One of the main messages I tried to convey to readers in the first few chapters of The Fat Burn Revolution is that on my fat loss oriented fitness programmes the object is to train “harder, not longer”. What I mean by that is I much prefer them to really push themselves to their limits during the workouts I give them than to add extra exercises or additional repetitions at the end.
Trundling along at a comfortable pace for ever longer periods may suit some people’s goals, but when people come to me because they want to get results in fat loss, body sculpting and explosive fitness levels – and I need to get them used to hanging out on the other side of their comfort zone.
The other great advantage of high intensity training is the way it makes you feel about yourself. Continually pushing to achieve new levels of success in your fitness training helps us realise that just because something seems awkward, or scary, or tough, or even totally beyond us right now, doesn’t mean that we can’t ever do it.
I’m not one of those people who says that anyone can achieve literally anything, unfortunately that’s not real life. But I do know for sure that, with effort, determination, self-belief and the right plan, all of us can achieve a hell of a lot. Far more than the vast majority of us think is possible.
My story (so far at least) is quite humdrum compared to the inspiring life journeys of many people. But if you hopped in a tardis and traveled back to around this date 20 years ago, found the hopeless and depressed 16-year-old me, who had recently got her terrible GCSE results (I forget the grades, but there was nothing better than a C) and described to her what my life looks like today, I’m sure she’d say you’d got the wrong person and quickly get back to distracting herself with cigarettes and alcohol (and possibly other substances).
That 16-year-old girl would have thought that someone like her could never be someone like me. And she’d be right, in a way. But people change. I’ve changed. A lot. She’s not who I am now.
You can change too. If you want to. It’s not easy, it’s very uncomfortable, even painful at times and it sure is scary. But you can do it.
The more changes you make and challenges you rise to, the more you get used to the feelings of discomfort, fear and uncertainty that come up. Those feelings never go away, but you learn to hold them differently. You learn that you don’t have to react to them by cowering away from what needs to be done to achieve your goals. You can even learn to thrive on them and begin to see them as a call to action.
You can make the changes required to shed the fat that has been dragging you down in so many ways and/or to get fitter, and/or learn to feel better about yourself and be more confident. But you can’t do it without leaving your comfort zone. As is so often the case in life, you will have to invest a lot of effort, including managing feelings of fear and discomfort to get what you want.
That’s the deal folks. It’s a good one. Take it.
Want more of this kind of stuff? Read The Fat Burn Revolution.
…I like to keep these blog entries short and this seems like a good point to break off at, but I have more I’d like to share with you on this subject. I’ll post again tomorrow. In the meantime, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.