Everyone wants to be doing the right things to get the results they want, right? Nobody wants to be treading water and never getting anywhere. This article will outline the key considerations to ensure you are doing the correct things to ensure long lasting, optimal results. I believe it is a multi-faceted process, and these are my top 5 factors to ensuring success.
MINDSET:
Mindset is where we need to start. It is what initiates the decision to change. It is what will continue to drive the process, and it is the thing that will keep you on track throughout the whole journey. Creating a positive mindset towards your actions is vital. Initially, we need to be in a mental state where we actually want to change. If your thought process is driven by a ’need’ to change, or because you think you ‘should’ change, this isn’t enough. Mentally you need to be in a position where you really WANT to change, that has stemmed from deep within you. Only when you are truly ready, when you are fed up of your current situation, you are fed up of things not working, diets not changing you, exercise just doesn’t seem to be working. The desire to change is so overwhelming that it becomes a priority and you will value it no end. This is when you already to start a journey of self-development and improvement, because you truly WANT to.
PREPARATION/PLAN:
This is a fundamental to anything, not just body compositional adjustment. Knowing what you want is one thing, creating the perfect plan to execute is another. Most people will throw everything but the kitchen sink at a goal and hope for the best i.e eating healthy, exercising more, sleeping better, eating your ‘5 a day’, going out less, eating less takeaways, drinking less alcohol, cutting carbs, whatever it may be be. After doing all of these things for a period of time, you would hope for some improvements, however some, if not most people don’t, so why is this? A perfectly designed plan will not eliminate or include all of these factors. A perfectly designed plan is not throwing anything and everything at a goal in hope. It is carefully constructing the right steps, and the individual needs in order to elicit the response you are looking for. Don’t fire the shotgun in the hop of hitting the target with some of the bullets. Fire a sniper and hit the target in one.
EXECUTION:
Having a plan is good. But now what do you do with it? You need to execute it with precision. And no, this is not just executing the training. Although executing exercise with precision is non-negotiable (that’s slowly becoming my favourite phrase if you’ve realised?) it is a fundamental piece to the puzzle when executing nutrition, lifestyle, sleep hygiene and so on. Executing the plan in the correct manner is one of the most important things you can do. Having the plan to hand is not going to get you results. You could have the best plan in the world, if it is not executed to perfection, if not going to be the best plan in the world and you will fail to see any results.
CONSISTENCY:
Execute the plan day in, day out. Do you training when the plan says, every day. Eat the food the plan says, every day. Perform the lifestyle adjustments the plan says, every day. Create the same habits the plan says, every day. Implement the same routine the plan says, every day. You get the gist, right? Performing the correct actions for some days and not others, is not going to result in success. Consistency is not doing the plan Monday to Friday and dropping off plan slightly Saturday and Sunday. That wasn’t in the plan… Consistency is the factor so many people can’t adhere, for many reasons. 1) The plan isn’t right for them, so they can’t carry it out perfectly. 2) The plan is to restrictive, to hard, not strict enough etc.. 3) The plan hasn’t been personalised to someones lifestyle so the client feels like its impossible to do - like the hundred of plans that are sent out to the masses, where everyone is expected to do the same thing, even though no-one has identical lifestyles. Consistency is absolutely necessary for anyone looking to get some end product. Just do the stuff you need to do, EVERYDAY. Tick those boxes daily.
PATIENCE:
Patience is my final factor, from what you can see is quite a multi-faceted process. You have the plan, you are executing the plan, you are doing it every day, but you are not seeing results? Thats because it’s only been 1 month sweetheart. People spend a lifetime putting on weight, or years of sedentary life and over-eating and drinking. 1 month on a plan is not going to reverse the effects of your last 5 years of random, uncontrolled, mismanaged lifestyle, training and eating practices. Be patient, you will be doing the right things (hopefully, from a decent coach), it will just take time. Im going to say it “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Trust the process, execute your plan, stay consistent with it and success will follow. For some people they will see results in months, others years, all dependant on how you respond, and if you have a good coach, adjustments will need to be made along the way to accelerate, manage and control your improvements and progression.
I hope this article has triggered a fire in your belly to go out and get it! If you would like to read my journey over the last 5 years to achieve what I have managed to achieve, read my latest instagram post.