Let's do some thinking . . . .

There is no magic to getting/staying lean. What's keeping you from your goals?

It isn’t deprivation-based or eating keto, or following someone else’s “plan.” It’s just being steady, stable, and fairly consistent with your actions.

Look, in all honesty, I eat chips, desserts, and pasta.... My only dietary restriction is that I can’t tolerate gluten (but trust me, I eat GF junk/sweets). I even order French fries when I want. But those foods are balanced out with a variety of proteins, fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts & seeds. I turn to typically “healthful” food choices regularly, sprinkle in the other stuff here and there. I don’t have a schedule for desserts/fries/etc. I eat them when I’m moved to – but I also don’t waste my time on stuff that’s not going to taste great to me (looking at you, food at the airport!). I also leisure walk 45-60 mins every day, do strength work 2-3x per week (my strength work also incorporates more high intensity cardio). Pilates 1x/week. These are built-in habits and if I don’t feel like doing something on a given day, I usually don’t. Again, no “rules” or “plans.” But I’m generally very consistent in my healthy habits – and that enables my body to enjoy treats and maintain the same healthy weight I’ve been since 1991. It’s the boring, consistent, gloriously unsexy actions that will yield the greatest results over time.

The trick is finding what works for YOU, and what foods and habits you enjoy and therefore can SUSTAIN OVER TIME.

WHAT BUILDS CONSISTENCY?

• Planning meals (be honest with yourself – do you REALLY have time to cook that day? Or do you need to assemble a meal out of pre-prepped proteins/veg/starch from a market?)
• Scheduling regular trips to the supermarket (doesn’t have to be a weekend, whatever day works best with your schedule! You’re trying to minimize pain here . . . .)
• Buying pre-prepped ingredients (bagged salads, chopped veg, cut fruit, rotisserie chicken/other pre-marinated animal proteins, pre-baked tofu/ready-made veggie sausages, etc., frozen pre-cooked rice/other grains)
• Scheduling daily movement (Start small, where are you now? Add a little. Like 20 minutes. Work your way up.)

Start by identifying your biggest pain points/barriers – hate to plan workouts? Hire a trainer or find an influencer you love and follow their workouts/subscribe to their site. Hate cooking? Try assembling meals from components found somewhere like Trader Joe’s. Hate grocery shopping? Figure out a way to make it more interesting (pop in earbuds and listen to your favorite music, podcast, or chat with a friend). Have a late-night snack habit? Eat more at dinner and get your butt in bed earlier! Can’t get out of bed early a.m. for a workout? Set all your clothes and props up the night before – and plan a non-food reward for yourself after you complete x-number of early-a.m. workouts.

?Ask yourself, “How can I start to set myself up for success? Think about your "big why" - why do you want to do this thing in the first place? Lastly, remind yourself how amazing it feels when you set and meet a goal.

What's YOUR biggest barrier to consistency?