How many times should I do cardio a week? How many calories should I eat? When will I start seeing results? Can I have a six-pack? These are just some of the questions I get asked on a regular basis. What I have noticed with these questions is that everyone is looking for an endpoint. People want to bust their butts for a certain length of time and then get results…and then what?
I used to struggle with this same thing. At 24-Hour Fitness, we were taught to preach two pounds per week of fat loss. So I rolled with this theory and claimed that if I could just “be good” for five weeks, lose ten pounds, I could live my dream life! However, this dream fell farther and farther away from me as that scale kept climbing.
After I lost weight I started to look back at how I did it, because I really had no idea. I just ate less food (because I didn’t need that much), and worked out less (and I loved every minute of it!). The bottom line is I had complete balance, and it was something I could maintain the rest of my life. So I decided to run with this theory!
Instead of searching for your perfect weight loss plan, start searching for your lifestyle. What can you do and what do you want to do the rest of your life!? Do you want to cut out carbs the rest of your life? Do you want to count calories the rest of your life? Do you want to run everyday for an hour? Maybe you do, which is perfectly fine. I have met athletes and bodybuilders that live their life in a way I wouldn’t choose in order to have a specific body or life. You have to find what works for you.
As you begin to think about what you “need to change” to lose weight, always ask yourself, “Do I want to do that for the rest of my life?” If you don’t, don’t do it! There is no busting your butt to reach a goal and stopping, you will only put the weight back on and more. You can lose weight working out 2-3 times a week and eating healthy, without having the perfect diet. You must find your life, your exercise regimen, and your eating regimen, and don’t rest until you find it!
Once you find your life rhythm, there is no end point. There is nothing stopping you! You can only continue to become stronger, faster, healthier, and it is completely your choice. If you decide you want to add running into your life, great! Make sure you make that decision and don’t let your jean size make it for you. If this is our only life to live why waste it trying to become something were not. I don’t want to devote four hours a day to working out, so I wouldn’t even start. I am perfectly happy spending an hour at the gym most days of the week or running outside with beautiful scenery. Live your ideal life and make positive changes to achieve it, then you and your weight loss are unstoppable.
