Friday, December 28th, 2007
I’ll assume that if you’re reading this article then you have some interest in going through a body transformation. I did just that in 45-60 minutes a day, 5 days a week, while holding down a corporate 9-5 position with enough stress and politics to drive the president crazy! At my heaviest weight I tipped the scales at 252 lbs. At my lowest I’m 205 lbs. Since losing that weight I’ve had the pleasure of helping people shed weight along with the pain of witnessing people fail due to some easily avoidable mistakes.
Losing weight is one of those topics that confuses even the smartest people on our planet. Confusion leads to mistakes, which lead to frustration, which ultimately leads to failure. In this article I will outline the 9 Most Common Body Transformation Mistakes I’ve seen.
1 - Poor Mindset
Many people see fitness as something only fit for athletes, personal trainers, celebrities, and “fitness freaks” (a group that doesn’t include them). As a result they are never fully comfortable with what they are about to do.
They say they’re going to work out. They say they’re going to eat right. They may even do it for a little bit until they are inevitably called a “fitness freak”. In my experiences being called a “fitness freak” is a good thing. Normally, the green-eyed monster has bitten the person who throws that out and they admire your results.
Being fit is for anyone who chooses to live a fit lifestyle. Not just athletes, personal trainers, celebrities, and the “fitness freaks” of our world.
2 - Quick Fix Strategies
I cringe whenever I hear someone say they are on a health kick, “diet”, or anything else that implies a short-term solution. Quite frankly that’s not going to get the job done. You can’t fix a 1000-year-old problem in 5 weeks. I’ve never seen anyone get significant, long lasting results from a health kick or a quick fix diet. Neither of those methods train you to get weight off and keep it off.
In order to successfully go through a body transformation you must mentally commit to a lifestyle change. Once you’re truly ready to do that you can then change the way you look. Until then you’re just spinning your wheels.
3 - Meal Frequency
When I began trying to lose weight I was convinced that I could eat however I wanted and still lose weight. The idea of eating six small meals a day was too foreign to me. All my life I’d been trained to eat 2-3 large meals a day. I, like most people, was very resistant to change. After about a year of getting nowhere fast I changed my tune and got with the program. Incredibly I started to lose weight!
I’ve written a blog with specific information on how to eat 5-6 times a day. Follow this link for more:
http://blog.bodybuilding.com/iamstr8fire/2007/11/20/how-to-eat-like-a-fitness-model/
4 - Refusal to Drink Water
Recently I’ve done some research into human nature and the results are astounding! People who want to lose weight hate the toilet! Those 30 short seconds at the toilet can apparently make or break the day of the strongest spirit.
Trust me, I understand that it’s slightly inconvenient to run to the toilet 5, 6, or maybe even 7 times day. However, it shouldn’t be a deal breaker that keeps you from losing weight.
After struggling with this issue for a while I finally found a way to get people to drink water. It’s worked like a charm.
Our bodies are 65%-75% water weight. Simple logic says that if you’re getting rid of water (65%-75% of your body) you’re getting rid of that unwanted weight. So every time you pee you’re LOSING WEIGHT. So HOLD ON TO THE WEIGHT IF YOU WANT TO!
5 - Eating Too Much
Working out does not give you the all access pass to eat whole chickens and gallons of yogurt at a time. A common mistake amongst people trying to transform their bodies is overeating. Flawed logic leads people to eat more as they work out more.
Wrong…Wrong…Wrong
If you eat too much you’ll never get to that caloric deficit required to lose weight. Overeating after an intense workout session will only serve to keep you where you are. It may not seem fair but its 100% true.
6 - Intensity Plateau
The act of just going to the gym is not enough. Once you begin to lift weights and perform cardio your body will respond and adapt.
Let’s say your normal cardio routine is 20 minutes on the elliptical trainer at level 10. In your first week of training that 20 minutes feels like 2 hours. You sweat profusely, your thighs burn like sand in the desert, and you stumble off the machine at the end. Over the next 2 weeks you do this 6 times and the weight melts off.
In week 3 you mount the machine and to your delight the workout is considerably easy. You sweat lightly and the burning sensation in your thighs has subsided. The next day you eagerly hop onto the scale and realize you haven’t dropped an ounce.
What happened?
Your body has adapted to your current level of exercise and it doesn’t need to burn as much energy anymore. Since you’re not working as hard you’re no longer losing weight.
The human body is smart and responds quickly. The moment you stop challenging yourself is the moment you stop seeing results. Your muscles respond to pressure and intensity so keep it coming.
7 - Making Direct Comparisons Between Yourself and other People
This may be the death trap of all mistakes. It is human nature to compare ourselves to others (that‘s how we set standards). It’s not so easy when it comes to people and their bodies.
People fall into 3 broad categories when it comes to body types:
Ectomorph - thin, lightly muscled, trouble gaining weight
Mesomoprh - athletic, muscled body, gains or loses weight easily
Endomorph - soft body, round body, trouble losing weight
No one person is strictly one type. I exhibit traits of both the endomorph (round body) and mesomorph (muscled body). Eating right, pushing myself in the weight room, and paying attention to what I’m doing are all vital if I want to drop an ounce.
One of my best friends blends the qualities of an ectomorph (skinny) and mesomorph (muscled body). He drops weight at will. If I compared myself to him in terms of losing weight I’d be in big trouble.
Many people do exactly that and it drives them so crazy that they give up.
The only person you can truly measure yourself against is yourself. There are too many factors that go into comparing yourself to others to ever make a good comparison.
8 - Too Much Rest In Between Sets
The goal of working out is to challenge your body. Sitting around for 2-3 minutes between sets allows your body to totally recover from what you’ve just done.
One of my friends works out at the office gym. Whenever she feels tired or begins to sweat she gets off the machine for 5 minutes and “collects herself“. One day I saw her in the halls during her scheduled workout time. When I asked what she was doing she said, “taking a break because I started sweating”.
She’s three months into the workout now and still hasn’t seen any results. Don’t let this happen to you!
9 - Listening to Negative People
It’s surprising how much misery loves company. Especially when it comes to getting in shape. I’ve seen husbands, wives, coworkers, and friends turn on each other. It’s a disgusting trend of human nature.
That’s the bad news.
Here’s the good news…
You don’t have to listen to any of it. When I started taking my body transformation seriously I had people make negative remarks. People said it was “stupid”, “impossible”, and “unrealistic”. I went on with my workouts and eating as if they never said a word. Today I advise them on methods to lose weight and gain muscle. Ironic isn’t it?
Let people make all the remarks they want. It’s your life and your body. You don’t need anyone else to co-sign your goals. In the end your results are all that matter.
Conclusion
Let’s recap the list:
1. Poor Mindset
2. Quick Fix Strategies
3. Not Eating Frequently Enough
4. Not Drinking Enough Water
5. Eating Too Much
6. Intensity Plateau
7. Comparing Yourself to Others
8. Too Much Rest Between Sets
9. Listening to Negative People
Those are the 9 most common pitfalls I see when people attempt to create the body of their dreams. Avoid those and you should be well on your way to creating the body you want and deserve.
http://blog.bodybuilding.com/iamstr8fire
Posted in Success Principles, Weight Loss, Health and Wellness | No Comments »
Friday, December 28th, 2007
Welcome to the December 27, 2007 edition of e-3 carnival of success principles.
FitBuff presents How to Be Happy: 10 Mood-Boosting Moves | FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog posted at FitBuff.com’s Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, “Feeling stressed or anxious with all the hectic holiday hooplah? Try this 10 easy steps for a quick boost to your mood and sanity!”
Joshua C. Karlin presents How Should We Give? posted at Marketing & Fundraising Ideas.
Stanimir Sotirov presents Self Improvement-5 success tips posted at All About Your Body And Spirit.
Tina Su presents The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude posted at Think Simple. Be Decisive..
Michelle Cramer presents Overview - How to Write a Business Plan – Part 1 of 8 posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, “Part 1 in an 8 post series. If you’ve started a business or are thinking about doing so, then you’ve probably heard that you need a business plan. If you in any way hope to have investors support your company growth or to obtain a business loan, you have to have a business plan. You won’t even be considered without one. It is more or less the sales pitch for your business.”
Dr. Joe Capista presents Can You Really Achieve Total Success? posted at The Success Triangle, saying, “Have you ever thought about what Total Success would feel like? What would it look like? And what would you be like if you had Total Success? Ask ten people what success means and you will likely get ten answers. Some base success on the amount of money they can accumulate while others base success on other, less tangible criteria.
Dr. Joe Capista shares insights into what needs to happen to achieve Total Success.”
David B. Bohl presents Goals: Know When to Fold ‘Em posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, “Sometimes in life you just have to give up. That may seem like a pretty absurd statement from a professional coach and lifestyle mentor, but I think it’s the most important advice I ever got, and the most important thing I can share with a client who’s facing something that is just not humanly possible.”
Ian Richardson presents Would you like an Ezy way to manage multiple Wordpress Blogs? posted at Make Everything EzyAs123.
Kingsley Tagbo presents How To Improve Your Skills And Get A Lucrative Job posted at HOW TO LEARN COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FAST OR GET A JOB EASILY.
Lorraine Cohen presents Letting Yourself Have Outrageous Success and Personal Happiness posted at Powerfull Living, saying, “How often do you say no to the people and things that would increase your business success and personal happiness? Learn key tips to change your nos to YES!”
GP presents Horse Sense posted at Innside Montana-Your Home at the Range, saying, “All I ever needed to know about life , I can learn from our horses.”
Jenny presents November Earnings Report posted at the so called me.
James Alenteal presents Blog Traffic Statistics: 1-time jump or ongoing increase? posted at James Alenteal’s Conversion Rate Clinic.
Dominic Tay presents Revolutionary Ways in Building Credibility for your Success posted at Personal Development Blog for Winners, saying, “Do you believe that selling an idea is similar to promoting yourself? That’s right, entrepreneurship is all about being your own boss and a creator of your own brand. When you’re a successful entrepreneur, it means you have created a powerful brand for yourself, a positive credibility that is. But building a good image isn’t that easy especially with the emerging competition in the business world. Take heart however that all is possible if you’ll direct your path on your personal development and build your credibility towards success. For you to begin this path, you’ll need to understand how it is to be an entrepreneur. This article provides you the 3 secrets to building powerful entrepreneur’s credibility. Are you interested? Read on!”
James Chambers presents Hyperhidrosis Causes posted at Hyperhidrosis.
Liz Fuller presents Women Entrepreneurs: The Value of Being Optimistic posted at More Than WE Know, saying, “Ask any experienced entrepreneur and they will tell you that there have been at least as many tough times as good. Sometimes our ability to weather the storms comes down to our own mental attitude as much as any other factor. Read this to find out why being optimistic in the face of hardship may be more valuable than you think.”
Roger Haeske presents This Hang-Up Is Killing You, But You Don’t Care posted at Raw Food Diet, Bodyweight Fitness and Peak Performance Living.
Steve Oliphant presents Saturday - getting things done. posted at Steve Oliphant’s Musings.
Hill Robertson presents Turn Your Passion into Your Profit posted at Hill Robertson.
Ed Rivis presents 2008 campaign testing. posted at Ed Rivis, saying, “10 tactics you can use to attract and acquire new customers & clients”
Thomas D. Brownsword presents Business Action Update: December 14, 2007 posted at Business Action Steps.
Jay M presents Business Plan Basics II posted at 4 entrepreneur, saying, “How to write a winning business plan for your venture”
Value Seeker presents Stock Investing Vs. Stock Trading - Stock Investment Resource: Stock Market Investing Tips posted at Stock Investing, saying, “Describes the advantages and disadvantages of stock investing compared to stock trading.”
Dominic Tay presents Self-Help *Only* For The Helpless? posted at Dominic Tay Dot Com, saying, “Do you offer help for those who don’t need it? Definitely not! Many people believe that self-help isn’t their cup of tea, it’s not just for them so why bother? These people are those who believe that they’re good at what they are and everything is just running smoothly in their lives. With that, no need for self-help at all. But to certain degree, you and I both know that we need to improve our quality of life, something that we deserve for success. That’s precisely what self-help is all about–success. If you’re like me who’s passionate about success, I’m sure you’ll be interested to know that you’ll need to engage yourself with self-help. Why? Because you believe in yourself that you deserve more to life than just enough. So read on for you to learn more about self-help!”
Matthew Spears presents Trusting Perceptions and Higher Communication posted at Loving Awareness, saying, “One of the most fundamental aspect of any growth or leadership development is the trust in one’s own perception. There is no question it is an incomplete perception; as a human, you will not see even a minuscule fraction of the totality of what’s out there, or that of your self. But it is still your perception. It is your link to your power. It is the basis for all growth, for if you rely on someone else’s eyes and intuition, you are not living your own life, discovering your own power, but are being a guinea pig for other’s experiments.”
Terry Dean presents 10 Research Sites You Should Bookmark posted at Integrity Business Blog by Terry Dean.
Dr. Joe Capista presents The Truth About Achieving Total Success! posted at The Success Triangle, saying, “Many people strive for their dream of success, but often miss the one element they absolutely must have in order to achieve their outcome - balance. How many people base success on the outward measures, but if you were to look deeper it would be evident there is much that is missing? What I now know in my mid-fifties is that true success consists of more than what we can achieve financially or materially.
Succeeding only on the material level can often leave other areas of a person’s life completely out of balance. Even though outwardly they appear to “have it all” their life is in turmoil and their lifestyle is killing them. They lack inner-peace and balance.”
andrew784 presents Shortcut to Happiness - Secrets Exposed posted at Personal Hack, saying, “Shortcut to Happiness is the name of movie starring Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, and Jennifer Love Hewitt. As you can tell from the movie’s catchy name, it’s trying to expose the secrets of happiness. After watching it, I was inspired to explore shortcuts to happiness.”
Dr. Joe Capista presents A Mentor Can Change Your Life posted at The Success Triangle, saying, “Building a successful business and life does not happen overnight. It can take years to reach the point where you achieve what you want. Often, the journey is one that requires the guidance of someone who can lead us in ways we cannot even imagine.
A mentor will show us insights that can shave literally years off our learning curve. Discover how my mentor, a gentleman who is nearly ninety taught me the value and power of goals.”
James Alenteal presents 5 reasons Why Blogs & Content Marketing Beats SEO & PPC. posted at James Alenteal’s Conversion Rate Clinic, saying, “Two Classic Marketing Models — One Depends on blogging.”
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