Keep it Simple
So often we try complicate our nutrition and fitness goals. We take a little bit of success and transfer that over to more of everything. Well, here is a breath of fresh air, keep it simple. When things are going good, just keep doing what you’re doing. And when things are going not so good, try a few simple goals to bring you back on track, and I mean simple.
Here’s the thing, most of us want to ride the wave of success. When things are going good we want to add a little more and a little more. In those moments we can almost see ourselves smashing every PR we’ve ever hit and finally fitting into those jeans that haven’t fit since before we bought them. We get on a motivational high, we start planning out our future success and forget about all the work we are putting in or have put in. And there is nothing wrong with using this high, but we also should learn to respect it. After a certain point of strength building, we are not going to hit PR’s everyday we workout. And Your body is still your body. Just because you buy a size zero, doesn’t mean you may ever fit into it. But in that moment, in that high, we start to feel like we finally drank the elixir of life, that we are going to be forever on the other end of all those fitness goals.
As we begin to feel invisible to all the plateaus and valleys that make up our training, they are going to sneak up on us around the least expected corners. The peaks will come and at some point we will have to readjust our goals. Our biggest hopes are going to be that those plateaus and valleys don’t run into unmarked cliffs and drop us off the backside before we even saw it coming. Because after all of those unforgettable days, and taking away and doing more, there will come a time when it doesn’t. There will be those days you come in feeling like shit with no excuse, or the days that just lack drive. Or even worse, the days that the jeans that fit last week are feeling tighter this week, the squat workout that was easy two weeks ago and you can’t finish it today. Simplicity can help.
Here is the magic pill to get around those drops, keep your training simple and stick to a few basics on nutrition. Heres the start, when look at your training, keep showing up. Don’t let the plateaus or bad days take a hold of your training. Schedule in your workouts and make them part of what you do. If you are doing your own workouts, make sure you do exercises that you are good at and enjoy. But also make sure you add in exercises that strengthen some weak areas. Pick a few exercises for each day, it doesn’t need to be different every day or week, just make sure there is progress. If you go to classes, make sure you enjoy the class and it challenges you. As for nutrition, make sure you are drinking enough water (at least 60oz is what I suggest to start with), eating protein at every meal (20 grams each meal), get your fruit and vegetables (at least 5 servings). And once that seems to be going good. And I don’t mean it has been going good for a week or two, give it a few months. Than and only than should you start adding to those. Add in one or two extras, maybe add in some restritions(no candy and no tortilla chips). Maybe add in a few extra accessory moves, or just make the workouts a little harder by adding more sets, reps or weights. And again, don’t add more until you are feeling successful for a few months. Allow yourself to build the habits and make everything seem simple.
There are other ways to add simple changes to your life. Think of how easy some little goals can be. Try adding in a short walk a few days a week. Maybe instead of meeting a friend for a beer, meet them for a walk and then have a beer afterwards. Another thing to do is find a parking spot at the opposite end of the parking lot. These little changes shouldn’t feel like work, they should be easy to accomplish and easy to remember.
The point is to not rush the system. Allow the body to adjust and make training easy, and don’t mean the workouts should be easy, I mean the format be easy. The idea of training harder and being stricter might work for short term challenges but a lot of times those leave you with little support when it’s all said in done. Make the changes that are going to make you stick around for the long haul.