This is the third and final installment of a series on how to build Your Dream Body.
Not a body you’re “okay” with or “happy” with – but your real life, no-doubt, can’t wait for summer time, Dream Body.
Here is Part 1 on how to create a slight caloric deficit,
and Part 2 on how to create a workout plan
that incorporates Heavy Resistance Training.
Got your deficit? Good.
Got your workout plan? Awesome.
Now for the tough part.
The execution of the plan.
Let’s take one more look at The Dream Body Equation………
Slight Caloric Deficit
+
Heavy Resistance Training
+
Consistency Over Time
_______________________
Your Dream Body
Parts One and Two handled the first two variables of that equation. Which are, admittedly, the easy parts.
The whole equation kind of works like this: 1. Get your diet plan. 2. Get your workout plan. 3. Do it.
The third variable is barely even a variable. Consistency over time?
It’s basically telling you to suck it up, buttercup, and execute your plan.
Easier said than done, right? This is easily the most difficult part. Any human being on this planet can take care of the first two variables. It takes a certain kind of mindset to tackle the third.
Some people find this easy. They take their diet and workout plan, and execute it flawlessly.
Consistency over time? Forget about it. They take their plan and “Just Do It”. (My apologies to Nike…..)
Do you need to be perfect? No.
Not at all.
But you need to be relatively consistent over a long period of time. And be sure to realize this: You will probably not be consistent at the start. Consistency is a learned skill.
Many fail to realize this. Frustration is a bitch – it creeps into your mind when things don’t go exactly as planned. Often times, cycles begin to emerge. How’s this one?
…..Get a plan ->
Start the plan ->
Execute the plan ->
Problem arises ->
Get frustrated ->
Make rash decision (usually to “do more” or to “eat less”) ->
Plan becomes unsustainable
(calories too low or workouts too frequent/intense/cumbersome) ->
Burn out occurs ->
Plan stops ->
Weight is gained back (and then some) ->
Get fed up ->
Get a plan………….
So, how do we stop this cycle? I’ve been a part of this cycle. Most of us have. It’s vicious, terrible, and controlling.
It’s time to break free from this sort of a merry-go-round.
Let’s talk about a few ways to be more consistent…………..
1. Let It Be
The most successful dieters? The ones that can get as lean as they wish and maintain it?
They don’t stress about diet and exercise – it’s simply what they do. They don’t stress about their macros, they don’t feel anxiety when they enter the office and there’s a box of donuts, and they don’t hop on the scale every morning, obsessing about the number.
They trust the process, they focus their attention on getting the day right, and they go about their business. They are busy. They have lives. They have hobbies, other than working out and dieting. They don’t stare at the marshmallow.
For them, it’s simple. They have a plan. Time to go out and execute that plan – flawlessly. But at the same time, they simply don’t stress about it. The idea of not executing the plan is strange to them.
They know what works. Time to do it.
2. Hire A Coach – And Follow His/Her Advice
We often make stupid, rash decisions when left to our own devices.
I have a current client who came asking for some macro help. I helped him.
Gave him a good, solid plan with a workable caloric deficit.
Three weeks later, he was upset about progress. Told me he had stalled.
I started asking questions. Turns out he didn’t think my protein number was high enough, so he changed it himself.
*Facepalm*
It’s very amusing someone would pay their own, good, hard-earned money, to purchase services from a coach – and then not follow it. What on earth are you paying for? Would you buy a car and not drive it? Buy a shirt and not wear it? Buy a house and not live in it? This makes no sense at all.
The best part of hiring a coach or consultant? It takes all the guesswork out of everything. Someone tells you exactly what to do, promises to support you, and expects you to follow their advice. SO DO IT ALREADY!!!
That doesn’t mean to keep quiet. Ask questions. I love it when people ask questions. Any good coach has a rationale behind everything. If they don’t, they shouldn’t be coaching.
And if the answer is “I saw this one dude who did it, and he was ripped”, you should fire your coach.
But don’t hire someone for their expertise and then disregard it………..that’s just plain stupid. And a touch insulting…….
3. Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
I wrote a previous post on this topic.
The general comforts of our society are doing nothing for us.
Our unwillingness to get out of our comfort zones has everything to do with where we currently stand as a population – health wise.
Nobody wants to be uncomfortable. Parents sanitize the world for their kids, we take the elevator one floor up, we take 15 minutes just to find the best parking spot to shorten our walk……….when the going gets tough?
Most of us bail. It’s human nature.
Uncomfortability sucks.
Just like consistency, being okay with discomfort is a learned skill.
If you perform Heavy Resistance Training, you’re already on the right track to being comfortable with discomfort. Here’s three other ways:
A. When you’re on your diet, listen to your body.
Once you get a craving or a hunger pang, sit down and pay attention. Close attention.
Spend a couple of minutes by yourself.
Are you hungry?
Are you bored?
Are you getting a stomach cramp?
How does it feel?
Is it unbearable? Terrible?
It’s impossible to eliminate ALL hunger when dieting. It really can’t be done.
You’ll have to be able to handle hunger, to an extent, if you plan on changing your body.
The more accepting you are of this slight discomfort, the easier it will become over time.
B. Go start a conversation with someone you greatly dislike.
What’s more uncomfortable than that? That sounds awful.
Going up to someone you genuinely can’t stand and talking is like listening to nails on a chalkboard, non-stop.
Go try it. You know it will work.
C. Start taking “James Bond Showers”.
This one is only for the truly hardcore.
The James Bond Shower works like this: Turn on the water as you normally would.
Spend a few minutes enjoying the warm steam. Relax a bit. But don’t wash.
When you’re ready to clean yourself, turn all the hot water off, wait for the water to turn ice cold, soap yourself up, rinse yourself off, and end your shower.
Sound terrible? It is. The health benefits of cold showers are immense, though.
They improve immune systems, raise metabolisms, aid in recovery from those training sessions, help you sleep better, and most importantly – change your mindset.
Confession: I haven’t taken a non-James Bond Shower in over 5 months. All the way through the Polar Vortex. Every morning and after every training session. All of those benefits seem to be working for me. But the best part?
I have to force myself to relax when that water takes my breath away each morning at 6 am.
I start my day by staring at that ice cold, painfully brutal shower, and saying (metaphorically, of course),
“Bring it”.
Try it. If you think you’re hardcore enough.
4. Make It A Competition
Nothing is more motivating than trying to beat someone else.
Grab a husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/family member/friend/etc.
Each of you gets a calendar. At the start of the month, make a pact: For each day you hit your macros “spot on”, put a big “X” on it with a Sharpie.
Honors system. No cheating. Set your own parameters on “extras”.
Recommendation: veggies are free-for-all, drinks are limited to one day per week, red wine or unflavored liquor only, three drinks max.
But feel free to create your own, of course.
At the end of the month, the person with the most “X’s” gets a dinner, on the house.
Then repeat the competition for the next month. I’d be willing to bet that each extra month that goes by will result in more “X’s”.
Pretty soon, you’re at near perfect compliance and the results will start POURING in.
Just make sure the free dinner hits your macros……
5. Stay the Course
Lastly, I know this sounds cliche, but you need to make your fitness program your “lifestyle”. You really do.
If your program has an “end date”, it’s not going to work. You can’t “get fit and then stop”. That will limit your success. Guaranteed.
Whether you believe in IIFYM, Clean Eating, Intermittent Fasting, Paleo, Atkins, The Warrior Diet, Leangains, or any other program or approach out there – if you stop, the weight will come back.
Think about this logic: “I have a trip coming up. I’m going to get healthy for three months, lose a bunch of weight, look good for my trip, and then stop.”
Huh?
The best part about making this your lifestyle is that by staying the course, and not stopping, you WILL get there.
Some will have more setbacks than others – the number of setbacks you have will rely on how consistent you truly are. But you WILL get there.
Maybe it’ll take 6 months. Maybe a year. Maybe more.
Simply focus all of your attention, each day, on getting THAT DAY right, and nothing more. Rinse and repeat. Live in the present. Always.
True, lasting changes are not accomplished by doing large amounts in short periods of time.
True, lasting changes are accomplished by doing very small, incremental things, on a daily basis, over a very long period of time.
The more you internalize and understand that, the better your results, your life, and your well being will be.
-Jason