The Most Underutilized Body Transformation Tool

Mental Toughness for Body Transformation

Your lungs are burning.  Your legs feel like lead.  Sweat is burning your eyes.  You are hot, it is hard to breathe, and everything in you is screaming at you to stop.  At that moment, your coach screams, “Ten seconds left- PUSH HARDER”.  You have a choice to make- to push or to give up.  What you choose in that moment will have effects that reach far beyond that moment in time so it is important that you learn to choose well in these moments.  Learning to push when you would rather quit helps you to develop the most underutilized body transformation tool that exists- mental toughness.

Photo Credit: www.kidvskat.wikia.com

Getting fit is a mental game.  Almost everyone knows it but very few actively seek to engage in that game to ensure success with body transformation and life.   The level of mental toughness an individual has determines whether they will fall into the category of those who simply know what to do yet remain unsuccessful in following through to reach their goals OR those who do what it takes to make their dreams reality in what may appear to be an effortless manner.  The truth is that those who finish and succeed at body transformation work just as hard as those who don’t- the appearance of ease only comes from the fact that they have decided that they must finish and have totally abandoned the option of quitting.   So now that you know that getting mentally tough is required for your body transformation journey, here are three ways to get started on your journey to mental toughness.

#1: Start DOING.

The first part of cultivating mental toughness is showing up.  Once you learn what you need to do- do it. Show up for your workouts. Go grocery shopping.  Cook your food.  Do what it takes to give yourself a chance to succeed. Knowing what to do without doing it is worse than not knowing because you always have the annoying voice in the back of your head saying, “but you know what to do, just do it.”  Take action and silence that voice.

Photo Credit: zazzle.com

#2: Develop the habit of finishing.

In order to transform your body, you will need to continue to exercise, eat well, and get rest even when life happens.  Even when you need to work late, the children get ill, or your car breaks down, there is still a way to take the daily actions required to succeed.  You just need to get very good at finding and then taking advantage of that alternate route to your goal.  Setting small challenges is an awesome way to develop the habit of finishing.   Give up sugar for 5 days.  Commit to working out for 10 days straight.  Pick a challenge and then pick another when that one is complete.  You will develop the winning habit of finishing what you begin.

#3: Keep challenging yourself.

You will not get mentally tough from continuously doing what you already know you can do.  Expose yourself to new PHYSICAL challenges constantly.  Try the harder variation of an exercise in training.  Learn a new physical skill.  Commit to doing something that scares you (something legal of course).  Sticking with the safe, expected, and familiar is a huge hindrance to developing mental toughness.  Embrace the unknown and unexpected.

Photo Credit: runwithmark.wordpress.com

#4:  Learn and respect the difference between pain and discomfort and injury.

Pain and discomfort are both temporary and getting used to enduring both will help you follow through and finish.  Injury on the other hand (like a muscle tear, broken bones, etc.) is not helpful and should be avoided. 

#5: Spend time with mentally tough people.

You take on characteristics of those you spend the most time with.  If your friends are more likely to say, “I don’t know why you tried to get up that early to work out anyway” rather than, “Just set a second alarm.  You can do it.” – You are hanging with the wrong crowd.  Find people who challenge you and spend time around them.  When you are stronger, you can strengthen others so don’t feel guilty about spending less time with those that don’t challenge you and enable you to remain weak.    

The formula for mental toughness is simple- show up, don’t stop, do something harder, REPEAT.  Even though the formula is simple, the never ending journey is often times difficult.  When you feel like giving up, revisit your motivation.  Remember why you embarked upon this journey in the first place.  Think of all of the positive benefits you will enjoy as a result of following through then dig in and keep going.

If you found this article helpful, PAY IT FORWARD, and share it with a friend.

How Can I Get Fit When He Eats Like This?

Body Transformation While Married to a Nutritional Opposite

Consistently eating a healthy diet for greater health and body transformation in today’s world where tempting food is often available can be challenging even for the most dedicated fitness enthusiast. The difficulty of succeeding with the supportive eating habit can grow exponentially when your spouse or housemate is not quite on board with healthy eating. Although staying the course while facing daily temptation is hard, it is possible and it is definitely worth it. Here are three tips to staying the course despite your surroundings.

Tip #1: Talk to your spouse or housemate about your reasons for changing your eating habits.
Sometimes when someone we are close to changes, it can be uncomfortable and evoke worries about whether or not the relationship will remain intact. It is important to identify and share your motivation with your partner. In most cases, your driving force is far deeper than fitting into a certain size or outfit. Tap into the raw, emotional reasons why you want to change. Someone who sincerely cares about you is very likely to be supportive of your changes if they know what you are fixing by changing your lifestyle. Your spouse may not think it is important for you to drop a dress size but if he knows that your lack of follow through with your fitness goals is building a habit of avoiding rather than overcoming challenges, he may be less likely to bring you food treats as his display of love for you.

Tip #2: Make a plan that includes splurges and then stay true to your plan. If you don’t respect your plan, don’t expect anyone else to do it for you.
Part of your initial discussion with your partner can include sharing exactly what your plan includes and when you are free to splurge. Knowing when you will have time for a more relaxed nutrition approach can help your spouse know that your new goal doesn’t completely eliminate any food related events you used to enjoy together. While many coaches will advise that you just replace the food related events with events that don’t involve food, this switch may not be immediately feasible- especially if your spouse doesn’t have a fitness goal of their own. Finally, once you set your plan and state your intentions…STICK TO YOUR GUNS! If you want your partner to respect your nutrition decisions, you must be the first to respect those decisions. If you are all talk and no follow through, your partner will not take you seriously and may still suggest unsupportive foods and events due to your inconsistency.

Tip #3: Designate a spot for the unsupportive food in your house and then stay clear.
A complete kitchen sweep in which you throw away all of the unsupportive foods in your house may not be feasible if those foods belong to someone else in the house. You can however, move all of the unsupportive food to a designated area so that you don’t have to reach past them multiple times a day. You can explain how having this separate area helps you stay on track and then stay out of the stash.

This is one Fit Club member's unsupportive food designated area. It is in an obscure part of the pantry that she can easily ignore. Hopefully soon, her family will be following her example and this food can be tossed never to return again.

Bonus Tip: Don't nag. Don't judge. Don't be a drag.

Your decision to change should be about you! Lead by example but don't nag him to change just because you have finally seen the light. Don't make smart comments about what he is eating. Finally don't walk around somber and sad just because you no longer randomly indulge in unsupportive foods like your partner. Your change is supposed to be for a better you so be excited about the journey and the benefits. Your spouse will probably not be supportive if your healthy lifestyle change causes you to be in a sour mood all the time.

In summary, you can successfully transform your eating, health, and body even if you live with someone who doesn’t share the same desire. Sharing your motivation with them and then leading by example just may win them over to the fitness lifestyle as well!

Body Transformation Without Willpower - Top 6 Tips

NO WILLPOWER? NO PROBLEM!
6 TIPS TO HELP YOU TRANSFORM YOUR BODY WITHOUT WILLPOWER

Are you one of the millions of people who have given up on transforming your body and getting into great shape because you don’t have willpower? Do you go through the motions of your exercise routine with little belief that your body will change because you haven't found a way to will yourself to stay consistent with your nutrition? You don’t need willpower to have a successful body transformation. As a matter of fact, WILLPOWER IS OVERRATED.... DON'T COUNT ON IT!

By definition, willpower is the trait of resolutely (without hesitation) controlling your own behavior. In terms of diet or fitness, I would say willpower is the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior IN THE FACE OF TEMPTATION. When you are in the habit of eating what tastes good whenever you please, how likely is it that you will control yourself WITHOUT HESITATION when faced with temptation? Not likely at all. If you count on willpower, you will be disappointed with every attempt at developing a healthier, happier lifestyle.

So how does a healthy eating novice succeed at body transformation and a healthier lifestyle? Avoidance is the key. Until healthy eating has become a deeply ingrained habit, I recommend practicing discipline instead of willpower.

Discipline by definition is to train by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control. Right now you are in training and that training goes far beyond the time you spend in the gym. You are training yourself to develop healthy habits that support your goal. One of those habits is to eat healthy, wholesome food that supports optimal health, energy, and fat loss. So now what you have to do is practice eating that way. In order to succeed at this practice do the following:

1. Have healthy options available to you at all times. This will require packing snacks or at least being aware of healthy options near where you work, live, and play.

2. Avoid situations where you will not have healthy options. Until you have created a habit of consistently eating healthfully (which usually takes about 3 weeks of consistency), don’t put yourself in harm’s way. Bring a healthy option to parties. Find a new route home instead of driving past your favorite doughnut shop. AVOID. AVOID. AVOID.

3. Develop a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and strong desire for that result and all of the positive things it will bring. Know WHY you want to change (this is your driving force or motivation). If you don't have the VISION AND DESIRE, no strategy, tip, or tactic will work.

4. Focus on your vision daily. Experience the new healthier you in your mind. Soon your vision will become so clear and the desire to change so strong that you will charge through obstacles like a rhino!

5. Become accountable to someone. Telling someone or a group of people about your vision and your plan makes it more real. It is important to pick the right person/people to share with.

6. Practice your new behaviors until they become a part of who you are. If you slip once, get right back on it. Do you think Michael Jordan quit basketball because he didn't make one jump shot? NOT AT ALL. He analyzed the miss, tweaked his approach, and then perfected it. You are in training just like MJ. You are training to become the best version of you possible. Continue to practice until you arrive!