The diagram below shows the 8 foundational areas that influence getting results. Read below the diagram for more on each contributing area.
Motivation – This refers to your desire to do the needed plan of action as well as how driven you are to achieve your goal. Motivation fuels willpower. However, motivation is not consistent in anyone and will always cycle up and down. Motivation is fuelled by pain (away from current state) and pleasure (towards a future state). This will affect staying motivation as you progress as away from motivation decreases you make progress and experience less pain to drive you on.
Measurement & Accuracy – Many people have an inability to measure/see progress with any degree of accuracy. AS a result they are often guessing and fumbling blind with their plan of action. Even when you are making rapid strides and progress with your body transformation the week to week changes are slow and steady. However, run 4-6 weeks together of this slow and steady progress and the total change is awesome and gets people talking. Ultimately you want to know what behaviours produce which results and this area can be an issue for many. The weighing scales being at the heart of many problems in seeing progress.
Nutrition – This refers to your basic knowledge of foods, which includes what is in it, calorie awareness/portion sizes, reaction of foods to your body (individuality) and other areas needed for results based off your goals. As well as knowledge you need a plan of action for when you are and are not feeling motivated.
Exercise – This refers to your basic knowledge of exercise, which includes what is it, how to do it, exercise consistency and enjoyment and how to get fitter month to month. As well as knowledge you need a plan of action for when you are and are not feeling motivated.
Neuro Connections – We often develop a neural association to certain foods, people or situations so that when they come around we are naturally drawn to doing a “bad” behaviour. This could be having to have a cake when your best friend comes round to always drink when the clock hits Friday evening at 6pm. This associations will force you to do the bad behaviour regardless of whether you actually want to do it that day or not. When broken you are then able to achieve the moderation most people desire without too many problems.
Automatic Behaviours – Your ultimate results are determined by what you naturally and automatically do day in day out. The object of any plan of behaviour change is to result in the positive behaviour being natural and automatic. This should be independent of motivation. For example, few of us are motivated nor overly enjoy brushing our teeth yet it gets done day in day out regardless of our mood or feeling. The aim of all exercise and nutrition plans is to be incorporated into this element of automatic processing.
Stress – Your reaction and methods of handling stress can negatively or positively aid your body shape and body transformation. Almost all people in amazing shape use exercise as a method for handling stress. The natural default for most people is to eat badly when stressed, especially their most troublesome foods. This obviously affects the body badly.
Happiness – The other side of the coin to stress is happiness. How you handle food and exercise when feeling happy or unhappy again goes a long way to towards determining success. Many people use food both when feeling good and feeling bad. This obviously leads to poor results in regards to their body.
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Spend some time examining the influences behind your goal.
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May 20 – May 27 (2/7 days measured)
This week I had trouble measuring my food as the scales broke. I am back on a muscle gaining protocol as I am the heaviest I have been while also the joint lowest body fat I have had. This next 8 weeks will push me further in both extreme of weight and fat as I am just 3 months out from competition.
Diet – Protein – 245g, Carbs – 367g, fat – 86g, calories – 3222 , P:30 % C :46% F: 24%
Exercise – 10 Weights sessions, 0 fitness, 2 off days
Weight – 75.2 kg Body fat – 35mm* Activity Measure – 0 km / Day**
Supplements – Vitamin D , Multivitamin, creatine, BCAA’s ***
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*This is my own 10 point self measurement system, it does not correlate to body fat scores. At a guess 40mm – 8%, 50mm – 9.5%, 60mm – 11%, 70mm – 12.5%. I do not take it everyday if looking to gain muscle or maintain as it puts me off wanting to eat more. If on fat loss phase I take it daily. Like any body fat measurement system, as you get to low body fat levels the number become less accurate or reliable.
**Measured using Fit Bit Flex wrist band. Add me as a friend – Ben on fit-bit.com
*** Supplement not taken consistently
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Chelsea – For Personal Training Chelsea please contact me. I am available for sessions in homes, private gyms or parks for Chelsea Personal Training