I think it’s fair to say that most people love a good transformational story.
To go from being out of shape to being in shape and showing your pictures can be really motivational for some people.
I tend to look at it from a different perspective though, and that’s of what I consider to be the elephant in the room…
So you’ve completed your transformation, you look great, you feel great, but now what?
And that’s where the ultimate test begins.
For usually around the 12-16 week mark depending on where you start, you’ve not missed a training session, you’ve followed what you’ve been told to eat and drink, you’ve dedicated yourself to getting results and you have.
But what i’m more interested in is what your plan is now your ‘transformation’ is complete.
How are you going to maintain what you’ve achieved or relatively close to it?
What will you look like and how will you feel a year, 5 years, 10 years from now?
Or are you going to go back to just being ‘normal’ again?
Guess what, if you do you will go right back to where you started but you know that right?
You see, all too often people have a plan to get from point A to point B, with no care whatsoever taken as to what happens when you get to point B.
It’s for this reason that around 90% of people who lose weight put it all back on.
Getting someone in good shape is relatively easy, getting someone to maintain a good shape is infinitely more difficult and the statistics prove it.
You may have your own experiences where you’ve been on a health and fitness kick, got results, only for it all to come to a halt and you go right back to square one until you are miserable enough to start all over again.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Yes, you can dramatically increase your chances of success in the way you go about your transformation.
Start with the longer term in mind.
If you know that it’s only realistic to commit to 3 training sessions a week but you can feasibly do that for as far into the future as you can see do that.
Don’t set yourself up to fail by doing 4-5 sessions a week for a month only to give up and do nothing the next month or months.
Know yourself as a person, what have you done before that’s not worked?
Stop repeating the same mistakes over and over!
Chances are you over-committed at the start whilst motivation is at peak levels only for it to stop when motivation decreases (which is does for everyone at some point) and discipline is required to take it’s place.
A key question I ask all my clients is this…
“Is it reasonable to expect you to be able to be doing the same amount of exercise and following the same lifestyle habits a year from now that we have put in place today?”
If the answer is yes, it’s a good place to begin.
If the answer is no, we need a new strategy.
The process might take longer but losing weight or transforming yourself properly once means you will never have to go through the exact same process again.
Stop going around in circles, it will drive you crazy!
*PLEASE NOTE*
The picture in this article is for informational purposes only and not someone I know or have worked with, it is merely an illustration of before/after picture which in this circumstance has clearly been photoshopped for effect. Due to the profile of the clients that I work with and out of respect of their privacy I do not share private client images with the public on any platform.
Thanks for reading, have a great day.
Craig
Do you need confidential help with your health, fitness or nutrition? I have a range of services available, with Personal Training in my Private Gym in Manchester, also at your home or workplace in the surrounding areas. For clients further afield, I provide Online Personal Training, Nutritional Consultancy & Private Fitness Holidays.