It’s funny to watch all the “fitness experts” talk about “20 Ways to Drop 20 lbs FAST”.
Few of them ever touch on any psychology or address real solutions.
Can you think of ONE person who would easily shed 20 lbs and rock six-pack abs if some fitness vigilante told them that “spinach is a magical superfood”?
The result of these “fitness tips” is a glut of people using all their willpower to refrain from eating a cookie in the office break room with no discernible results… and a side of soul-crushing guilt.
Willpower is a finite resource. You need to take a different approach, such as changing your environment, removing triggers and taking baby steps.
Think about the amount of willpower necessary to permanently develop a good habit:
If you want to go to the gym after work you need to come home (after burning up a lot of willpower at work), walk past your couch, avoid your tv, computer, tablet, i-whatever, change into your workout clothes, walk past a bunch of distractions again, go out in the cold, get to the gym, decide what exercises you’re going to do, set your rep schemes, pick your Pandora station etc. etc. etc…
To break bad habits, and build better habits, we need to understand our shortcomings and use systems, automation and our limited willpower to tackle things that really matter while ignoring the rest.
It’s time to stop focusing on the minutia and start prioritizing what actually matters.
If your goal is to get back into shape, you need to focus your attention on removing any barriers that will stop you from working out:
- Set a workout schedule in your calendar, and treat those blocks of time as you would an important meeting with your boss
- Start small. Begin with 2x-3x a week, and only add a third after attending the first two are a habit
- Go to the gym at a time you have control over
- Don’t let late meetings, upset clients or traffic interfere with your workout time
- Hire a professional to think about the technical stuff for you: Do you really want to waste willpower selecting your exercises, choosing your rest intervals, playing with rep schemes and researching good form?
So next time you’re reading advice about “15 Workout Routines to Get You Beach Ready in No Time Flat” or “8 SURPRISING Foods Making You Fat”, ask yourself: has this really helped anyone?
Are the millions of people who follow this advice really not “trying hard enough”?
Or is there a systemic problem that has us using our limited cognition on small tasks that produce no discernible long term results.
Instead, how can we focus on the big wins and develop systems that will produce massive results?
Yesterday I presented you with the opportunity to set up a No Sweat Intro at Locomotion FItness.
I am passionate about our programs because I know they work. We’ve taken the guesswork out of getting healthier and happier.
So if you’re ready to get started and take the first step towards creating a BIG WIN:
