The hill that I chose to fight on is the fitness industry.
And boy, let me tell you, everybody wants a quick fix.
They want to be told that in two months with a little bit of work, they will lose all the weight they want. They will have washboard abs, and they will be able to deadlift a house effortlessly.
Or mixing your Himalayan pink salt mined from the belly of some far-away mountain mixed with the blood of a centaur is what your body truly needs to lose those stubborn pounds.
I’ve heard crazier things on the internet. It is a scary place…
Everybody wants that quick, easy pill that all they have to do is take once a day. And that’s gonna deliver them all the success in the world.
In my 15 years of experience, this is not true. Whether someone’s goal is weight loss, muscle gain, athletic performance, or general health, your success often comes down to the boring, simple things that everyone overlooks.
Manage your expectations
The internet, man, it is a wild place.
It’s popular nowadays for people who are just personal trainers or strength and conditioning coaches to find some fancy title to give themselves to stand out.
Stupid names like:
- Body Architect
- Human Performance Movement Advocate
- Jenny From The Block
The title that I’ve chosen for myself is the “proprietor of gainz.” Just kidding, I’m a good old-fashioned personal trainer. But what I also do is help people manage their expectations.
When people go through our processes here at the gym, I’m sometimes posed with the question of “How long will it take for me to see results?” Which I don’t blame people because if I’m going to drop off a bunch of money to someone, I would like to know when I’m going to get my return.
I usually answer this question with two words: “it depends.”
Because it truly does. It depends on how well our clients choose to eat outside the gym, and the amount of work that they put inside of the gym is going to matter as well.
But I do know that if I can nudge them in the direction of being in the gym three times per week, 52 weeks out of the year, then something really cool is going to happen. My job is not to place a specific number or time frame for a goal. It’s my job as their coach to make sure that their expectations are realistic and obtainable. And the best way to get people to understand that is through consistency.
Once you can get people to rationalize that there’s not an end date, they’ll learn that progress is more about appreciating the process than working just towards the destination.
Move, sleep, drink water
When progress stalls for clients, which happens from time to time, they are usually wondering if it’s a programming issue or if it’s nutrition. I like to take the most simple approach first and audit a few sneaky things first.
Move more
When I first started out in this industry, I thought going for regular walks was silly and didn’t really count as exercise. Come to find out, I was very wrong. Going for a brisk walk is a great way to not only expend energy in addition to your weight training, but it’s going to improve your mental health as well.
What’s more, everyone can do it. Walking is accessible, and it is free. So, it is very hard to come up with a reason as to why you cannot do it.
The more movement that you can put into your life, the healthier you’re going to be, and those goals are just that much closer.
Sleep
I am a big sleep fan. In fact, I love going to sleep.
I am lights out no later than 9:00 p.m., and I’m ready to fist fight those demons in my dreams.
Hey guys, after all, nothing good happens past midnight, so go to bed. The end.
Just kidding, because as we know, sleep equals recovery, and there are dozens of other benefits to getting regular, very structured sleep.
If we were able to bottle up all the benefits that sleep gives us and take it as a supplement, it would be illegal because it would be more powerful than the well-known anabolic substances.
Drink water
Truth be told, I struggle with this from time to time.
Sometimes I wish I was a camel.
We don’t need to put a numerical amount on the water we should drink. You should go by your urine color. If it’s clear, you’re good to go. If it looks like Mountain Dew, for the love of God, drink some water.
I truly believe that most people live their life with chronic dehydration, and this can negatively impact your performance in the weight room. Some studies suggest upwards of the 8-10% range. Chronic lethargy can be attributed to the lack of hydration and other negative effects on your metabolic functions as well.
In Summary
Nothing I said here is revolutionary, nor is it anything that we haven’t heard before. With that being said, we as human beings do a very good job of going out of our way to make things far more complicated than they need to be.
Could our issues stem from the simple fixes above? Or do we need to grind up some raven’s claws and sprinkle in some baking powder found at the base of Mt. Everest mixed with the blood of a tree sloth?
Need help getting on track with the simple things that are going to make the biggest impact on your overall health?
Schedule your free consultation with us here: https://getjdfit.com/free-intro-social/
