The Art of Change

The body, like the mind is hard to change without massive action. We all want consistency, stability & safety. In the body we call this homeostasis, which basically means our body adapting to the variables we present it with. These variables include exercise, nutrition, sleep, drugs & alcohol. For example: if you run 5km everyday your bodies ability to utilize oxygen will improve to make the run easier & then stabilize. To further this improvement you need to either run faster or run for longer for a new adaptation to take place. The same rule applies for nutrition. If you’ve been eating 1500 cals a day for the past 6 months, chances are the results you saw in the first and second month aren’t the same as month 5 & 6. Making changes in your body means making changes to your homeostasis. You want this to constantly evolve and adapt until you reach your desired physique.

When most people set themselves a goal, whether it’s to lose body fat or gain muscle – let’s be honest, they usually fail or fall well short of what they hoped. Why? They aren’t ready for the challenge & commitment to what is required to change their body.

What does it take to not only make big changes in your body but to maintain them long term?

You need to be doing things that you’re not currently doing. If you’re really overweight – simply eating better & exercising daily is going to be enough to illicit change. For most of us that might not sound so daunting but for those who aren’t exercising & eating fast food daily, it’s a massive change. If you think you’ve been eating well & exercising yet not seeing results there could be a number of reasons why you aren’t seeing any changes. If you’re a female looking to tone up your legs – a low calorie diet & circuit classes isn’t going to cut it. You need a higher protein diet & weight training to really harden up your butt & thighs. If you’re a guy looking to build your upper body, knocking back 15 beers every weekend is not going to do you any favors. You need to commit to your goal. I mean all in commitment. This gives you the highest chance of success in the shortest space of time.

Next comes your level of perceive exertion. There are very few people who really put in maximal effort in the gym. Why? Because it hurts like hell. I’ve been there! It sucks. Once your muscles start to burn your brain automatically sets off alarm bells telling you to stop (and be honest, most of you do – including me). This is wear a good training partner or personal trainer can take you to another level. Every additional rep or second once you start to feel your muscles or lunges burning can make a huge impact on your results. The best results I had ever achieved was with a personal trainer. He took me to places I would have never gone. It made me mentally tougher in all aspects of my life knowing that I had the ability to push well beyond where I had in the past. Only you (and probably your training partner or personal trainer) know if you’ve been beyond that pain barrier & how often you’re willing to go there. Big this happen the more often you go there!