It seems that everywhere you look there is another new fad diet, extreme workout program, or breakthrough “must have” fitness product. Fitness, more so than most nearly any other market, is absolutely brimming with “solutions” to our never ending quest for rapid weight loss.
And because we want quick results, we tend to fall victim to the savvy marketing ploys of those who can offer such things as 8 minute abs, 10 pounds in 10 days, and instant beach bodies.
Or so we think. Unfortunately there is no quick fix and getting into the shape you want will not be easy nor will you be ready to grace the pages of Men’s Health magazine after spending 3 weeks in the gym.
It takes work and a shit ton of it.
I get asked all the time “what supplements should I take?” or “which protein powder is best?” and my answer is always the same. I ask them if they are doing all the fundamental things necessary to get and stay fit. And if the answer is yes then I’ll gladly offer my advice. But rarely do I hear that.
Instead I usually get a set of eyes rolling when I start talking about boring things like getting enough sleep or drinking lots of water as being the fundamentals of fitness.
But things like this are imperative to your fitness success and in the video below, I discuss the 7 things that you should focus on before you even consider buying that thermogenic supplement or loading up on creatine.
They are not glamorous but they work. And after all, you only care about results, right?
Are you doing these 7 things? Let me know in the comments.
And if you have a YouTube account, feel free to subscribe to the FitDadNation channel and get alerts when I post new videos!
Getting enough sleep, finding time to exercise properly, going to work, and getting everything else done too — it takes focus and commitment! And it isn’t easy.
Definitely NOT easy but the foundation of it all. I’ve seen so many people try to skip some of these and make up for it with supplements and it just doesn’t work (in the long-term anyway). Life is incredibly busy but you (and I) MUST make the commitment to changing these things. Which one do you struggle with the most?
What I find particularly challenging is getting myself to exercise when there are other things I need (or want) to be doing. Frequently, for example, I’ll decide I’m going to run for a certain amount of time, say an hour; but while I’m out there, I start thinking about all the stuff that needs to be done at home – mowing the lawn, finishing the painting on the deck, cleaning and decluttering, you name it – and I begin to feel like I’m wasting time “jogging” when I should be doing stuff around the house or whatever. So I end up cutting my run short. So a big challenge for me is keeping my mind on the fitness when I’m working on fitness and keeping my “eye on the prize” and realizing that even though I won’t see results today or tomorrow or the next day from the hour I’m “wasting” slow-jogging on the bike path, six months down the road I will see a difference in my fitness and health… and six months down the road there will still be a lawn to mow and a deck to paint and a messy room to declutter.
You make a great point here. Your feelings of needing to other things is a HUGE obstacle and very common. Personally, I have struggled with that many times over the years and what works for me is when I make the commitment to getting fit and don’t leave any back door.
You need accountability to someone. Find someone who cares enough about you to hold you to a specific goal. If you don’t have someone, then pay someone to do it. Sounds crazy but it works. Seriously. Offer a friend of co worker $100 if they catch you with a soda or something similar. And if you have a close group of colleagues, let them all know what you are doing and they will help you stay on it.
As far as keeping your eye on the prize, what is your prize?
Prize: hitting my “target weight” goal of 11 stone. That’s 154 pounds. Actually, ideally I’d like to reach 10-1/2 stone, or 147 pounds or less.
And comfortably wear those 30-inch waist Levi 504s again.
What are you going to do to get there, specifically?
What am I going to do to get there?
1. Reduce to the point of eliminating processed sugar from my diet.
2. Reduce soda pop consumption to “occasionally.” (This will necessarily be a gradual process, I’m learning.)
3. Engage in regular, consistent exercise. By “regular, consistent,” I mean at least an hour at least six days a week.
4. Begin with cardio (walking, jogging, running) and vegetable-intensive Paleo-ish eating plan to establish habits; add body-weight workouts for upper body and core once the initial “oh gawd this sucks” phase levels out.
5. Track progress.
6. And make a “public commitment”… which I’ve done by posting here!
This is awesome, David. Taking small steps is the best way (although you may feel they are big steps). I’ve been reading your blog and it looks like you are doing well with your soda intake. Just remember, many of your days, at least right now, are going to be a challenge for you as far as sticking to your plan. Your energy is down, you’re tired, and you hate your job.
Just keep your eye on the big picture, which is how you will look and feel (and possible have a great job) in the future if you keep at it. At some point, I promise you, it will cease to become such a drag.
Keep up the good work, my friend.
I should apologize for the whiny blog/online journal page. It’s pretty pathetic. I’m not quite sure what I want to do with that site yet, so for now I’m going to attempt to steer it into a chronicle of my fitness endeavor. I hope to start writing a bit more “professionally” rather than continuing with the crybaby “Dear Diary” tone.
Today, in response to an extremely tedious day-long “training workshop” at work, I totally fell off the wagon, downing a few Coca Colas to stay awake and stopping at McD’s on the way home to grab a couple of double-cheeseburgers and some fries, which I devoured along with another Coke. It was for “medicinal purposes,” you understand. I’m sure you’ve been there, and I’m sure you’re aware at how nearly instantaneous the mood boost can be.
But while I fell of the wagon today, I’ll dust myself off and get back on the horse tomorrow.
No need to apologize, it’s evident that you are in a pretty bad spot emotionally. I do like the idea of turning it into a fitness journey and would be cool if you put photos of yourself up, maybe even 1 each day or week to show your journey. Also maybe open up comments so we can share our thoughts with you. A few years ago when I first did the p90x program, I created a site called trainerversusp90x and logged all my thoughts and progress over the 90 days.
Falling off the wagon and self medicating with garbage is only a temporary setback. Just move past it. It’s going to happen often and I still do it from time to time although I am training specifically for maximum fat loss until April.
Just keep up what you’re doing…I know you can do it.
I like how straightforward and honest your posts are. There’s no secret, shortcut or easy way out… It just takes work. And the right steps done gradually until all the pieces come together. Great video! Just subscribed to your Youtube channel.