Working Hard And Seeing No Results?

Do you feel like its “2 Steps Forward but 3 Steps Back?” Is your fitness program caught in the land of “in-between?” Do you feel like you are doing all you can to squeeze the best results out of your body, but not seeing the results you want and expect? It’s probably not your trainer or training. You are probably among the lion share of Americans that get caught on that never-ending cycle of not fully controlling what, when and how they eat to support their fitness program.

I can’t tell you how many times I ask clients “what did you have for breakfast this morning” only to find a surprise in the answer many give me. Bagels, Cheerios, Fruit or nothing. If I dig a little deeper -- either after, during or prior to a grueling abdominal workout -- about the dinner the night before, I will find a few more surprises about what they drank with it, the side order of fries chosen (but only “six of them eaten” on the whole plate!) or the dessert selected after the “healthy meal.”

Nine times out of ten, the lack of clarity, control and commitment to sound dietary principles leaves most of our fitness regimens in the no results space of “never, ever land” with 2 steps forward for doing the hard cardio and strength training work and 3 steps back for failing to support it with proper nutrition.

Clarity
Consistent consumption of 5-6 small meals daily vs. 1-2 large, calorie-rich meals are necessary to prevent the highs and lows the body will experience by starving it of needed energy.

A healthy lean protein – with every meal is essential to support muscle development and strength. That means breakfast, lunch, dinner and the two in-between snacks. Complex carbs (vegetables, low-glycemic index fruits) and fiber, grains are essential to maintaining energy for living life, loving the body and building strength. Good fats, (polyunsaturated vs. saturated) like olive oil, canola oil, nut butters, etc., are necessary to the system and cannot/should not be avoided. For a simple example of the recommended meals, try this article, entitled: “Healthy Eating to Support Strength Training,” located at TheStrengthClub.Net.

Control
Control over cravings and daily caloric intake is no easy task. Discipline of mind and body may require additional help and support in the form of education, support groups, coaches, trainers and sometimes, medical interventions, either medications or surgery. I generally recommend that people recognize their own personal state of mental, emotional, physical strength and weakness and then support their goals by embracing the needed tools - and teams - to master the task at hand.

It is better to know where, what and how you need to support your weaknesses – because they exist for all of us – then to ignore them and assume you will not be tempted. Exercise control with the support of whatever team of experts will keep you focused, on point and moving directionally forward.

Use your support groups to hold you accountable for actions and behavior. Knowing that you will face both the music - and the choir - every week can make the difference in the daily the decisions you will be forced to make regularly. Over time a new behavior will be learned and your responses will become more internally driven, the steps forward will be consistent and reinforcing of the action.

Commitment
Make the commitment to yourself and to the process. I encourage clients to maintain a holistic view and commitment to the process. In short, given the fact that you have already made the commitment of time, energy and money to changing your life and body with hours of hard work pointed at reducing calories by running, riding and jumping (cardiovascular work) to burn them up; also committed an equal amount of time, energy and money in the training, building and strengthening the muscle (resistance/strength work), don’t waste the time, energy and hard spent dollars to sabotage your efforts by eating the wrong things before, during and after the work above. Commit to the systematic process of eating to support the healthy fitness lifestyle you seek to enjoy.

Anything short of full clarity, control and total commitment takes you a few steps backwards and in the long run will make you feel like you haven’t moved at all.