If you’re familiar with my teachings on ideal exercise for fat loss you may be surprised to know there was a time when I was proud to be known as a certified ‘cardio queen’. Yep. I’d do hours and hours of the stuff each day let alone each week. All in the eternal quest to burn off more energy than what I consumed. Which – considering my low-fat, lean protein, sensible carb diet – I was most definitely achieving. Of course the long and the short of it is that it never quite worked. It was a constant struggle to stay ‘almost’ in good shape, and if you’re currently a fan of endurance training and low-cal eating then I’m guessing you’re finding the same thing.
The Most Important Thing I Can Teach You About Weight Loss
You see, when it comes to being in great shape and brimming with health, math is not your friend. One plus one most certainly does not equal two, or – in this case – burning off more calories than you eat and creating a so-called deficit does not necessarily result in fat loss. If only it were that simple.
The truth is that your body answers to the laws of biochemistry, not math. There are a myriad of factors which dictate every aspect of your health, your energy, and your physical state. Nutrition and exercise are merely the starting point. Your hormones are powerful enough to override even the best of food and workout choices and can sometimes create imbalances that fight against you no matter what you do. Heck, even your mind has the ability to control how well you do or don’t shape up. It can be a little frustrating to feel that you’re doing everything ‘right’ but things still aren’t adding up as you thought they would, can’t it?
But Here’s The Good News
Your metabolism is like a bank. When you make regular contributions, not only do you feel pretty damn good about yourself in the short-term but you start to notice long-term results that far outweigh a simple 1+1=2. You notice that you can ‘get away’ with the occasional treat in a way you never used to be able to. You realize your body is recovering quicker from exercise despite the fact that you’re working harder. You notice you’re fitting more in each workout and yet leaving the gym sooner. That your clothes are gradually becoming ever looser. That you can take a week or two off for a holiday and bounce back into shape within a matter of days. You might even notice things like your ability to recover from a hangover is reverting to that of a 20-year old! (Not that I’m advocating heavy drinking unless it’s resveratrol filled red wine of course!)
The point is that looking and feeling your best is not as simple as plus or minus, but it is something you can slowly but surely control when you live your life according to certain principles -
- Choose foods that intrinsically satisfy you and are as unprocessed as possible
- Don’t be afraid of natural fats or indeed anything truly natural
- Mimic ‘real life’ movements in your training rather than doing unnatural bouts of cardio
- Include as much incidental exercise as possible in your day – not for the calories it burns but because your body was designed to transport itself not sit or be transported all day
- Spend your thoughts on life and on living in the moment, on enjoying the day to day rather than fretting about the big picture
- Believe that you’re becoming healthier each week and let your actions follow those thoughts
- Avoid plastics, microwaved foods, excessive toxin exposure, drugs, vaccinations and antibiotics and indeed anything else that could play havoc with your hormonal system
- Be open to traditional approaches to health such as herbs, superfoods and the like
- When you’re getting frustrated or beating yourself up for having a ‘bad’ day just accept that it is what it is and that this too, will pass. There’s no benefit to dwelling on negativity when you could use that energy for good.
The little things really do make a difference. Being successful (whatever that means to you) at this game is something you’re going to get better and better at with time. So next time you feel like your contribution for that day is too small to make a difference remember that the results are in the long-term growth. And that every choice you make is either money in the bank or money down the drain. And of course, always always remember -
Life is Now. Press Play.
Kat
What are some of the little habits that you have formed in your day-to-day life to contribute to overall health and weight management?
If you liked this post please tweet it. Thankyou!
If you’re a regular reader and haven’t been active in the BodyIncredible community then now is the time – I want your involvement, your feedback, and your questions! So why not make this the day to leave a comment before you go – if you’re reading from RSS or email you’ll have to enter the blog to do this. You can do that by clicking on the title of this piece. ‘Post a comment’ is at the article end, right under the ’share this’ and ‘related posts’ options.
If you haven’t yet subscribed to this feed, what are you waiting for? Do it now. You can choose either email or RSS by clicking here. If you enjoyed this article please forward to your friends. Thank-you!
Tweet This Post
