Health & fitness is relatively simple.
It might not feel like it...
And the statistics suggest otherwise...
29% of UK adults are classified as obese
67% of UK men are classified as overweight or obese
62% of UK women are classified as overweight or obese
in the year 2017/18, over 10,000 hospital admissions were attributed directly to obesity
71% of UK adults fail to eat the minimum recommendation of 5 fruit & veg' per day
average sugar intake is 2-3 times higher than the recommended amount
1 in 5 people are classified as 'inactive'
a majority of gym memberships go unused
So you might assume that getting into shape is a monumental challenge. And that only a small subset of the population is capable of achieving it.
And when you do decide to commit to getting fitter and eating healthily, you might assume that the process must be extremely complicated...
'Why else would so many people fail to achieve their goals'?
This is why it's so easy to fall into bad habits, follow unrealistic programmes and even end up spending money on the latest fad diet.
Because to achieve something that nobody else seems to be able to do... surely you've got to something exceptional... right?
The reality is...
Health & fitness is relatively simple.
The obstacles that prevent most people living a healthy lifestyle may be more complicated...
longer working hours
family/social commitments
psychological barriers; anxiety, depression, low self-esteem etc
But there are solutions to most (if not all) barriers.
And the reality is, most of your "reasons" for not working towards your ideal targets... are actually just excuses.
That might seem harsh.
But the truth is... if you really wanted results... you would find the time/energy/solution to the 'problems' that stand in your way.
At the end of the day, health & fitness should be your number one priority...
(If not, then what is?!)
Health & fitness is notorious for the sheer amount of contradictory information out there...
vegan diet vs carnivore diet
low carb vs low fat
an endless production line of new diet supplements
"celebrities" promoting products/methods with no scientific evidence behind them
more cookbooks than you could possibly ever read...
... it goes on and on.
So one of the biggest challenges that you will face, is knowing who and what to listen to.
Unfortunately, due to assuming that "things must be complicated", plus the human tendency to follow the "most popular" advice (eg. YouTubers, and Instagram "influencers"), many people end up with the wrong strategy. One that is totally inappropriate for their goals and personal circumstances.
This often presents itself in the form of 'needing' to be too strict or being totally unrealistic.
It's then easy to take an 'all or nothing' attitude...
And this is where you will lose sight of the bigger picture.
Example: Instagram is absolutely saturated with... "My 12 Week Transformation" ads, dramatic 'before & after' pics, and programmes that "guarantee" similar results.
This helps to create the impression that you need to commit to a "perfect" lifestyle for a short period of time in order to achieve a result.
Follow that mindset to it's logical conclusion... and you have a situation where deviating from that (unrealistic) perfection is interpreted as a "failure".
Try to maintain some perspective...
Occasionally you might have a good reason to really dedicate to a short-term goal. eg. a wedding or an upcoming holiday.
But other than that, health & fitness must be viewed within the context of your life (long-term).
Whatever goal you are working towards... is probably an outcome that you would want to enjoy permanently.
How do you achieve your results and maintain them in the long-term?
Are you realistically going to continue to make the sacrifices required by that "perfect lifestyle" presented on social media?
Remember the bigger picture...
Is a night out or an "unplanned" dessert really a "failure"? Of course not... unless you were planning to make those sacrifices forever, this is normal behaviour.
Try to think about the impact that a single treat is going to have in the long-run, rather than "ruining" your '6 week holiday fat loss plan'.
If you are NOT in the shape that you want to be in 12 months from now...
It is NOT because you went out on Saturday night... Or because you had an extra slice of cake on your mate's birthday (short term, small thinking)...
It's because you CONSISTENTLY failed to execute your training & diet plan over the LONG-TERM (BIGGER PICTURE).
Again, fitness is simple.
You don't need to 'calculate' the methods that will produce results for yourself.
You don't need to experiment with every diet on the internet.
That's already been done... we know how to produce results.
And we know how to programme those methods.
The 'trick' is simply to commit to that programme consistently.
Consistency doesn't mean you have to be perfect everyday.
It means follow your programme, 'word-for-word', 80% of the time.
You can decide for yourself how to approach the other 20%.But the point is, if you want to approach your lifestyle in a maintainable way, while producing results, you need to find a balance that works for you.
In the long-term, you will reach your targets, and the methods, will have been proven to be sustainable.
P.S. You can find out more about exercise, nutrition & lifestyle coaching & programmes here.
