If you are looking to lose weight and keep it off, it is an all hands on deck effort. Sustained weight loss can be so difficult because it isn’t usually one thing that made the weight pile on. Lifestyle factors play the biggest role in causing, and curing metabolic syndrome.
I’d love to say getting to the gym is all you need to do, but it isn’t. Getting into a rhythm with workouts is likely the best first step you can take. To speed up results, you’ll have to address nutrition, sleep, stress management, etc.
This sounds overwhelming. How do you change your “lifestyle”? Really it’s a team sport. The most successful clients I have seen who have enjoyed the benefits of lasting change ALL have a team approach.
Believe it or not, between your household, work, and social circles, people around you are more than willing to help you with your goals. Oftentimes, all you have to do is ask.
Spouse. Abby and I have only been living together and married a couple months. I’m not cocky enough to be shelling out marriage advice at this point. What I have to share is about getting on the same page with your partner in crime about running your household. With her commuting to law school and me being self employed, we are both extremely busy.
We have to be diligent about making sure laundry is clean, dishes are done, healthy groceries are stocked, and food is prepped in the most efficient way possible. This has required constant dialogue. We have both communicated to each other what we need to be successful with work, fitness, and nutrition. We are on the same page about how chores work, when food prep happens, taking care of the dogs, and most importantly, sleep and wake times. If we were not on the same page and same team with these efforts, I would have a way harder time losing weight right now to get ready for hiking Kilimanjaro.
Kids. If I am not qualified to give marriage advice, I am even less qualified to give out parenting advice. Let me simply share what I have seen from careful observation of fit and unfit parents. However you do it, parents do need to have boundaries with the demands of your kids. If your standard is that you can never do anything for yourself in case they ever need anything, you are not going to succeed long term. Not taking care of yourself is not a requirement of good parenting. I’ve seen too many wonderful parents show me that. Those kids deserve a good example and parents that will be around for a long time. You can’t do that if you are constantly destroying your health.
I have never seen any child, in any stage of development or adulthood, who said “You know Mom and Dad, I really resent the way you took time to stay fit and healthy.” Ever. Kids want happy, healthy parents. They’ll complain when they need to eat vegetables, not when you do.
Friends. Share your weight loss goals with them and let them know what you need. Bonus points if you invite them to join you. This will prevent them from inadvertently undermining your goals. Slightly bummer warning: not all of your friends will support you. It’s a sad reality but I’ve seen it and I do need to share it. If you decide to not be a drunk anymore, your drunk friends get mad. If you decide to not be broke anymore, your broke friends get mad. If you decide to get healthier, sometimes your unhealthy friends get mad or undermine you. This is why my next point is so important.
Gym Community. If you surround yourself with positive people who have similar goals as you, you will do well. The community at On Target Fitness is here to cheer you on and help you succeed! If you end up drifting apart from friends that maybe weren’t actually good friends, you have a giant pile of new friends!
Your Personal Trainer. It’s no surprise that if you get a personal trainer, we will help you with your health and fitness goals. Here, you get a custom written strength and conditioning program, in depth coaching with tons of personal attention, and support along the way to make the changes outside of the gym that will help you accomplish your goals. It beats the pants off of trying to do all that yourself. If you are in the Portsmouth, Kittery, or Seacoast area, we should talk. Fill out the form above or below this article.
Work. This is a big one most people miss. For most, work stress and work schedule are a big factor in why they “can’t” get to the gym. Often when I sign people up as clients, I see them jump through massive hoops to ensure they schedule their workouts outside of very large work windows; often far larger than 40 hours per week. I love seeing the lightbulb go off when I ask: “have you talked at all with your boss about what you might need from them to accomplish these goals?” I have never heard of a boss that doesn’t want their team to be healthier. They’ll get better work, fewer sick days, and save the company a boat load of money. You would be truly shocked how willing to help your boss might be. Most just didn’t think to even have that conversation.
It won’t work if you’re not willing to ask. That said, if your work is truly unsupportive of your health and well being, consider if sacrificing years of your life with them and then cutting your life decades short for them is worth it. You could die of a heart attack tomorrow and they’ll have your job opening posted within a couple of days. It’s a great job market right now. If they can’t help you when you ask, you might need to start looking for other opportunities.
Your spouse, kids, friends, and work can all be why you fail or why you succeed. It is up to you to communicate what you are trying to accomplish, ask for the help you need, and set boundaries where needed. Spoiler alert: everyone wants to help you if you just ask!
When you are ready to talk to a personal trainer about your goals, fill out the form at the top and bottom of this page and I will take care of the rest : )
