I am asked this question all the time. Mostly in reference to “diet”. In today’s society in the United States we have an epidemic of obesity and no one knows what to do.....or do they?
I am going to lay out my most simple answer to this question. Then you can do what you want with it. This is what I tell all of my clients. This is what we at GetReal Training Live by. It is SIMPLE! It is EASY to do. But wait, before I tell you the answer I want to give you a 30 paragraph reason why you need this info and how much it’s going to cost you to down load our exclusive programs and our magic pills.....
FORGET THAT garbage right now.
Let’s get right to it!
STOP researching WHAT to do and START doing SOMETHING! I don't care WHAT it is but just do something that will get you closer to your goal. Do it every day for at least 90 days. If it’s a diet plan or exercise plan just stick with it for 90 days. Don’t jump from “this said...” to “that said...” article/commercial/video on the internet. Stick to something and a change will start!
So what are some simple things you can do?
- I’ve had clients and non clients alike ask “what can I do to lose weight?” My answer to everyone is the same, start by drinking ONLY WATER. How hard is that? Everything you drink that’s NOT water has a potential to add calories to your diet. Think about it, soda (one of America’s biggest beverages) when was your last drink? How many glasses did you order/have? I don’t CARE if it’s “DIET” don’t drink it! Why? Because you asked what you can do and I’m telling you plain and simple!
- Make sure every meal you eat is loaded with vegetables. “But I don’t like veggies” Fine, well then stay the same! Again you asked what to do!
- Increase your protein intake. Chances are you don’t eat enough quality protein. It’s simple make sure you eat 0.8-1.5g/lb of your body wt/day. Protein is incredibly important to your fat loss. It is also the primary building block source for muscle/tendon/tissue. EAT Protein!
- Stop blaming CARBS! Start taking account of yourself! Stop eating like a child already. Yeah I know it’s easy to grab a bar or a hand full of cookies or a pop tart or donuts, a bagel....etc. we have all done it. I’ve done it. (And still do at times). But do you do this on a daily basis? Is this your staple breakfast/snacks? Stop it! Start thinking of your carbs as fuel. It’s the gas in your tank. Low energy output=lower carb need. High energy output=higher carb needs. This takes you back to #1 EAT more veggies.
- Minimize sugar intake but Eat more fruit! ........here it comes......”isn’t fruit full of sugar?” Fine let’s rephrase that, minimize PROCESSED sugar and any products it’s used in aka remember back to #1&4. (Soda,cookies,donuts,pop tarts,white bread,juice,etc..) you get the idea! Fruit is good for you cookies are not! Try it. Make fruit your ONLY “sweets”. Hey I’m just giving you the simple honest answer to your question.
- Fat is NOT making you fat! Eating too much food is making you fat! Simple as that! So forget “fat free” and don’t be afraid to consume fats. Your body NEEDS it!! (Avocado is my favorite)
- KEEP an HONEST food journal. When you don’t record that one cookie, soda, beer, whatever it is, you are cheating on your journal. And I want you ALL to know....I DON’T CARE if you do cause it’s not hurting ME! But I DO Care because We can look back when you are having a bad week or when you feel like crap and see what happened, But ONLY if your honest with yourself! I’m NOT going to judge you for eating a handful of Oreos, but if you seriously want help then you need to start recording everything honestly. Why do you want to sabotage your chances of success? However just remember even if you don’t, your body ALWAYS keeps an honest and accurate record.
- Next is get out and DO something. Increase your activity. Exercise more. Be consistent with it. “I don’t have time” I’m gonna make this simple, YES you do, you just don’t want to do it. Stop being lazy, Start feeling better! Be accountable and honest with yourself. If you wanted to go to the beach you’d find time to go. Why, because you WANT to. So instead of immediately saying you don’t have time, just give it a shot and go do something outside like go for a hike, jog, walk, and keep it short. See how long you are out there. Make it a habit. Before you know it you just made a new time slot in your busy schedule. Leave your watch/phone behind. Eliminate distractions of “time”. Remember “time is relative”.
- Lift heavy. LADIES!!!......... You HAVE to stop thinking you’ll look like Arnold! Muscle IS a key ingredient to fat loss. So many women are afraid to lift. WHY in the world a woman wouldn’t want to be strong is baffling to me. Don’t accept being the “weaker sex” your NOT! Also, to the ladies who say “I can’t lift” while walking around with a child on each hip, grocery bags in hand and a diaper bag on the shoulder.....WHAT!!? Sorry Ma’am, you CAN TOO lift! Get to it! But don’t think you Guys are any better! Come on guys when was the last time you banged out 10 push-ups, or climbed a rope or anything for that matter. I remember the pull up test in school was humiliating and few could do them. So.....then DO them! As a kid I climbed trees. That’s what kids in my day did. We didn’t have computers/phones/games consoles. We spent hours outside doing STUFF. What happened?! Go do stuff! Go lift heavy weights so stuff is easier to do! Then go do more stuff!
- Finally SLEEP! Don’t say you can’t! Here is what you are going to do. Tonight at 9:30/10:00 turn OFF your TV/Phones/Radio/ALL Lights/put distractions in another room (phone) crawl in bed and then squeeze every muscle in your body as hard as you can for about 30 seconds. Including your eyes, lips, fists, glutes, toes.. everything! Then after 30 seconds release your muscles as SLOW as you can and breath slow and deep. When you are completely relaxed again, don’t move for as long as you can! BAM asleep! If you truly “can’t sleep” maybe you need to look at your food journal. Chances are you have been consuming a lot of caffeine. Don’t say it doesn’t keep you from sleeping, I mean you just said you “can’t sleep”. Caffeine is a stimulant. And to sleep you MUST stop stimulating your brain prior to going to bed! ALL stimulants!! If you were doing #1 already and drinking a gallon of water a day we wouldn't be taking about caffeine now would we!
To recap:
- Drink water
- Eat more veggies
- Eat more protein
- Stop blaming CARBS
- Eat fruit not sugar
- Eat fats
- Keep an HONEST food journal
- Do Something active
- Lift weights
- Sleep
I know some of these seem harsh and honest but then that’s what puts the REAL in GetReal Training! If I just sat by and said “it’s ok, I know you can’t do it” I would only be enabling you to keep doing what’s NOT working for you. NO that’s not why you are seeking help and advice. You WANT someone to push you. You NEED someone to push you. You need someone to be honest with you and hold you accountable. It’s not comfortable to say this kind of stuff to people I truly care about. It’s not comfortable to Hear this said to you. BUT if it’s not said then do I truly care about you? Listen, your money is not what drives this gym. It’s the Real results we strive to get each of you to achieve. Each of you has a gift, that’s called LIFE! The question is do you want it to be quality and give these simple things a real chance or do you want to stay stuck in the rut you’re in now, continuing to ask “what should I do?” The choice is yours!
I challenge all of you who read this to start just ONE of these things and DO it for 90 days! See the change it makes and add another one! Do this and Prove me wrong! You won’t though, cause you’ll be too excited with your new results!
Finally if you want one of the best support teams to surround your self with as you begin your journey, join us. We are not like any other gym. We are a team, a support group, a positive encouragement, a motivation, a challenge, a family, but most of all we are just all in this together, doing the best we can to be the best humans possible!
Be REAL Rise Exercise And Live!
GetReal Training, LLC
215-416-5757
www.facebook.com/GRTLLC