When you google weight loss, everything seems to be directed toward women.
Here are the 5 top tips that I give to guys starting in my gym who want to lose weight.
You’ll notice that these tips aren’t about how many grams of protein you’ll need to eat per day or how many gym sessions you’ll need per week.
That’s because after years of training clients towards their goals, I know that the people who succeed are the ones who sit down and evaluate what’s really important to them, and then make changes to the way they live their lives, how they manage their days and who they spend their time with.
Goals and values come before calories and kilos.
1. Commit to progress not perfection.
The more you think about trying to lose weight the more you are likely to stress about it. (Have you ever given up fast food only to constantly think about fast food?!)
Focus instead on what you’ll gain and set out with a goal to improve your health.
How about being able to keep up with the kids? Or going back to team sport without the embarrassment of nearly passing out?
Those things are great goals.
2. Get a routine happening.
I know! Easier said than done but routine builds habits and minimises choices. Less requirement of choice means less stress!
Aim to start your day off with a fixed routine and I don’t mean checking your phone…
Personally I walk straight into the kitchen and start my breakfast.
The first 30 mins of my morning before I leave for work are almost identical to the minute, every single day.
Another tip to improve your morning routine is to have a short evening routine.
For example I spend about 2 minutes getting my clothes and bag ready. This means my morning runs as smooth as clock work.
3. Surround yourself with like-minded people.
Jim Rohn said that you are the result of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
If you wish your personal focus to be on health, then spending time with those that have that same focus will hugely increase your chances of success.
If you spend time with people that would rather figure out when happy hour starts than go to a gym class then guess what, that’s your tribe, that’s who you’re travelling with. You will not be successful.
If you’re one of those people that ‘want to work out but just can’t get motivated’ have a think about why.
Are the people around you having a negative impact on the choices you make?
If that’s the case you need to change the people around you (blunt I know), or better yet, get them on board. Be in it together.
If you want to exercise, be around people that want to exercise, go to the gym, go with friends, create your tribe that way.
If you always have an excuse as to why you can’t commit to healthy lifestyle change, think about the time and money you spend on all the non-essential stuff – a few drinks out, daily coffees, lunches on the run, new tech or gadgets, music festivals and concerts… having the right people around you will help give you the perspective you need to make even these choices align with your new healthy lifestyle.
When it comes to actually exercising, the hardest part for most people is simply walking into the gym for the first time.
The anxiety, the pressure, the world of not knowing what you’re doing and everyone looking at you.
We live in a society of self comparison.
However, everyone has stepped into the gym for their first time.
Anyone that has trained has experienced that first day and actually knows how you feel, and they also know that it’s easier than you think.
But it’s the people you end up being around that can have a massive influence on your own success.
The guys you end up chatting with.
The guy in the corner that is there every single day without fail.
The guy lifting the weights you couldn’t imagine being able to lift, or doing pull ups when you can hardly jump up to the bar.
Or the guy that you know has lost 30 kilos in the last year.
Just being around this crowd literally wires your subconscious to believe you are capable of these things – because you are seeing people do it all the time.
That kind of influence is invaluable.
4. Cut out distractions.
This relates especially to food.
When eating, think about what you’re eating, pay attention, be present and chew your food!
Most people (not all), watch TV or are on their phones when they eat.
This actually stops your ability to consciously know what you’re eating, recognise, chew and digest.
So you will literally eat more than you need to.
If you pay attention, you will feel fuller, you’ll chew properly and get the full benefits of a meal.
The worst part is that televisions and phones are now used as a distraction on purpose, even if you don’t realise it.
They constantly divert your attention away to a different reality, something else to think about, or maybe just numb your mind.
Unfortunately we are constantly exposed to things that actually lead to stress.
Images of ‘perfect’ bodies, people looking in shape, talking about how they lost 20kg in a month on facebook, while you feel guilty and start consuming more to numb the feelings of shame and guilt.
All the while a far deeper chemical reaction is going on in your body, a stress response that’s encouraging you to consume that extra food.
So give yourself a break, get off your phone and pay attention when you sit down to eat.
5. Sleep.
The average adult needs 6-8 hours of sleep per night.
If you are sleep deprived your metabolism will not work as efficiently.
You’re also more likely to reach for junk food to try to pick up your energy during the day.
Furthermore do you wake up at night and look at your phone?
It’s the worst thing you could do when trying to sleep!
The light is bright, it sparks an area of your brain to switch on and thought processes to begin.
Even worse if you go onto social media – you start looking, you start thinking, you start comparing… you don’t sleep.
I haven’t really mentioned nutrition or exercise on purpose, as the most important part of weight loss is to create good habits, which can then be transferred into a healthy lifestyle.
I hear a lot of people tell me that they don’t have time to exercise. However as a trainer and gym owner, I have trained many people from many different backgrounds and the majority of clients I have trained are very busy.
The busiest people I have met in some instances.
Their days would fall apart without some serious planning but that’s why they’re busy – they organise themselves, starting in the morning, and follow through with their habits to make it work.
Without their training, they wouldn’t have the mental focus and energy to do everything that they do each day.
Get this:
Approximately 5% of the Australian population take part in regular activity in a gym (a small percentage also exercise outside of a gym year round).
However the average person logs on to Facebook 14 times per day, and can spend up to 22 minutes per visit scrolling!
That’s only one social media platform… the majority then go onto another!
So I’m afraid when people tell me they don’t have time to exercise, there are a lot of reasons not to believe them.
Ok so to round up, my number one piece of advice is that there are many things in life you can’t control – why not control the things you can?
There is no magic pill. It’s up to you to increase your chances of success by creating habits that enable you to truly go the distance.
When guys initially come into my gym to change their lives, the first thing I do is sit down with them for 30 minutes and make a plan.
We talk about their goals, how we’re going to get them there realistically and what that requires each week.
We figure out exactly what they want to achieve so their goal is crystal clear – because without that it can feel like you’re just stuck on a stationary bike, working hard but headed nowhere.
We literally plan out all the sessions they’ll come to on their 28 day intro package before they even step foot onto the rubber flooring.
Because we know that habits make or break success, we start with those.
To check out everything included in our intro pack click here: 28 Day Challenge