This Blog will be very different from other blogs I have written due to there not being any research, fact checking or statistics to compare or look at. Today we will be talking about what is the real secret to successfully changing your body.
Whether you want to lose weight and finally fit into a lower size, finally fill out a shirt and have more muscular definition or you want to become financially free, the journey for everyone who wants to better themselves has similarities. But first, how did I get to know the secret to changing one’s body/financial status? It’s actually not a secret at all, and I will show you.
When I was younger, food was my families comfort. We are from the Caribbean (VINCY STAND UP!!!) and a lot of our foods (though magnificently tasty) were not considered healthy due to a lot of the foods being fried. My mom always prepared full course meals but weight was never an issue within my household. As I grew up, my relationship with food grew as well (along with my waist line!), long story short I finally decided to lose weight and I did. However, instead of going on a diet, I starved myself (literally eating an average of 600-800 calories a day) and worked out for 2- 3 hours a day. Though I reached my goal of being “skinnier”, my mentality never reached any goals, I was still abusing marijuana and also struggling for money. This form of starvation diet was not sustainable and after a few years I put back on all the weight plus more (along with not landing any decent jobs and still abusing alcohol and weed)! After realizing that I needed to change and become healthier, I began to educate myself on nutrition and fitness, I soaked up almost a year’s worth of information in 4-5 months. I began my journey, from a 5’8.5 245lb man down to 5’8.5 183lbs in around 5 months.
A few years later, I have 3 amazing children, working a full time job, purchased a beautiful 3 bedroom 2 bathroom rental property, control a decent stock portfolio and of course a business that I own. Now you might be thinking, “Jay what does this have to do with anything, I mean good for you, but how is this helping me achieve anything?” Well here is where that secret takes place, you ready?:
LIFESTYLE CHANGE
I gave you the example of 2 different times I lost weight; the first was an unhealthy and unsustainable way of taking food away. The second instance I lost weight, I not only educated myself, but I chose to change my life as a whole. Instead of planning to just lose a few pounds, maybe gain some muscle, I chose to modify everything in my life for the better. I stopped smoking weed, I only drank on occasions, and the biggest change was to make healthy choices in the kitchen and focused on beneficial actions/ people. Fruits and vegetables, complex carbs, lean protein and fats full of vitamins/ minerals all became a staple of my daily intake, along with professionally studying personal training and nutrition courses just to name a few. The journey is long, but I decided to put one foot in front of another, and with each step I became stronger, leaner, smarter and made better financial and personal decisions.
The secret to perfecting your body is not the New Years resolutions approach (I’m going to eat healthier, run 2 miles a day, never drink etc) but the small habitual changes that all add up to a lifestyle change. For example, your addicted to pop and you know it is very bad for your overall health, instead of denying yourself pop (and potentially having a relapse) educate yourself and find a healthy alternative like soda water. Now this technique is not a quick fix at all (a sprinter can only run that fast for so long before they burn out), this method is for those who truly want success and to change their mind, bodies and souls forever, which is no easy feat.
EDUCATION
Though I will argue that the secret to success is a slow but steady lifestyle change, education is 1 b) to life style changes 1 a). Without educating myself by reading blogs, watching videos, reading books and in taking as much information as possible relative to my goal of changing my life, there would be no way I would know which direction I should go. I wouldn’t know that after a great workout I should have a meal based around clean protein in order to rebuild the muscles I just tore. I wouldn’t know that everything I eat are calories, and losing weight is as easy as finding out my BMR and eating slightly lower than it. In order for you to be successful in changing your life and building positive habits, you have to educate yourself in order to know where to go.
To summarize and make my point as clear as possible, the secret to success is building strong, positive habits which will ultimately lead to an encouraging lifestyle. You can go on any fad diet right now, and drop a couple of pounds, however 4 months down the road, are you going to still be eating raw Brussel sprouts with baked chicken with no seasoning at all? Are you going to stick to having only one cheat meal per month, and when you do decide to have a cheat meal, you feel guilty? Or are you going to decide today that instead of the regular frozen pancakes you usually purchase in the frozen isle, you’re going to educate yourself on how to make protein pancakes and slap some low sugar syrup on them. Will you just try to take away things you love like having a drink with your friends, and sit there drinking a 7up while they have fun reminiscing about the week, or are you going to make sure your day has been healthy enough to afford a few vodka waters after work? The trick is to find things that you love to eat, that are still healthy and not full of chemicals. When it comes to other aspects like finances, the trick is to find habits that successful people do which are not absurdly difficult for you to do. (If you are not a morning person, waking up at 5am everyday and working out will not be sustainable at all). Once you decide today that you want to change your life, and you begin to educate yourself, yes the results will not come as quick as other fad diets however I promise you, you will win life's race! If you need assistance from a Personal Trainer, Nutrition Specialist and Coach, please email me at spartanalliancefitness@gmail.com or follow me @spartan_alliance25 on Instagram. Also, join the Alliance of Facebook at Spartan Alliance Fitness!
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