Do you know what will be your biggest Challenge when you try to lose weight and get back into shape?
Want to learn a simple, ten minute technique that will help you begin to overcome your biggest challenge?
First, which of the following do you “think” is YOUR biggest challenge?
Nutrition: What to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat..
Exercise: How to exercise, how to breathe, learning how to hold your body right, what muscles are weak and tight, all will be challenging, but not your biggest challenge
Staying motivated, consistent, and focused.
Changing your perception about what healthy IS. This and all the above will present you with various challenges, but still none of these will be your BIGGEST Challenge.
“Okay Erik, get to it already!!?”
Your biggest challenge will be fixing the habits that are working against you. YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE Identifying The 20% Of Your Lifestyle Habits That Cause 80% Of Your Problems And Fixing Them!
This is a very important point. Often people try to change everything. And that is completely frustrating, but changing just a few things, that’s doable and realistic.
Changing your lifestyle is a lot like correcting an improper movement pattern. (Now this will be a little scientific and technical, so bear with me) First you have to identify the issue, then you need to fix it. To retrain the movement pattern requires 1500 to 2000 “correct” repetitions to reprogram the neuromuscular movement pattern.
If you fail to address the issues, you will spend a lot of time and effort to create a different “incorrect” movement pattern and fall short of the results you are likely trying to obtain. This is frustrating.
So, just like training your muscles, you need to train yourself to identify and fix what is holding you back by sticking with what works. That means eating smarter, and learning how to make lifestyle changes that become reflexive. When you don’t have to think about being healthy anymore, you’ll be able to keep your waistline trim and your weight under control, effortlessly.
I tell you this because changing your lifestyle is a process. It is a process of trial and error, and the process is often challenging, especially when you replace something that works, with something that doesn't. So by determining what to focus on, you will get better results, faster, you’ll stay motivated, and you’ll enjoy the process which makes being healthy more enjoyable, and that adds up to a lot less frustration.
So What’s The 10 Minute Technique That Will Help You Change Your Lifestyle And Accelerate Your Results?
Here is a simple strategy that will help you begin to change the 20% of lifestyle habits that are affecting you negatively.
A simple lifestyle habit that sets you up for failure is; failing to plan. For some of you this could be the entire 20%. And the busier you are the more havoc lack of planning will create.
So your commonsense strategy starting today is to allocate 10 minutes at the end of every day, in the evening before you get ready to retire, to plan the next day’s meals. I do this myself, all the time! (Especially when I have to get up at 3:15 AM to conduct Training CAMP.) Why? Because I know that Nutrition is the key to faster results and for staying lean.
If I don’t plan, It is too easy to become the victim of my work day, and if I get too busy to eat, or fail to bring at least two meals, I’ll eat things that I normally wouldn’t or I’ll go too long between meals, and I’ll be STARVED at the end of the day and I’ll likely eat too much or worse, too much of the wrong thing.. Sound Familiar?
Use the 10 minutes to "prep" what you are going to eat for breakfast. You could even cook it the night before. Then pack two to three small meals that contain a lean source of protein, low sugar fruits and or veggies, and some fat; like 4-5 raw nuts or a tablespoon of peanut butter.
It’s just 10 little minutes. It’s so simple that often people are skeptical. But, this is a totally different lifestyle habit…. wouldn’t you agree?. After about 21 days this will be a new habit.
Possible Deterrents:
No food to make, no groceries.
Nothing to pack lunch in, no lunch box, brown bag or cooler..
Then use the 10 min to “game plan” the next day that will include going to the grocery store or a trip to Target to shop for your lunch tools so you can get started the next day.
This is what your nutrition plan should look like tomorrow. If the menu below seems overwhelming, just come as close as you can. But notice each meal contains Protein, carbs, and Fat, that is the key.
Breakfast- One of the meals described in last week’s newsletter.
Mid Morning* meal- Chicken breast strips with an apple and 4-6 whole almonds.
Lunch- Tuna Salad, on bed of greens, with Oil & vinegar dressing, 1 whole pear.
Mid Afternoon* meal- 3oz salmon, broccoli and ¼ cup wild rice. ( if your cooking dinner, this should be a serving of last nights dinner)
Dinner- Chicken Taco’s- Grilled Chicken, side salad, 2 corn tortillas, Chopped Yellow squash and zucchini.
PM snack- (If hungry). 1 medium banana or 2/3 large banana, w/ scoop of protein, 2 oz rice or skim milk, ¼ cup raw oats. Mix it all together and enjoy.
*Mid Morning or Mid Afternoon meals can be substituted for a protein shake and piece of fruit w/ a 4-6 almonds.
Don’t complicate things. It takes 21 days to form a new habit, so just do what you can for 10 minutes. If it takes longer. Just stop at 10 minutes. It will be a big improvement on what you’ve been doing.
That’s it. Remember this Is a process. Don’t be a perfectionist. Little changes will add up to BIG results and changing your lifestyle is about fixing the 20% that causes 80% of your problems. This makes it easy to do the right things and create bigger and better results…faster. After all, ONE SIZE does not fit all.
Get to plannin’.!
Dedicated to your health and fitness success,
Erik E. Johnson