What the fit are we doing wrong? How do we achieve Fitness Success when we are so busy? Weight loss is one of the top goals of New Year’s Resolution year after year. If you are going to put the effort in and sacrifice some couch time, I want you to reap the benefits. We do that by discovering why you’re not seeing results. From there, we can point you in the right direction and make 2021 your best fit yet.

If you have followed me in the past, you know I approach fitness (and life) with the idea that “one size does NOT fit all.” Your body is a chemistry project and you simply need to know how to harness the science. These 5 steps are easy to follow and implement, in fact, you’re going to thank me for saving so much time and mental anguish. When you apply these 5 Fitness Success Fixes to your workouts, you will be achieving visible results within 4-6 weeks.

My 5 Fitness Fixes

Clear (Intention)
Commitment
Calendar
Coach
Clean Eating

For years, I ran mile after mile, but I never saw the results I was looking for. I was unhappy with my body and I knew it. For most of my life, I always felt a little overweight. As a result, my self-worth was wrapped up in my jean size. This caused lot of stress and anxiety, which showed up in other areas of my life. What comes with stress and anxiety? Eating.

I quickly found myself on the hamster wheel of “trying” to get fit. I thought if I lost the “little belly,” (true words from an agent), I would finally deserve the life, love, and career I always dreamt about.

Because of all of this, I woke up every morning thinking about food. There I was making breakfast and I was already thinking about what I could eat for lunch. I was obsessed, spinning on this hamster wheel, and never seeing results. The scale wouldn’t budge. I never dropped a size. I was constantly hating on myself.

After 2 ½ decades of this mental torture and self-sabotage, I finally woke up. Not just in education, degrees, and all of my certifications, but in my heart. This is what REALLY matters in life. You can know “all the stuff” about training, and still find yourself stuck on the hamster wheel.

When talking about weight struggles, I have seen many of my clients cry right there in front of me. I am a trainer who KNOWS what it’s like to feel helpless. Been there. Done that. We all know ice cream every night is bad for our goals, but it’s hard to not dig in, right?

In today’s society, our bodies can become our identity, our value, and our worthiness. It is hard to escape the fashion magazine’s idea of what is beautiful and what is not. We can all say, “I am more than my dress size,” but until you know it in your heart, those negative message will continue to break you down.

This is why I am giving you some clarity on how to get results from your workouts. Sometimes, not to our own faults, we are misled by these fashion magazines and social influencers (they have the best of intentions so let’s embrace their inspiration).

Working out and getting results is science. Fitness success is all about chemistry and math (if you can count to 20, we are good!). Our ego may want to do cardio all day because IT thinks this is what will get us thin and the results we want. Cardio has its purpose, however, the science of getting fit is more than the 10,000 steps goal.

1. CLARITY

What do you want to accomplish with your fitness? Your answer should be something other than “leaning out” or the popular “losing weight.” Give me something specific you want to see changed in your physical appearance or physical capability.

The more specific we can be in your goals, the more precise we can be in hitting the bullseye. A general workout will get general results. A specific training program will get specific results. Genius is in the details.

Do you want toned armed?
A tighter backside?
Core strength?

Start by choosing 2 body parts that you want to focus on toning and strengthening. Remember, please be specific.

EXAMPLE #1

Deltoids. Instead of arms, say “I want to see the curve of my shoulder defined” or “I want to see the definition of my triceps.”

Glutes. Instead of legs say, “I want my glute to perk up!” “I want my booty to pop out” or “I want to see the definition in my front thigh.” Your body is a work of art, decide how you want to create it.

EXAMPLE #2

Another goal would be physical achievement goals: running a 5K in under 22 minutes or doing 15 pull ups.

This intention is going to be your focus for the next 6-8 weeks. If you want to see change, you need to stay focused on the goal or muscle group in order to see improvement. Change in the physical body is all about repetition and adaptation.

Failure to reach your fitness success is often attributed to being vague with your goals. We show up to sweat, which is great for your heart, stress relief, and feels just plain awesome, but that goal is too general. You can count on hitting a plateau because you’re only training for general conditioning and endurance. 30-45 minutes of vague cardio movement isn’t specific enough to create change from where you are today.

This may keep your heart healthy and cholesterol low, but physical change won’t happen. If you want change, you need to change your workout and your perception about what is necessary to get the job done.

Stop the cardio and change your routine into functional movements and pick up some weights. Don’t worry girl, we don’t have enough testosterone to get bulky.

BONUS TRAINING TIPS FOR TONE & STRENGTH:

Reps 12-20 is for toning
Last 2 reps should feel challenging
Keep rest periods between sets at 30-90 seconds
Complete 2-5 sets

2. COMMITMENT

When you ask yourself, “why do I want this?” it helps you navigate through self-drama and provides no room for excuses. This is the catalyst for change.

When you want something, deep down in your heart of hearts, you become unstoppable. Ask yourself. “What does it feel like to be that fit?” I want you to love how that body feels soooo much there is no question you are moving toward your future fit self. You are laser focused, unwavering, and will undoubtedly succeed because now…failure is not an option.

Many of us might say we “want to lose weight,” but aren’t willing to sidestep the cupcake and go to the gym. In days of Covid 19, that gym is our homes, but you get the idea. All this simply helps you anchor yourself in what you really want. This is why my brides are some of my best clients.

Brides are dedicated on walking down that aisle, in the spotlight, in the dress of their dreams, and looking their very best. While the boys might think it’s their day, weddings are all about the girl. As a result, these girls are unstoppable. When they are committed, sticking to their workouts, and skipping dessert, they are on the pathway of achieving their goals.

The questions you have to ask yourself can sound like the following:

How would you walk down the street in the body of your dreams?
How BAD do you want this?
How painful is it for you to be out of shape?
How would you feel if you were “in shape”?
What is this “out of shape” condition costing you in your life?
What are you missing out on in your opinion?
What is being “out of shape” giving you?

I know this journey can be filled with fear and anxiety. Trust me, I get it. I have been there. When we are faced with an uncomfortable situation, we unconsciously want a way out.

Be the girl who made it happen because she decided not to quit.

When you are able to face your fears, stand in your unstoppable power of being a woman, great things begin to happen. This doesn’t happen overnight, but inside the journey of your enlightenment.

3. CALENDAR (Scheduled workout sessions)

We have all heard about the power of making lists. Once we write it down, we are one step closer to marking that something off the list. Here, the key is to treat yourself as your number one priority.

Even if you can only commit to 10 minutes of movement, (I’ve got a video for that) you are keeping yourself on track. Accountable. No matter how busy you are, I want you to always schedule something. It’s like being a writer. A writer writes. If a writer doesn’t write, what happens? Nothing.

First, schedule 4 absolute MUST do exercise sessions a week. 30 minutes is all I ask. When you are clear on your goal, 30 minutes of focused work, 4 days a week, it’s all you need to make your science experiment happen.

Next, add 2 bonus sessions to your calendar as you begin to feel stronger. Consider these sessions as extra credit. Again, maybe it’s only 10 extra minutes, but let’s do the math on this. This is called the Compound Effect.

If you do 10 extra minutes 1 day a week, that’s 40-50 minutes more a month. That’s adds up to 2 extra workouts. That’s 520 more minutes a year. That’s 17 more workouts a year! That’s like an extra month of working out! Just from showing up for an extra 10 minutes a week on a day you may have skipped! You matter and so does your effort. Recognize yourself and show up for yourself.

4. COACH

Having a coach is key to your fitness success. I’m not just saying that so you will hire me, but let’s consider some of the greatest athletes in the world as examples. Nobody wins a gold medal by themselves. Sure, they may run the race, but behind every great athlete is a great coach.

Another bonus of having a coach is they know when you are pushing too hard or becoming lazy. Having a coach holds you accountable when you aren’t able to do that for yourself.

The Osmosis Effect – catch the vibe. When you surround yourself with successful people, their success rubs off on you. Surround yourself with positive people, positive messages (that means inside your brain too!), positive atmosphere. If you want to be fit and active, then hang out with fit and active people.

The body is personal. Fitness is personal. With that being said, we are too close to ourselves sometimes to be objective. This is why we need a coach and people with similar interests. When our vision is clouded by our emotions, we can turn to our coach or friends to keep us on track.

It’s easy to find and hire a professional trainer, but you need to hire someone who has ‘been there, done that.’ When you need a knee replacement you see an orthopedist who specializes in knee replacements, not an internist. Find a trainer who fits you.

When you need a friend, when you need tough love, or when you need a cheerleader, you want someone who is fully in your corner. You want someone who knows what you are going through and who can help get you to the other side. We are in this together.

5. CLEAN EATING (THE 5th C)

Oh yes, the chemistry of change all comes down to what kind of fuel we put in our bodies. This formula is the secret sauce to our fitness success. We can schedule workouts all day long, but if we aren’t supporting the system that propels our engine, we can find ourselves in trouble. That trouble can look like injuries, frustration, and a host of other things to derail our success.

Sometimes we think we’re doing this right, but we have been programmed by fad diets and fashion magazines. If you have a question on whether or not you are eating a clean diet, if you need to open a can, you aren’t. Fresh fruits and vegetables come from the earth, not a can. Feel free to eat all the salads you want. If you find yourself still hungry, go ahead and have a second salad.

To get started on your clean eating spree, start with this balanced nutrition on plate:

1 handful of grains
1 palm size portion of protein
2 handfuls of vegetables or 1 handful of fruit
1 shot glass of nuts, seeds, avocado, cheese, or oil

To get more specific nutrition for your body type and portions for your current weight, download my book Girl, Get Your Fit Together; The 5 Pound Challenge or send me an email to get started.

You’re amazing, you deserve it all…. just thought I’d remind you

5 Fitness Success Fixes