Things I Am Learning About Getting Lean

6 Things I Have Learned, Re-Learned or I Am Trying to Figure Out as I Work to Get Lean – Part 1

Sometimes, you have to look in the mirror, literally and figuratively, and decide if what you have been doing reflects who you want to be.  During the past couple of months I have been actively working toward dropping some body fat, regaining a lean composition and getting a glimpse of abs that had gradually blurred over the previous decade.  As a Personal Trainer, my role is to help others to attain their fitness goals, to be able to see their potential even when they can’t see it themselves, to encourage them to exceed their preconceived limitations and to have the knowledge and empathy to guide them on their own individual fitness journey.  I’ve always felt that a fitness professional should be able to walk the walk if they talk the talk.  Why would someone trust me to show them how to get fit if I didn’t look like I do it myself?

There are always logical reasons to kick it up a notch but sometimes you need a catalyst, something to help you flick that switch and put your money where your mouth is, something to give you an emotional reason to take action.  For me, that reason was my daughter’s decision to compete in a physique show.  If I was going to help her with diet and train with her, then it only made sense for me to do it too.

I’ve done this before. In 2004 I took first place in the Natural Provincial Masters Bodybuilding Championships, but that was a long time ago. Since then, I have suffered serious impact damage on my left leg quads, had surgeries to replace both hips, torn my left hamstrings, torn my right calf and developed severe arthritis in my left shoulder.  So, this time I am not confident but, rather, curious as to how a middle-aged, injury-riddled body will respond to a pre-contest training regimen.  I have discovered some things, been reminded of some other things and am contemplating stuff that might be able to help others.  So, without further ado, the first installment of 6 Things I Have Learned, Re-Learned or I Am Trying to Figure Out as I Work to Get Lean

You need to be determined. 

 Determined is defined as “having a strong feeling that you are going to do something and that you will not allow anyone or anything to stop you”.  When you decide to become lean, you need to be determined to become lean.

 This is a simple observation.  It is simple but not necessarily easy.  It is simple but not necessarily obvious.

Let’s face it; everyone has motivation to get into better shape – they know they would look better if they were a few pounds lighter, they know they would feel and move better if they were a bit lighter, they know their doctor wants them to drop some weight. But there’s a difference between knowing you should do something and actually following through and doing it.  There’s also a difference between actually committing to you versus sticking to a healthier diet for a few days only to capitulate every weekend or any time a social activity comes around. It has been said that the definition of insanity is consistently repeating the same actions but expecting different results. If you think about it, you KNOW why you aren’t losing weight despite “eating really healthy”. Attaining takes much more focused energy than maintaining does.

Obstacles will inevitably get in the way of your plans at some point.  Sometimes they are so serious and demand so much of your time and attention that it is impossible to stick to your plan, BUT most of the time people get thrown off course by distractions because they are simply willing to do so.  The office crowd going out for drinks Friday afternoon, cake being served at your niece’s birthday party or your spouse and kids imploring you to join them in an evening of snacks are not reasons for cheating on your diet... they are excuses – and very poor ones, at that – but they are not reasons, unless you have no real intention of following through. (By the way, I hate the term “cheating on your diet”. It implies that you need to be accountable to someone else, to explain your actions when your commitment is only to yourself).

When you are truly determined to make these changes, you do not cave in to the artificial temptation of instantly gratifying mouth pleasure.  You take pride in your self-discipline. You remain determined to live up to the commitment you have made to yourself.

Think about that and how it applies to your life... do you really want to make the changes? Do you want it enough to commit to yourself? Then decide to do it and become DETERMINED!