Embarking on the road to a successful body composition change demands a lot of an individual, both physically and mentally. There are a number of things to consider before every journey; and on the surface diet and physical activity reign supreme.
When it comes to dieting, dramatically reducing the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet will pay huge dividends. If you’re like the majority of the population and get your daily carbs from bread or pasta, you will benefit greatly from cutting those types of foods from your diet (or limiting your intake of them) and replacing them with vegetables like fresh spinach and leafy greens; which are rich in complex carbohydrates. By avoiding low nutrient processed starches as much as possible, and rounding out your diet with lean protein (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs), good fat high in omega 3’s (fish oil, olive oil, coconut milk, and nuts), and plenty of vegetables you will cut down on your daily calorie intake; and thus set yourself up for a successful body composition change.
Your physical activity and training program will be the foundation on which your physique is built upon. How you train will dictate how your look. Make sure that every workout counts and maximize the time you spend doing total body workouts and interval training. In addition do resistance training and interval cardio work 3-5 times a week and give yourself ample rest in between particularly gruelling sessions. If you want to give yourself an added boost, add one session of all out effort training—either by sprinting, biking, using the rowing machine, or running uphill (my personal favourite)—per week.
Tweaking your diet and adding physical training to your daily schedule will have a positive impact on your life. But in order to truly obtain your dream physique—and optimize your efforts in and out of the gym—you must find reasons to see your journey through to the end. The number one reason that people fail to change their body composition is themselves. I realize that that’s a bold statement and perhaps a lot to take in, but you are the only one who can change your life. Diet and physical activity provide the framework for a successful body composition change, but you are the one who needs to see your transformation through to the end. To help you get there, here are 5 things that will ultimately illicit positive changes to your mind, body and spirit.
1. Self-Accountability
Being self-reliant is the single most important thing when it comes to body composition changes. If you are able to train, cook and shop on your own, you will be far more successful in the long run, because you are actually creating new and sustainable behavioural patterns. When you lean on another person to hold you accountable to YOUR goal, you are shifting responsibility onto the other person. Step up and reap the rewards.
2. The Right Guidance
Be humble and open to follow instructions. Being able to listen and act will facilitate your body change. Body composition changes are not as complicated as we tend to make them. Quite simply it’s about eating real food, exercising intelligently, and doing both consistently for an extended period of time.
3. Strong Motivation
You can’t start down your road to body composition change without a reason to do so. Whether it’s a wedding, anniversary, or high school reunion, having the added incentive to follow through with your mission will light that fire within, and ultimately help carry you through your toughest day. Motivation can be derived from an event, past experiences, your peers, or within. Your sheer will power to no longer settle and take charge will take your body transformation to new and exciting heights.
4. Your Attitude Will Determine Your Altitude
Focus your attention on the experience of change in order to improve your body awareness. Food makes you feel something, so does exercise. Change your thoughts and attitudes towards everything that you do during your weight loss transition, and enjoy the process along the way.
5. Embrace The Challenge
Accept hard times as a part of your body transformation process. If you have body fat to drop, there is a very good chance it didn’t get there through exercise and sound eating. Accepting that you now have to pay for it and embracing the challenge ahead is critical to your success. The road can—and likely will—be hard. But the pay-off will be worth the effort. Being lazy and sticking with an unhealthy diet will not serve you. Embrace the challenge and prove to yourself—and anyone else who ever doubted you—that you can do it.
It’s time to take control of the way you look and feel. If you’re not currently implementing any of the above listed points, change the way that you act to embody them. All you have to lose is inches and pounds.
If you’re ready to transform your body composition but feel like you need a little added push I highly encourage you to apply for our 4-Week Weight Loss Challenge. This challenge is custom-tailored to you and your unique needs, designed to keep you accountable—so that you never lose motivation—and will provide you with the foundation to help you finally see success. Check out this link to apply and learn more.
Happy training everyone!
Mark Hanczak
If you have any questions about weight loss or any of our programs, please feel free to comment on this post or shoot us an email at admin@balancemotion.com. We’re here to help you reach your fitness goals. What ever they might be.
