

Perfect doesn’t exist.

But there is beauty in our flaws.

So embrace who and what you are.

Shoot to constantly learn and grow.

Shoot to make your highs higher and your lows less low.

But realize there will ALWAYS be ups and downs.

I often get asked what the best training schedule is. And I’m generally getting asked because we are worried we aren’t doing enough.

We definitely have the mindset of more is better.

If we aren’t spending enough time in the gym, we can’t get results.

But often this mindset is what holds us back.

We design for the “ideal” over designing for what is realistic for us.

But the real secret to results is designing for the time we have.

The BEST training schedule is the one focused on a schedule you can actually do consistently.

Because if you design with your schedule in mind, you can create an appropriate volume and use the right workout designs and moves to get results in the time you have.

You can also stay consistent. And consistency is key.

We don’t realize how much actually inconsistency can not only be a results killer but also be what leads to injury.

We aren’t doing things consistently to build up and that inconsistency makes us FEEL like we can push harder than we actually should. And then we end up with compensating and overloading areas, which leads to injury.

We need that consistency to build up and create that strong foundation.

So instead of focusing on some ideal and designing for say 6 days a week when you can only get in 3, focus on designing for 3 with even a bonus option if you have time.

That way you don’t “miss out” on something in a workout you don’t get to and you can create a volume that challenges you over the 3 days. You can make sure every area is worked and you actually do what you need to reach your goals.

If you’d designed for 6 days and only got 3, you could have missed out on something that week.

And same goes for time. If you realistically have 30 minutes. Design for that. Using different workout designs we can optimize the time we have to get results.

The more we design for the time we have, the more consistent we will be. And the MENTAL victory of that even pays off.

Because we keep wanting to train and can even want to do MORE. Versus if we feel like we’re failing because we’re not doing everything we set out to do, we can often ultimately give up on our plan.

When we feel like a failure we are less likely to keep pushing!

Set yourself up for a win and even wanting to do more ESPECIALLY as you build back.

And then don’t be afraid to adjust based on changes in your routine. Sometimes 4 workouts may be more doable. Sometimes 3 or 6. Sometimes you may have an hour, sometimes only 20 minutes.

Focus on designing based on that realistic schedule.

Here are some key things to consider when deciding on the BEST training schedule for you….

#1: What is realistic if something comes up during the week? What’s the minimum you can do?

#2: Not only how many sessions each week, but how much time realistic each training session do you have to commit?

#3: The less time you have, the more you want to consider workout designs that are efficient and make use of rest intervals. Now this doesn’t mean skipping rest, BUT it can mean cycling areas work so you get to rest one area as another works.

#4: What are your goals? Even your goals can impact the designs and layouts you use. Just starting back? 3 days a week may be better anyway to give areas more time to recover since you haven’t been training and can’t necessarily handle the volume of an experienced lifter. Or if you really want to focus on maximal strength gains, you may want to design in a way where you can have slightly longer sessions, even if only training 4 days a week. Because you NEED to include full rest to recover to be able to lift heavy each and ever set. But then still, you need to consider what is realistic. If you’re trying to achieve body recoup and have 3 days, you may do more full body and even have a slightly metabolic element to the workouts. But if you have 6, you may do hemisphere or alternate more lifting and cardio.

#5: Don’t get stuck on one BEST. Focus on your changing goals and schedule! It can be fun to even see the minimum you can do to get results during those busy times! And remember SOMETHING is better than nothing.

SUMMARY:

Just remember one size doesn’t fit all and even in our own lives, we shouldn’t be afraid to test out different schedules and splits. Always focus first on what is a realistic time frame for you – how long and how many days a week – before you then design the workouts based on that. You can truly make anything work!

And then, especially when starting out, make it attainable. And easily attainable to start. Better to build momentum and want more than to feel like you’re failing not hitting what you set out!

Results aren’t owned. They’re rented. And rent is due every freaking day.

It’s due in the form of those habits.

Because we can never stop doing what made us “better.”

I know we want our cake and to eat it to, but you don’t get something for nothing.

Results are truly earned.

Earned by those boring, tedious habits you have to do day in and day out.

The hard stuff you don’t want to do.

I bring this up because I feel like so much in the diet and exercise industry is marketed as being EASY – a quick fix.

But nothing is ever easy, especially to start.

You don’t get something for nothing – change requires change.

So, for instance, as much as I believe tracking macros is the best way and becomes easy to do over time, I also know that NO CHANGE IS EVER FULLY EASY no matter how much it may be “easy” once you’ve done it.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 tips to help you embrace those changes and break things down. Because we sometimes have to break down those changes to help allow ourselves to get started!

3 Tips To Help You Embrace Those Changes:

Tip #1: Admit It’s Going To Be Hard

Honestly, I think too often we try to help ourselves get started by doing the opposite of what we should actually do.

We tell ourselves it is going to be “easy” in an attempt to make it feel less intimidating.

But this mindset almost backfires on us when it’s…well…NOT easy.

If we instead admitted that the change was going to be hard, that we were going to have to work at it and even SUCK AT IT to start?

Well when it’s not as bad as we thought, it actually can be easier to keep on pushing through the challenges.

We’re managing our expectations. And often giving that “worst case scenario” lowers our barriers or defenses enough for us to get out of our own way and embrace the changes.

Tip #2: Start With The EASIEST Thing

I’ve always felt like I am an all or nothing person, and in many aspects of life I am. But I also feel we use this as an excuse to not make a change immediately.

We allow ourselves to try and wait for the “perfect” time or to give up if we can’t give 100% to what we are doing. 

But often the best results happen from just starting. And to start, sometimes we need to do something easy to get the momentum building.

So if you’ve ever had those times where you start, get overwhelmed then give up or start, feel so restricted you give up, start with something SMALL.

Heck start with the easiest thing you can just to get the ball rolling.

It’s easier to build when you’re in a positive mindset and feeling GOOD about the changes. It’s easier to build when something feels like it could be sustainable!

Tip #3: Understand You’re Not Entitled To Anything

I think often when we’re working hard we feel ENTITLED to results…at least I know I do.

And then I get frustrated when it doesn’t feel like the results match the effort.

But you aren’t entitled to anything. Everything is earned and often the best things take far longer than we’d like.

Even once you’ve reached your goals, you’ve got to KEEP earning them. You aren’t just entitled to them because you worked hard at one point.

Remembering that there will always be effort, always be adjustments, always be ups and downs is key.

And while it sucks that hard work doesn’t guarantee anything, getting in that mindset that everything is earned can help us stay focused on those small daily habits that do build.

It can even help us create that focus on building a healthier version of our lifestyle so we can be in it for the long haul over trying to hit someone else’s standards of what we need.

And it can even help remind us that success is rented not owned. That we can NEVER stop doing what made us better.

SUMMARY:

As much as I’d love to tell you that change is easy, it often isn’t. And we can’t expect results without putting in the work, often for far longer than we’d like.

You don’t get something for nothing!

I think most often we hold ourselves back.

Plain and simple.

It’s not that we didn’t have the ability. It’s not that we couldn’t learn the systems. It’s not that we weren’t strong enough, smart enough…insert the “enough” here….

Honestly…Most of our limits are truly self imposed.

And I think part of that comes out of fear of failure.

Out of fear of judgement from others.

But if you want to achieve a new and better result, you’ve got to believe in yourself. You’ve got to push past any limits you foresee

You’ve go to stop the self limiting beliefs….

The question is HOW?!

That’s why I wanted to share 3 “secrets” I think will help you not hold yourself back in the face of something new….that will help you believe in you more.

Because you are what you believe you are!

#1: Act As If.

This is not the same as fake it till you make it. Because with Act As If, you are doing the habits that are required to be the person you want to be. You aren’t just telling yourself something you don’t believe.

So if you know there are habits or actions you would need to take if you were a person that was accomplishing the goal you set out to hit?

Simple DO THEM!

To often we simply never get started. Or we believe we can’t do something. Instead of just being the person that reaches that goal by putting the habits into place.

Sure is there going to be a learning process? YUP!

But the person who succeeds at that goal doesn’t care about other’s judgement. They recognize they have to suck at something in order to get better.

Because practice makes BETTER!

So focus on acting as if you are the person you want to be instead of limiting yourself with your own beliefs!

#2: First ask yourself WHY. Then realize you don’t know until you’ve tried!

I think sometimes just being honest with yourself about WHY you aren’t taking action is key.

And that means often asking yourself WHY you are making certain excuses.

Often it boils down to we don’t want to fail publicly in front of others.

We don’t want to be judged as not being good enough.

So we stop ourselves before we even start.

But I think facing these facts and then telling yourself you’ll never know if you can actually accomplish that goal until you try?

Well it can help you leap over that self imposed limitation.

It’s sometimes that little epiphany you need to get yourself to move forward.

Because as much as you may “guess” you won’t succeed, you really don’t know until you’ve tried! 

#3: Embrace failure.

This goes hand in hand with the fact that you won’t know until you’ve tried…

But even if you do succeed ultimately? I will GUARANTEE there will be failures along the way.

Because failure isn’t the opposite of success…it’s a part of it.

So our fear of failure? Well it’s valid because it’s going to happen.

Anyone who’s succeeded knows this and won’t judge you for those setbacks. They’ll celebrate you trying.

So anyone who does judge you, well, they’ve probably always limited themselves and held themselves back from trying. And more than likely, they’re jealous of you for trying.

I think facing failure head on. Saying to yourself “I’m going to fail but it is the only way to succeed.” Can help you embrace the setbacks along the way and keep going.

SUMMARY:

So much of success is just never giving up. In believing we will find a way forward and acting as if we are the person who would succeed at that goal.

There are no guarantees in life, but you truly won’t know until you’ve tried.

If you’ve been struggling to take that first step forward, ask yourself WHY! Are you holding yourself back?

Stop those self limiting beliefs – Remember you are what you believe!

What we measure we can manage.

If you don’t have clear data about what is going on, you can’t make accurate changes.

Tracking provides us that data. 

However our data is…well…only as good as our data collection methods.

So if tracking isn’t working? You need to take a look at how you’re collecting data as one of these 4 things may be going on…

And note…I’m not saying we are trying to intentional do things wrong, but I also believe that with hard changes there are easy ways to make excuses or unintentionally lie to ourselves about how “consistent” we are being!

#1: You’re Not Measuring Correctly

There is definitely a learning curve to tracking. 

And if we aren’t entering ingredients that match what we’re actually consuming, we may not be giving ourselves an accurate picture.

If you weigh an ingredient raw? You have to enter that ingredient raw.

If you weigh it cooked, make sure to select a COOKED ingredient or item in your tracker as the macro breakdown will be different and you may be underestimating what you’re eating. 

Most food shrinks when cooked!

Also, make sure you’re giving yourself reliable and consistent forms of measurement.

While I know we all think we can eyeball portions sizes well…well most of us can’t.

And it’s not always that we overestimate things either.

Sometimes out of fear we give ourselves LESS!

And both can hinder our progress and prevent us from learning about what actually works.

We have to remember that the more consistent and accurate we can be, the more we can truly learn what works for us so we understand the portions we need and don’t have to log forever.

I also get that we often GIVE UP when the tracking seems difficult.

We pick a food that seems similar. But picking a Cobb Salad doesn’t mean that the macros in that salad were the same as the one you got.

This could throw off what you’re actually hitting on average.

Same thing when it comes to recipes. We make a casserole, and even weigh each ingredient to create the recipe, but then we eyeball the portion size instead of weighing it out.

While there is an amount of “deviation” or “error” we need to accept, we need to control what we can control to be consistent in the data we are giving ourselves.

#2: Not Using The “Right” Ratio

The simple fact is, one size doesn’t fit all.Tracking macros doesn’t mean hitting one specific number. It’s why in my Macro Hacks, I not only lay our ratio options for different goals that you cycle to slightly even test out what works best for you but even give RANGES for each macro based on those goals.

We have to remember it isn’t just our goal or workout routine that dictates our needs. It’s our genetics, previous dieting history, even our sleep and age and simply what we ENJOY eating all come into play.

And then we need to constantly adjust as our needs and goals change because what once may have worked, may not any longer.

Whether it’s because we’re going through menopause. Less active with a desk job. Or even simply sleeping less and more stressed.

We need to adjust.

So don’t blame the tracking. Realize that the tracking is why you can accurate tell if something is or isn’t working!

#3: Not Logging Everything

Let’s be honest here…we’ve all not logged something.

Whether it’s because we didn’t want to remember we ate it, we forgot we ate it or it just seemed like so little more we didn’t bother, those missed foods can add up.

You’d be surprised by how not counting in 30 calories of sauce can make a difference when it’s done OVER and OVER and OVER again.

We have to remember that these things change not only the actual ratio we are hitting but also the calorie deficit we create over the week.

A bite here or there as you taste meals or pick food leftovers off your kids plate…well those bites add up more than we’d like them too!

So especially to start, or if you’re feeling like nothing is working, get really precise. 

I know it’s tedious and annoying BUT saying you have to weigh those bites before you take them may A. Keep you from mindlessly snacking and help in and of itself but B. Also allow you to truly know what you need!

And don’t skip those cheat days.

I know it can be hard to log those accurate, but so often we forget how those add up. Even though it seems like we’re being consistent – hitting our numbers 5 or 6 days out of 7, you’d be surprised by how those calories and off ratios on even ONE DAY can impact the small deficit you’re creating over the week.

That one day may be the culprit of your issues. BUT you’ll only know if you log even if it’s a guesstimate. And simply the accountability? Well that may be enough to start creating change!

Remember logging and tracking EVERYTHING is how we learn. And then we can move forward with a better understanding of what our body needs.

Tracking is a teaching tool.

#4: Mindset

Honestly I think one of the biggest reasons tracking doesn’t work is our mindset about it.

We hold ourselves back from actually committing to it and seeing it as a learning tool.

And anything we don’t embrace and commit to, we don’t really seek to improve at.Starting out you may struggle to log everything. You may struggle to hit your ratios.

But change requires change. And we need to embrace that and know we can at least accurately make tweaks to what we are currently doing by tracking.

But if we don’t track? Well we can’t know what needs to truly change.

Small tweaks add up.

So if you’re going to track, embrace it.

See it as that learning tool.

But truly do it. Don’t write it off before actually implementing and testing the habits.

Just remember, what we measure we can manage. In ANY aspect of life.

If you want to improve, it’s key you can truly assess what you are doing and what needs to change!

If you enjoyed this episode of the Fitness Hacks Podcast, please leave a review on iTunes and comment below if you have any questions!

And if you’re looking for help to dial in those macros and get fabulous results, join my Macro Hacks TODAY!

–> The Macro Hacks: https://themacrohacks.com/macro-hacks