HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLE

How to Break the Cycle

Zumba, Kickboxing, CrossFit, Orange Theory, Sweatin’ to the Oldies, P90X… 

What do all of these methods of achieving fitness have in common?  They are all the perfect program!  They all work!  They can all get you fit.  They can all give you the results of your dreams! Ok, I don’t know about Sweatin’ to the Oldies, but the rest can!  

How can that be you ask?  

Well I’m glad you asked!  The truth is that our bodies love to move.  They love to be challenged physically.  They have pre-wired systems already in place for the demands we place on them.  They adapt.  They become more resilient.  They become stronger.  Your capacity to do more work and exercise increases as you continue to ask more of your body.  Our bodies reward us not only with this amazing adaptation to do more and more, but they also reward us with psychological benefits from exercise.  Hormones are secreted that make us feel amazing, not to mention the feelings of accomplishment we get from having discipline and from achieving things we set out to.  

So why in the world with all of these amazing benefits is it so stinking hard to stay consistent with exercising? I mean, the choices we have are seemingly endless.  You can even buy enough equipment on amazon prime to have your own home gym up and running next week, but does that mean you’re going to stick with it?   Unfortunately, as many of us know from experience, it does not.  

We’ve all been through the following cycle:

“Now is the time! I’m going to start going to the gym, start eating right and finally get fit!”

We crush it that first week.  We work out 4 times, avoid the cake and cookies at the office and we’re like

“New body, who dis?”.  

Week two of “New You” rolls around and we didn’t sleep great Sunday night so we skip the gym on Monday.   Someone brought doughnuts to the office and they even brought the ones with that creamy stuff inside that we love.  Ehh, why not.  We go ahead and have two of those bad boys.  We hit the gym two more times that week though so all is not lost.  The third week is even busier than last week and we only made it to gym once.  Not to mention that we skipped breakfast 3 times and had pizza for lunch twice.  By this point we’ve pretty much fallen off the wagon, so we just throw in the towel and go back to whatever we were doing last month.  

If this cycle has played out in your life, that makes you normal.  We’ve all been there.  There’s nothing wrong with you and it doesn’t mean you’re a special hopeless case.  It just means you didn’t have a plan that set you up for success.  It’s not a surprise that a plan that really never was a plan to start with didn’t succeed.  

If your plan was pretty much “start going to the gym and start eating healthy”, it’s going to be an uphill battle. We need to get specific and we need accountability.  There is a better way that will help set you up for success.  A better way with structure and measurable outcomes. 

Option 1.  Hire a coach that can help you set realistic goals, design a specific and detailed plan that fits your lifestyle and most importantly is SUSTAINABLE and that they can hold you accountable to.  THIS is how you break the cycle.  A SUSTAINABLE, program that can be maintained consistently for a long time. 

Option 2. Assess your goals, your lifestyle and devise a plan of attack.   Things to consider if you are going to go at it alone:

1. What is my goal? (Be specific)

2. What limitations do I have? (Injuries, equipment, fear of movements)

3. How often can I commit to training? (Shoot for at least 3x per week)

4. How long can I train on those days? (60 minutes is sufficient)

5. What parts of my body do I need to train (hit everything 2x week, don’t forget cardio).

6. How will I hold myself accountable? (accountability or workout partner)

7. What and how much should I eat to lose fat? (read everything digital barbell has written!)

8. How will I hold myself accountable for my nutrition (find a buddy to share your food log with)

You can be successful with or without a coach, but it takes work.  It takes discipline and it takes a solid plan that sets you up for success.  So before you decide to “start going to the gym and eat healthy” next time, take a step back and talk to a coach or at a minimum, come up with a SOLID plan that gives you a much better chance of success this time. 

If you are looking for a coach to join you on your fitness journey, apply for a free coaching call with us.