WHAT NOT TO DO IN JANUARY IF YOU WANT TO BECOME FITTER, LEANER AND STRONGER.

Its January that means everyone is descending upon the gym like the Persians at Thermopylae and a sudden desire to start taking care of yourself erupts inside you, this is good but lets hope these changes last longer than they did this time last year.

To help you with this I have put together my TOP 10 health and fitness things I DO NOT want you to adopt this January. If you stay away from these and adopt habits that are realistic, enjoyable and sustainable then chances are you will be a completely different person in 12 months time.

So lets get going.

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No1. DON’T JUMP INTO EXTREME DIETS

The temptation to do a ‘detox’, ‘juice’ or ‘carb free’ diet is no doubt tempting due to the speed in which people claim they see results on the scales and this is true, but its not that simple. I want to introduce you to what is know as ‘regression to the mean’ (this will explain why you have struggled to stick to healthy changes previously). Your body likes to be in a state of homeostasis (a start of norm) and this refers to all aspects of your life. This is why your brain tries to talk you out of doing anything new. Every time you introduce something new into your life, motivation and determination will keep you focused and on track for a period of time. As soon as that wears off which normally takes anywhere from 3 days to 6 weeks, you will always revert back to your normal state, or ‘regress back to your mean state’. Basically, if you try and adopt a change that is so far away from what’s normal for you, you will struggle to stick to it. These diets all help you lose weight fast, mainly because they create a HUGE calorie deficit which is not sustainable. You lose weight momentarily but as its not sustainable and you will revert back to your old habits and the weight will just come back on. Start with a diet strategy you enjoy and can stick to long term.

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No 2. DON’T GO OVERBOARD WITH INTENSE WORKOUTS.

The desire to start running, or jumping onto some weight training programme some trainer was selling on Instagram is no doubt just as tempting as the juicing diet, but my main concerns are on a similar basis to the above (just with a risk of injury). There is no point starting something new, 1. If you don’t enjoy it and 2. If its not sustainable. Is exercise important FUCK YES! But you MUST think long term and not simply go out to burn calories. Remember, exercise DOES NOT burn fat, it burns calories. So, focus on building strength and reduce your body fat through a calorie control diet strategy and remember what’s most important here is you adopt something you enjoy.

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No 3.DONT RELY ON QUICK FIX SUPPLEMENTS (Yes this includes the weight loss injection).

Fat burners, detox pills and the weight loss injections are all going to be VERY popular purchases this month and for one main reason, they take 0 effort and promise results! I want you to remember these two statements.

1.????? You have to earn a fit body, you CANNOT purchase this and the only way to earn it, is to put in the work.

2.????? All but a handful of supplements are a WASTE of TIME and MONEY, especially multi vitamins.

Instead of looking for a quick fix, focus on what really creates change. 1. A sustainable diet strategy, 2. Regular training which you enjoy and 3. Focusing on your daily habits. Save your money and stay away from the supplement shops.

The weight loss injection!

This one in particular is a concern and I could do a whole blog just on this alone, but here’s a summary as to why I am not a big fan of this.

The weight loss injection is a synthetic form of a hormone known as ‘leptin’, this is the hormone that tells your brain you’re full. An increase in this hormone means you will not feel hungry and so your calorie intake will greatly drop. The problem with this is when you inject a synthetic hormone, your body suppresses natural production of that hormone. So when you come to stop taking it, your hunger levels will rise steeply and there is not a hormone present to tell your brain your full. Guess what’s going to happen then, yes you put all that weight back on.

The weight loss injection is worrying because it works in the short term and requires 0 effort which appeals to everyone. But that does not mean its going to create long lasting results so be careful.

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No 4. DON’T SKIP STRENGTH TRAINING.

I covered this early when it comes to adopting a new training regime. If I were to recommend 1 type of exercise to you it would be to weight train (as long as you enjoy it of course). The reasons for this are:

1.????? Muscle mass is one of the largest variables which dictates your length of life, the more muscle you have the longer you are likely to live.

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2.????? Building muscle increases your strength, your BMR and cardiovascular function.

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3.????? It also increases your strength, builds confidence and allows you to be proud of what you see in the mirror.

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No 5. DON’T BE THE ‘ALL OR NOTHING’ PERSON

I hear this all the time, ‘I’m a all or nothing kind of person’, this to me tells me you are going to give up straight away, why? Because being balls deep 100% committed to something is not sustainable, life gets in the way. As soon as a slight barrier gets in the way of your progress, and you can’t commit 110% you are going to give up as you are no longer giving it ‘your all’.

Remember the key to success lies in your ability to adhere long term to any changes that you make. Putting in place a strategy that works around your busy life is going to achieve far greater results in the long run.

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No 6. DON’T OBSES OVER THE SCALES.

The scales are a metric and one I use every week with all my clients, but they are an indicator of progress not a full proof results marker. Your body weight can be influenced by your muscle density, level of water retention as well as your body fat level so marginal increases are normal, your weight loss will rarely be lineal, life isn’t that easy. So if your objective is to reduce your body weight don’t be dishearten if you see an increase. It is likely to be due to you hitting a plateau. This is where your body has adapted to both your calorie intake and training intensity and so is no longer challenged. If this arises and it normally does around week 6, you will need to adjust your calories and change your training programme. This is why I have 4 recipe books and 2.5 years worth of training programmes included within the ‘Busy Dad Transformation Club’,

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No 7. DON’T IGNORE RECOVERY

When you place a new volume and intensity upon the body, it is going to respond to this and there is always going to be a biproduct to this. The aches and pains you feel 1-2 days after training is known as DOMs (Delayed Muscle Soreness) this occurs when the lactic acid builds up in the muscle tissue. Lactic acid is a biproduct of energy production and is always worse after your first session. So if you are in pain after your first workout, don’t be put off, this pain will never be as sever again. DOMs aside, recovery is important and there are a number of ways you can allow your body to recover.

1.????? Ensure you have a rest day after each workout, especially when you first start training.

2.????? Jump into an ice bath or a cold shower, this will help remove lactic acid and allow the muscle to relax.

3.????? Stretch after each workout. When you weight training, you actually shorten the muscle, stretching returns the muscle back to its original position and helps to reduce lactic acid build up.

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No 8. DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE YOUR DIET.

There are so many ways of managing and tracking your diet. Yes, diet management is important especially if you want to gain or lose weight (it’s the largest variable). But as I mentioned above sustainability is vital here. There is no point adopting a diet management method that is not sustainable with your busy life. At the ‘Busy Dad Transformation Club’ I have three main diet management options which I find work best.

1.????? Prescribed meal plan.

2.????? Calorie tracking through an app

3.????? Intermittent fasting.

We work with all our clients to ensure the diet management option they are following is optimal for them and achieves the best results.

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No 9. DON’T FOCUS ONLY ON BODY WEIGHT

I want you to focus on more than just body weight, as mentioned early there are many variables which influence this. I want you to focus on a performance objective such as increase in strength, improvements in time or distance or any performance objective relevant to your chosen method of exercise. Focusing on a performance objective as opposed to just an aesthetic one allows you to see your progress on a lineal basis and in turn develop intrinsic motivation. If you can see yourself improving you are more likely to adhere to what you are doing thus achieving long term results.

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No 10. DON’T DO THIS ON YOUR OWN

A HUGE 80% of people who adopt a new health and fitness strategy on their own drop out and revert back to old habits within just 6 weeks (I mentioned why this is in No1). This number DRAMATICALLY drops to just 20% when you are part of a wider coaching community. This is because when taking on such a challenge on your own there is only you holding yourself accountable and our brains always like to take the path of least resistance. When you are part of a wider coaching community such as the ‘Busy Dad Transformation Club’, both myself and the other members of the club are holding you accountable for doing what you need to do, this is a highly motivating environment to be apart off. So if you want to really create change for yourself this year, join a community of like minded individuals who want to achieve the same.

I know which one I would recommend, the link to find out more is below:

Busy Dad Transformation Club

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Drop a comment below and let me know if you found this blog useful.

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Regards

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Coach James

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