I am frustrated today after having no one turn up to my group session, due to it raining. A little bit of rain is not going to hurt anyone, yet my group was more willing to part with their money rather than turn up and work on hitting their goals.
Every day I hear people make excuses about:
- Why they cannot eat well
- Why they ate at Maccas
- Why they fell off the wagon
- How peer pressure forced them to drink
- Why they can’t train due to bad weather
- Why they cannot lift as much weight as someone else
- Why they don’t want to work certain muscle groups
- How their finances are preventing them from training (yet they can afford to eat out every day, which indicates they do not have their priorities right)
Does this sound like you? Are you the person that knows all about fitness and yet you are 20kg overweight? We are all experts, yet many of us do nothing about it.
To be honest, it all gets a bit boring. Excuses, excuses and more excuses. Let me tell you something: I am the expert. I know how to train you to lose weight, since I have done it myself and helped many before you, and will continue to help people achieve their goals. I live and breathe this industry, and like many of my peers, I strive to make a difference.
Look, lets get serious now. If you want to change, you need to make changes. Thinking healthy and being healthy is all it takes. Do not make excuses for your actions. You ate chocolate because you did not have the willpower to say “No”; you ate at Maccas because you were too lazy to prepare a meal in advance, or simply go home and cook (it probably would have taken 20 minutes anyway).
People ask me, each and everyday, endless amounts of questions regarding fitness, and I will continue to answer them until I am blue in the face.
I get questions such as:
- When do I train?
- What times do I eat?
- What do I eat?
- How many carbs should I be eating?
- What is the best way to count calories?
- Why am I not losing weight when I trained 3 times this week?
- How do I keep fit and maintain my ideal weight?
- What’s your secret?
The list goes on…
I love the last one, “What’s your secret?” It’s simple really:
- I make good decisions
- I make good food and drink choices
- I exercise everyday, even if only 20 minutes
- I make good decisions that affect my lifestyle
- I plan my week
- I am consistent
- I do not starve myself
- I do not calorie count
- I know what works for me
Lets put it simply… Life is about decisions.
Everyday you wake up and you start making decisions, we make hundreds everyday. Yet when it comes to our lifestyles, we seem to make excuses, and lots of them.
Now I am not some sort of fitness freak that never eats anything bad. I am happy to admit there are times I step outside my normal plan, but I make a positive decision, stand by it and move forward. As I teach my clients: you can have a cheat meal every week, just not everyday.
Now, you may have a personal trainer who says, “Count your protein, carbs and fats, and do everything to moderation.”
Whilst I agree with this, to a degree, it is not sustainable. You cannot count calories, proteins, carbs and fats (PCF) all the time. You need to live your life. You cannot look at every meal and wonder if it exceeds your PCF’s. Instead, look at it very simply: does the meal contain the right portions of protein, carbs and good fats?
Why not focus on being healthy instead. Eat clean food and don’t be fooled by a packet with“Healthy”written on it. If it’s in a packet, it’s not healthy, in my opinion.
I hear people say all the time, “I went out for lunch/dinner with friends/family/colleagues, and I just ate what everyone else was eating, and I drank alcohol too.”
You know what, it’s a BS excuse. You know it, and I know it.
Why do you need to eat a rubbish meal when you go out for dinner?
- You could replace chips with veggies
- Get sauces/dressings on the side
- Cook a meal for your friends instead
- Replace wine with soda water & lime
Stop making excuses, it’s as simple as that. Yes, tomorrow is another day, but why not make today a good day.
People ask me, “How do you do it?” It’s simple: I plan. I plan my food; I plan when I will have a cheat meal; I plan what I will buy at the shops. It’s all in the planning.
If you have a good PT, he or she should be able to help you with this, if not, you can do it on your own:
- Grab a piece of paper and draw a table for 7 days, with 6 meals a day
- Write down when you will exercise
- Write down all your events, dinners etc.
- Add your meals and snacks, making sure you are eating good food
- Don’t forget to drink 3 liters of water per day
You have now, very simply, planned your week out. Best of all, it probably took less than 30 minutes to do.
Now you can create a shopping list. You can make food in advance and freeze it if you want.
Heed my best advice: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Well that’s it guys, I am pretty passionate about this stuff and I know you can do it. If you do need help look me up, since helping people is what I do for a living.