Education is the Foundation for Long Term Success
It can be an all too common story, someone achieves great results only to undo all of their hard work ending up right back where they started. You may have experienced it yourself or know someone who has done just that; either way there are a number of reasons why this might happen. They may have stopped training when they reached their target, participated in an unsustainable crash diet, or found themselves in a relationship or circle of influence that sways them towards destructive habits. However, one of the most common reasons is that people are not educated properly during their journey so they don't understand what it takes to maintain their results long term. Those that are educated about nutrition, emotions and exercise have a far greater chance of achieving long term success.
Seeking the help of a Personal Trainer is a great place to start because the value of a trainer's advice, knowledge and support can guide you towards success; however long term success requires education, an openness to learning and generally a change of habits. When a person isn't educated properly they may expect that by simply paying a trainer to train them, it automatically guarantees their results. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, which can leave them feeling disappointed when they fail to reach their goal or they are unable to maintain their results long term. Your trainer should be educating you to ensure you're being set up for success, but success does not happen without implementation and an openness to learning. Those with the right knowledge are more likely to maintain their results and see continued improvements. Education is crucial; the more knowledge you have, the more it will empower you to take control of your life and your body and you will have the ability to control the choices you make.
Take the time to understand nutrition.
Nutrition is more than just about fat loss. It is essential for the healthy growth and development of our bodies, providing energy, building and maintaining muscle, for brain function and for bone and mental health. However, the lack of knowledge or abusive actions relating to food and/or alcohol can have serious effects on our health, body and wellbeing. The changes you make to your nutritional habits need to be sustainable so you can continue to implement them long after you have reached your initial goal.
- Take the time to understand the importance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats and the ratios of each you should be consuming for long term results
- Understanding how to read food labels will allow you to know exactly what you are putting into your body and assist in making better food choices
- Learn about alcohol and the effect it has on your body
- Understand the difference between macronutrients and micronutrients and how your body type, goal and training influences the amount of food you should be eating
- Greater knowledge means you can enjoy your food and have flexibility without damaging your results
- Education allows you to have a positive relationship with food
Understand your emotions and triggers.
Self awareness is important for many things in life and understanding your emotions and triggers can help you to overcome challenges you may be facing on a daily basis, especially around food choices. Stress, fatigue, depression and boredom are some of the most common emotions people regularly face that can result in poor nutritional choices. Your circle of influence can also play a major role in the success or failure of your results. Those closest to us, or who we interact with regularly can have an immediate effect on our results by influencing our emotions and the choices we make.
- Be aware of your actions and/or reactions to things. Take note of how you feel and if you react by making negative food or alcohol choices
- Once you identify the link between your emotions, triggers and reactions then you can change them
- Try to react in a way that is going to have a positive effect on you rather than doing something that gives you instant gratification which you will regret afterwards
- Be aware of the people around you and the influence they have on you and your choices
Know how to train properly
Training is an important part of changing your body shape as well as for your general health and fitness but yet many people waste time doing exercises which aren't appropriate for them or specific to their body type and goals, resulting in them doing much more exercise than they need to. There are important factors to consider when it comes to your training:
- Knowing your body type - are you an ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph or a combination?
- Your weight and body composition
- What is your goal? Fat loss, muscle gain, maintenance, fitness or body re composition
- Your activity levels - how much do you exercise per week? Are you active or sedentary on a daily basis?
- Your nutrition requirements - how much you need to eat depends on all of the above
- Weight training vs cardio. It's important the ratio is right for you and your goals
Once you have a clear understanding of these then you can train appropriately. Compound exercises which work multiple muscle groups are a far more effective way to burn energy and increase muscle. Increasing muscle from weight training helps to elevate the resting metabolism and assist with fat burn, along with many other health benefits. Cardio can also assist with fat burn and is important for cardiovascular health so it's important that the type of training and how much you are doing is specific to you and your goals.
There is no one size fits all when it comes to getting results. Even though essentially we as humans are built in the same way, there are physiological and circumstantial differences for everyone so it's important to have a tailored nutrition and exercise program, educate yourself and understand what best works for you.
With so many things to consider, it's natural that you will need help to build a solid foundation to achieve long lasting results. At Vision Personal Training Camberwell, we are here to provide you with the support, knowledge and tools to ensure your success. We will empower you to take control of your life so you can achieve and maintain amazing results for the rest of your life. Contact us today to start the beginning of that new life.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
