We’ve all been there before, trying different diets that will hopefully make us buff or slim in the shortest amount of time possible. In today’s society the population will do anything to get the body they really want but most of the time we aren’t willing to dedicate ourselves to the cause. We want miracle diets that will sort us out in just a few months or even weeks.

Here’s the truth for you guys. Losing weight, toning up, getting lean or what ever your goal may be, takes a long time and requires self motivation, dedication and patients and isn’t easy. The proof of this surrounds you on a daily basis. Next time you walk through your local town or enter a supermarket just stop for a minute and look around, does everyone have a great physique? If getting a great physique was easy everyone would look great.

We have a few problems,

Money

Time

Lack of motivation

Busy lifestyles

Not knowing where to begin

And lack of health and fitness knowledge.

Lack of motivation and health and fitness knowledge

I believe the lack of motivation derives from the lack of real education the public have today as to what the likes of obesity can do to you. When I say ‘real’ I’m taking about the detail, the reality of what goes on inside your body and the deadly diseases it can lead to if neglected. Unless we go through these experiences personally or via a friend or family member we don’t seem to appreciate what can happen if we are not to careful with our health.

I have personal experience with this as my mother died of a stroke at the age of 60. One of the symptoms was being overweight, among other contraindications. This experience knocked me for 6. I was just turning 23, and it was Christmas time, not that this made a difference, but still didn’t make anything better. I won’t go into detail but it was the worst 6 weeks of my life to date. I learnt a lot through this process and grew up rather fast. What you learn in such an experience is that our bodies aren’t invincible and our lives can be taken away in a very short period of time if not careful. What you should also realise is that the above situation happens every day of the week multiple times.

The top 5 killing diseases are surrounded by obesity and health problems that you can prevent by getting fit and healthy. One big thing that may surprise you is that even at nine/ten stone you can be holding a lot of body fat. Don’t let the classic ‘you look great in that dress/suit’ quote, in to thinking you don’t need to get fit and healthy. If you need professional guidance, GET IT, there will be nothing worth more years down the line.

Is that enough motivation for you? Don’t just think about how good you look on the outside, getting a six pack is just the bonus that comes with being fit and healthy. For more on health benefits read my article “The Downside of Not Eating and Exercising Appropriately”.

Money

Spending money on our health via food, gym, supplements etc seems too much for our wallets to handle. There is some what of an illusion when it comes to what we would call healthy foods and that we feel it’s too expensive. The illusion stems from the vast amount of cheap, but not so nutritious foods available to us. We have fallen in to the trap of loving anything cheap, us Brits do love a bargain right? 5 Snickers for a £1, DONE DEAL. Of course this mentality will lead you to gain weight in no time at all and push you away from any figure that you have been dreaming about or healthy lifespan you wish to live.

Time and busy lifestyles.

So you have a full time job/ have 2 kids/ there’s not enough time in your day to workout. Reality is, there is always time to workout, yes that’s right I don’t even know you, yet I know you have time to workout. How do I know this? It takes 15 to 30 minutes of your day to keep fit. Think about what you spend that amount of time on daily, browsing the net, reading a news paper, playing on a games console, watching rubbish TV etc. There’s no saying that these hobbies have to stop, but for the sake of your health you know you can take some time out to exercise. After all, this should be your number one priority. There’s 24 hours in a day, 9 or so spent at work and 8 or so spent sleeping, so that’s 7 hours to spare. I understand that you have other responsibilities outside work but I’m talking about 15 MINUTES, this is easy to fit in to your daily routines if you organise your day wisely.

Not knowing where to begin.

There are a few stages that you can put yourself through to start your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

1) Ask yourself why you are going to do it. Answers possibly being, “I want to live a healthier life while preventing diseases that can lead to death”, “I want to see my grand children grow up”, “I want to be a happier person, not only for myself but for the people around me”, “I want to look in the mirror and see a healthy, slim, body fat burning machine that I am in control of”.

2) Start by making small changes. Give your self small goals every week to stick to, such as, ‘no crisps this week’, ‘walking to the shop or to school to pick the kids up instead of driving the car’ (which will help your kids also), drinking more water every day. It’s okay to start with these small changes and progress slowly over the first few months. Most people chuck themselves into the deep end without thinking of the outcome; this then leads to failure as they have put them selves through a lot of stress in a short period of time.

3) Once you have started to make these small changes make sure to sustain the effort you have put in already and take it further with more progress.

4) Don’t be afraid when you feel you have had a short relapse back to a few bad habits. You will no doubt make mistakes on your journey; this isn’t an excuse to quit. Learn from the mistakes and come back stronger. Jump back into the saddle and keep powering forward.

5) After a few weeks you would be at the stage where you have already started leaving bad habits behind and adapted to your new regimes. It’s onward and upwards from here.

6) From here the goals you set yourself whether it be through exercise or nutrition, will be a process you have already been through in the last few weeks, so you now know you can achieve what ever you want. If at this point you find that you need some guidance, grab some books or seek out some professional advice from someone like myself (see below for links). Getting guidance can give you the motivation and knowledge that you need to make the goals you’ve been thinking about for years, a reality.