Things I have learned:
1. Losing weight is a whole-body thing. I never had an issue with this idea, but a lot of people want to spot-tone. I just tell them it's like wearing a fat suit. All or nothing. Although some people do have areas where it goes off faster. But this is a misconception I hear a lot; people just don't understand.
2. Looking shredded is ALL about the kitchen. It cracks me up when you see people endlessly working out, especially doing cardio like on a treadmill (for YEARS sometimes!), but getting no results because they refuse to change their diet. And you try talking to them and they don't want to hear it. Oh well. The reason I got in shape was because I sought out the people who had the results I wanted and talked to them about how they did it. The people who get results have the procedure to obtain them; learn & follow the procedures consistently and you'll get results too!
3. Diets don't work. In America, we have a culture of dieting. The one-line explanation is: diets are temporary projects; when you are finished, you go back to where you were. Nature of the beast, that's why they don't work. You need a permanent lifestyle change to make it stick. I use the terminology "meal plan" instead of "diet" to differentiate it when I talk to people about eating for results.
4. Going to bed early & getting enough sleep are the master keys to the universe. You have more energy and you have more motivation from getting more rest at earlier hours. I fought this for a long time because I hate going to bed early (and here it is 11pm! lol) but the fact is, my body is on a Circadian rhythm and getting the same 7 hours of sleep from midnight to 7am is NOT the same as from 9pm to 4am. Plus beauty sleep (my acne disappears when I hit the hay early). Plus muscle repair (you need sleep to grow your muscles). Sleep is key. Sleep is the foundation of my health universe.
5. Vegan works when you do it right. Specifically, the Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier. There are many misconceptions about eating a meatless diet and most people do it wrong (Boca Burgers & soy ice cream do not a healthy diet make). I'm glad the Internet exists to be able to research this because I've never felt better than when I keep up with my veggie-based diet. I didn't know it was possible to feel this good for long periods of time. Sleep, food, exercise. It's magic!
6. You can get ripped by doing a calisthenics workout, and you can do that workout anywhere!. I got hooked on this after seeing the Men's gymnastics in the Olympics. I laughed when I saw it, but then realized those dudes were wicked shredded and looked into it and discovered stuff like the Calisthenics Kingz. No gym required! Do it all from the comfort of your home. Being "strong" never really captured my interest (ex. Stronglifts 5x5), but having a great physique did because I'm very interested in visible results. Not so much in a vain way (I'm happily married), but in a self-confidence boosting way. Eat, exercise, get results you can see. Awesome!
7. Adopting a routine is key. Change is hard. Very few people stick to their decision to get in shape, and even if they do, it's easy to fall away. We're all childish inside, so you have to create a culture in your life to keep up the habits. I keep junk food out of my house and I have a TV with Netflix in front of my elliptical machine; it really helps when my only options are healthy food and I have something interesting to take my mind off cardio. You can make exercise fun and you can make healthy food taste good; it's totally up to you!
8. Convenience is king. Is your exercise machine readily available, or is there crap on it & it's tucked in a corner? Do you have a music player or TV handy? Do you cook all of your meals before you start the day, and do you carry them around with you so they're always handy to eat? Do you have a water bottle within arm's reach? Do you have an interesting audiobook to help you fall asleep & make bedtime more inviting? Some people have inherent motivation, but most people do not, so you need to setup your environment to make doing what you really want to do convenient. This has been one of the biggest keys to my success in going from being a loaf to living a healthy lifestyle. It's just human nature. Sometimes I get weak and tired and want to cave to junk food, staying up late, not exercising, etc., but it really helps when I have my environment setup with an easy path to success.
9. Be willing to invest in yourself. You'll spend $6 on a drink at Starbucks but then complain about how expensive protein powder is? Or $11 on a McDonalds meal, but then complain that vegetables are expensive? Or $500 on a new Xbox, but gee, that elliptical machine sure is pricey? When you're motivated, you'll find a way to get what you want. If you're not willing to invest in yourself with time, money, and effort, then you aren't really committed and don't fully care about getting the results you want. On the flip side, buying that fancy treadmill isn't going to keep you motivated. It'll work for a few days, but then you'll go back to your old habits.
10. Making a specific plan is a huge key to success. What are your goals? How are you going to achieve them - is there someone else who followed a procedure that you can follow too in order to get their results? Have you tried out the recipes, the exercises, and the bedtime? Have you purchased the food, a gym pass or workout equipment, exercising clothing, etc.? The more specific you get about your plans and the more preparation you do, the better your results will be. People always tell me "Oh, I want to get in shape so bad". Does that mean you just want to be skinny? Ripped? Strong? Participate in endurance events or sports? Pick something, make a plan that you know will work based off research, and do it. Make it convenient for yourself to do.
11. I only partially agree with the different food theories. My theory is, eat 5 to 6 small meals every 3 hours or less, stop eating 3 hours before bed, and stop drinking 1 hour before bed. My buddy did the "eat one meal a day" thing for a long time and got the same results as he did before on the small meals diet, but what a crummy way to go - starving yourself all day, taking a big blood sugar hit, etc. I like eating all day because it keeps my blood sugar (and blood pressure, haha) stable all day, and also because it curbs cravings because it's easier not to eat a cookie when you're already full and know you will be eating again in 3 hours. So I get to eat tasty food all day long and avoid being hungry...ever. Personally, I like this system the best, but that's just me. But I think this caters to human nature more than anything - we like to eat, we like to snack, we are governed my mood, so it's easy for your willpower to dissolve quickly and for your plans to fall apart regarding food. If you never let yourself get hungry, it's a lot easier to stick with your meal plan.
12. Healthy food can taste good. This was something I REALLY didn't understand before I got into Health & Fitness. I always thought getting in shape meant eating garbage-tasting nastyness from health food stores or the veggie aisle. Turns out I couldn't be more wrong. I eat like a king now, waaaay better than I did before - steamed salmon & carrots, chicken salad wraps, etc. (well, when I'm not eating my plant-based diet, haha). I think there's a huge misconception out there that a lot of people where they feel like they'll have to dump tasty food for the rest of their lives if they want to eat healthy. Totally not true; really what I've seen as the biggest obstacle is that people hate shopping and hate having to cook every meal. It is a pain, but the results are worth it!
Gosh there's just so much stuff, you know? I wish I could teach everyone who is interested in getting healthy & getting in shape all of this stuff in 5 minutes and really pound it into their head to adopt the ideas, but there's always so much resistance. Bottom line, the people who want to do it find a way to do it. The people who only kind of care quit after a short period of time (I'm sure I've done this a thousand times, haha). It all depends on how serious you want to be about it.
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