Diets are not the answer

So if the popular diets are not the answer, what should I do, Mr. personal trainer!?

Honestly, diets are never the answer. This Fitness specialist believes in the Training Aspects’ way of making habits stick:

“An extreme change lasts a month, a lifestyle change lasts a lifetime.”

The majority of people who begin an extreme diet don’t last more than a month. At some point they’ll lapse.  Once they lapse, a relapse is statistically probable in their near future. It sounds like I’m talking about drugs, not food, right?

That’s the part that needs to be understood. We have become food addicts, and we need to find a way to get out of our old habits. If we could all be placed on an island where there was no over-portioned, chemically and hormonally induced food, made with a high sugar content and highly-saturated fats or even worse—fats that are actually man-made (trans fats), then the addiction can be overcome.

However, in the society we live in, there is no hiding. Shows like “The Biggest Loser” bring great motivation to people to lose weight. However, they also bring great failure to the people watching these shows. What’s not highlighted is how the people are on an island where all their actions are controlled through a strict schedule. This is why the majority of the people on the show fall back into their old habits and gain the weight back if not more. It’s important to understand this must become a lifestyle change, not just a temporary diet.

So what’s the solution, Personal trainer?

As human beings have done since the beginning of time, adapt and survive.  Write down everything you eat and drink for three days straight (do not change your diet for these three days, be honest and keep to what you would eat on a regular week). When you see what you’ve written down, I’m sure you can find a few things you wouldn’t mind living without, or at least making a healthier choice. If needed, consult with a nutritionist (me).

With just a few small changes and the addition of a fitness regimen (even ten to fifteen minutes three to four times a week), you will begin to act healthier which usually makes you think healthier. Once you begin thinking healthier, then you can begin adding more changes that you’ll be comfortable sticking with.

One of the biggest mistakes is making drastic changes right from the beginning.  It takes 21 days to create a habit, so for those first 21 days, start by acting healthier. Some examples could be cutting down sugar packets in your coffee down to one from two or three, eating grilled chicken instead of fried chicken, not eating creamy dressings (ranch, Caesar) and instead having the fat free version.  An even better choice would be balsamic vinaigrette.

The first change may not bring you significant results, but the point is to build a healthy mindset.  After the first month or so of only doing the bare minimum but sticking to it, you’ve made it through the first two steps.  Even if you don’t see a difference in your physical appearance, you’ve built a strong foundation and now you build from there.  No matter how small or big the adjustments you’ve made, be proud of starting the process of becoming healthier. If you need a pat on the back, send me an email with how the first month has been and I will send you words of encouragement (I mean it! I want to hear from you!)

This process can be very different for each individual.  If you have no experience with fitness and nutrition, it may take you a few months.  If you do have some or a lot of experience in the fitness and nutrition realm, it may only take you a month. The key is to build that healthy foundation. Don’t force it.  Everyone wants to see results as quickly as possible but without a proper setup, you set yourself up for failure. Break the goal down into small chunks, and enjoy the ride.

Now that we know the true issue, that we’re addicts, and we can plan to overcome our addiction, all we need is to act on our plan.  Next week we will get into the third part of eating with purpose, which will cover what changes you can make according to nutrition density.

By: Kirill Vaks
Fitness and exercise specialist
BA, CSCS, ACSM-cpt, NFPT-sns  

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Take action… Now! 

Training Aspects’  personal trainers and sports performance coaches want you to accomplish your goals. You, as the personal training client, are a reflection of our personal training and group training methods! We are here to help you accomplish all of your personal training goals!  Our main training focus are people looking to increase performance, lose weight , lose body fat and increase lean muscle. Whether you live in Cherry Hill, Haddonfield,Marlton, or any of the other surrounding areas we are here to help you Move, Look and feel as you’ve always desired…

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