Can You Really Change? Is long-term Transformation Even Possible?

Recent news reports about overweight and obesity have sent the message that no matter what you do, it is very unlikely that you can change your overweight body into a fit one… and stay that way.

Yes, most people do regain weight after they diet. Most lost weight is found, true. But does that mean you can’t succeed? No it doesn’t and YES you can make lasting change for the better. You must have the right knowledge and you must put that knowledge into action. You must also have the right support and you have to understand that it is lifetime recovery through daily action steps that are repeated to the point they are permanently ingrained habits. Those habits must form routines. Those routines must become a new, healthier way of living… a new style of life… a new LIFESTYLE.

I have been teaching and practicing and researching and learning about this topic for three decades. There are a lot of myths out there and a lot of misinformation. A lot of ignorance, even among the so-called experts. And there are a lot of lies being intentionally told by a disreputable diet and fitness industry. Sweeping away the surface swill takes time and skepticism; research and study; trial, error, practice and persistence. Having poured myself, wholeheartedly, into this process for years and years, I have come to some basic and fundamental principles that work. Perineal truth that stands out and endures over time. Protocols and programs that I have formulated have been replicated with positive results; outcomes are predictable certainties. What worked twenty years ago works today and will work twenty years from now.

Okay, so What Really Works?

Weight loss and fitness transformation is a process of lifetime recovery. You never ‘get there’ to a point where you are done and no longer need to pay attention to it. That is the biggest diet myth of all… the myth that once I lose the weight and get fit, well then I’m done. It does NOT work like that.

At my 3-day seminars, workshops, “camps” the first emphasis is on getting the right knowledge. The second emphasis is on putting that knowledge into ACTION. Basic daily action steps, repeated over and over again, is where the abyss between knowing and doing is crossed. The habits must be practiced, reinforced with reward and feedback, and done with conscious intention every day. It is not complicated when you have the right method to follow.

Transform for LIFE one day at a time, one action step at a time.

1) Exercise most days. Lift weights. Do interval aerobics. A half hour a day with intense effort is better than longer workouts with low effort. My methods are safe, sustainable, effective and efficient. Consistency and intensity are the keys that make workouts work.

2) Plan your meals ahead of time and follow your plan. You can’t go wrong with eating a balance of healthy foods, smaller meals more frequently throughout the day and an occasional off day or free day gives flexibility and practicality which are key for long-term results. Take vitamins and supplement with quality proteins IF you can’t get in enough healthy whole-food meals each day.

3) Connect with a support group to give and receive encouragement and accountability. Transformation is a Team sport so to speak. Connect with a community of other people who are also trying to make healthy changes and you more than double your results in the short and long term.

4) Think it through! We get out of shape by not paying attention to what we are doing. We get in shape by taking the opposite approach which is to pay attention to our health! Don’t take your eyes off the road! Take a few minutes each evening to review how you did that day, give yourself feedback, make note of several things you did right that day and identify one thing you can do even better the following day. THINK, plan, prepare as a daily habit.

5) MINDSET is key! Set your mind in the right direction–cultivate a positive, healthy mindset by seeing your progress as success. Heck just making an effort to improve your health is success! Be proud of even trying because most people don’t! Success must be measured by the completion of key daily action steps and not just by the scale. Measure your success by what you have accomplished, not by what you haven’t. Focus on progress, not perfection!

6) Develop a long-term Vision for your Health (your vision is guided by your values). Set mid and short term, measurable, specific GOALS which are aligned with your Vision and Values… goals can be behavior or performance based (I Will Workout at least 60 times over the next 12 weeks) as well as result based (I Will be 30 lbs. Lighter within 6 months). Use your goals to answer the question, “What can I do between now and this time tomorrow to take a step in the direction of my goals and vision?” Remember that human beings are motivated by the prize more than the penalty… reward yourself in some personally meaningful way for the achievement of goals and you will get inspiration to set new goals and work to achieve them too. Momentum is a powerful force.

You CAN Change–There is Living Proof

I have seen so many people lose fat and gain muscle, transform their health, and change their lives over the long term with the approach I just described. Now is that the only way? No. There is more than one right way. But when you decide to change your health and improve your life, how many proven effective ways do you need? One! So pick one that works and stick with it for goodness sake! Don’t settle for a body you don’t like and a life you don’t love!

Accept the fact that you CAN change; YOU have the ability; and with that ability comes the RESPONSIBILITY. It is up to YOU to own that responsibility. No one is going to do this for you. You are the one your new body and life is waiting on! Make the decision to transform and doors will start opening for you!

When you change your health and life for the better you inspire others to do it too. Your change makes a difference. And Lord don’t we need it now in this country more than ever before! You can change the world around you by changing yourself. It’s true. And with the right method, it is pretty simple… I didn’t say EASY, I said simple.