Today’s article is about the majority of people who set fitness goal fail at them. And most importantly how you can become one of the 8% who actually get to their target successfully .

The answer is having a plan for the bad times.

Let me explain. What we see a lot of is when people join any fitness programme or start a diet or even the Growing Younger programme… doesn't matter… they usually start on a bit of a high full of excitement and motivation.

However, at one point in time usually within the first 6-8 weeks all of a sudden, something will happen and “life” will start to happen. And unfortunately, it's a slippery slope to the bottom. And then they get down to this lower part of the crevice if you like in terms of motivation levels, bottom of the hill. And then at this point, this kind of “life gets in the way” or “I’m too busy right now” becomes too much. And the first thing to go is their health.

Because when they are up here (point A on the graph), and right in this sort of awesome wave of motivation, they're doing everything. They work out 4 or 5 times a week, they're eating super healthy, all that good stuff. And then all of a sudden life starts to happen and they obviously can't cope with it and quit.
What you need to do, though, you need to change your mindset around having a plan for this dip in motivation levels (point B on the graph) which is only a matter of time. No one is ever 100% motivated 100% of the time.

One of the things that really helped me was planning my workouts, planning my nutrition, and having a structured plan through the whole process. So, I've probably talked about it before. But ultimately what happens is if you want to lose a lot of weight, you've got to do certain things every single day. It’s the consistency. You’ve also got to understand that doing at least something is better than doing nothing. So it doesn’t always need to be perfect.

This is how I plan for these inevitable motivation low-points. It’s as simple as if my week or month is super busy, can I eat one healthy meal a day? It’s the rule of one. And that's your plan.

Yes, I can eat one healthy meal a day… and you can do it too. You're going to have one fewer glass of wine a day or on a weekend. You can do one workout a week, if that's what it comes down to. But you have to have a plan for this, because when you come into this thing (point B on the graph), and life gets in the way it is easy to get discouraged and give up completely.

Life is like a big wave, you have peaks and you have troughs.

And for me, I've managed to maintain my weight, 20 kilos down, through eight knee surgeries, shift work, family, business, because I had a plan for the lower days.

If I can only get to the gym once a week for a month, I do once a week for a month. Then when this “busy period” passes and I start to get a bit of motivation back, I can add in 1-3 times a week, and eat more healthy meals per day. And what that does is it takes away that all or nothing mentality.

When you think about getting fitter and healthier this is where you start. And realistically, this is where you end too. Your health and fitness should be something you do all the time. It's not something you turn on and off like a tap, when it's convenient. And when you're motivated at the top, that’s great. So, if you have that expectation that health is a long-term commitment you will win. And every little thing that you do right is an investment into your health bank account, figuratively speaking.

If you say to yourself, when I come across a bad time in my life, or I'm feeling low motivation, I'm going to stick to the “one thing” rule, you get the power to choose that one thing is… one workout a day, one walk a day, one healthy meal a day, one less glass of wine a day, one hour to bed earlier a day. If that's all you can manage, then that's what you should do.

Because if you only have that expectation of doing the one thing, what happens is your motivation stays there. You're not saying to yourself “Oh my God, I can't do it 10 times a week. So, all I can do is one and it's a disaster.”

You've already planned for it. Your expectation is when you get busy to do just one thing that you choose, OK? And that plan will get you through the bad times.

It'll get you through these difficult parts of your life because they're going to happen, there will be tight deadlines at work, people are going to die, you may from time to time get sick, you're going to have an injury, you're going to have whatever that is for you.

But as long as you have a plan for these things, you're going to be fine.

It's a mindset thing.

Have a plan for these times. Have a plan for the rough seas, essentially. And as I always say, something is better than nothing. You've got to do something to get through it all. And if you approach it like that, you will be way more motivated for way longer periods of time because the expectation is just to do one thing… just to do what you can in these tough times. Does that make sense?
 
So don't think that if you start doing something all the time, and it's going really, really well that as soon as it's not going well that you can't do anything. It's an all or nothing mentality and it’s one of the main reasons why the majority of people fail.

This is a great analogy... Think of it as a thermostat that you can turn up and down depending on what's going on in your life. And really that's kind of what's helped me get through the last 12 years of keeping my 20 kilos off gained through surgeries, funerals, holidays, work, business, family, the whole lot.

Because I just approach it with “I'll just do what I can in this tough time”. And honestly when you approach it that way, you'll never really need to be motivated. You just get it done. 
 
Hopefully it resonates for some people who are feeling like they are at the bottom of their fitness motivation trough. As the old wisdom goes, "This too shall pass”. It will pass and you will have more time for you and your health. You will get more motivated.

I promise you – this concept is absolutely game changing in the way you think of things. 
 
That's it from me. If you do need some help, there are some links down below. If you don't need any help, don't click on the links. It is what it is. If you want to speak to us about your health and fitness and you may need a coach to help you get through these tough times, we’re there to help you with that too.

If you learned something useful from the article could please do us a favour share it with somebody else. Also feel free to comment below if you'd like to add something or ask a question.

If you would like to know more about the Award Winning Growing Younger programme (Online or in Person) there is an expression of interest form.
https://forms.gle/eyCS4E4hr3ExkqUq8

If you need All Natural High Protein calorie controlled ready-to-go meals you can get 10% off each order
To order head here https://swolefoods.co.nz?aff=69 and use GY21 at the checkout for 10% off.

Today’s article comes from or inspired by a book I'm reading at the minute called “The Compound Effect.” 
 
So, the Compound Effect is basically the consistent doing of small things over and over and over to get a big result. So, I guess it's like… you can liken it a bit to a pension.
So, we put a little bit of money in. You know, when you deposit in a pension, you put a little bit of money away, and over the course of 30 or 40 years, you have a nice pot of money that you can retire with. And it's the same thing with everything we do. And like with success in anything, and it doesn't matter if it’s about weight loss or health… you got to have a reason for wanting to do that in the first place.
 
So, if you're depositing money into a pension, you're doing it because you don't want to work until you're 80 or 90 years old, okay, and you want money at the end.  And for a lot of people, it's a bit of a scary thought to have to work till those late years when you should be retiring and enjoying yourself. Right?
 
So, think about your health and fitness because I think we are so quick to allow ourselves off the hook in so many things. You know, in the moment, what happens is you feel like not doing something. And there's no real instant effect of it or consequence.
It doesn't really matter if it worked out today, it wouldn't make a big difference. But what happens over time is that you know, you end up with heart disease, obesity or diabetes, and then it becomes an issue.
So, it's all by having a bit of perspective into your future and your health. And a compound effect is about doing simple things over time. 
 
So, there is a really good analogy that they used in this book. If I laid a plank of wood on the floor, and said, “If you walk that plank, I'll give you $20 at the end of it. You'd be like, “that is easy”, because we like to do easy things. If I then put that plank of wood between two buildings exactly the same thickness, and say “20 bucks at the end”, you'll be like, “probably not quite enough for me”. You might want the 20 bucks, but you don't want it enough to walk across that plank and risk kind of falling over. 
 
Now, if I change that again, and go “Well, the buildings are on fire and your child is on the other end, and the only way to get them off is for you to walk across a plank, to save them” … you’d be across that plank straight away. Because all of a sudden, the reason that you're doing the plank walk is different. Does that make sense?

So how to overcome lack of motivation to exercise or achieve a healthier lifestyle?

What we see is our most motivated clients at Growing Younger are the ones who have just been diagnosed with a health issue, high blood pressure, heart attack, or maybe it’s on the horizon… diabetes, all those really significant health threats, because up until that point, they've not done anything.

They've been “on the fence” and they do bits here, there and everywhere… not really committed. And the reason for them trying to achieve that weight loss or that fitness goal has never been significant enough. It's never been a priority. It's never been enough. And as soon as the prospect of being sick or dying or heart attack becomes clear, all of a sudden, the reason for doing that thing becomes massive. And all of a sudden, they're like a bull at the gate and they do everything they possibly can. All those, you know, negative habits and things are going to go. 
 
We've had people that drink lots and lots of wine and you know, all the time they've stopped doing it. Even though they've done it for 30-40 years, they've stopped, okay, because the reason was way more significant. 
 
So, what is the reason for YOU? For me, it was never to be fat. I was 30 years old as a fat person and I didn't want it to be anymore. And everything I do now is a result of that hanging in my head. Every single day, get up and do exercise, eat healthy, choose that food over this food because I do not want to be fat again, I'm going to ask you, what is it for you? 
 
And if you're not sure, and if you're overweight, and if you have high blood pressure, or if you live with diabetes, there's a couple of things you can do to really spark this. Jump on Google and just type in:
“What are the negative effects of not looking after my health and fitness when I have blood pressure?” Or
“What are the consequences of having high blood pressure?”
“What are the consequences of having diabetes?”
Look at it, immerse yourself in it, look and read every day and make sure you know all the horrible side effects. This exercise will very likely spark something in your head to make you take action because most people will only take action based on fear. Okay? Very few of us will take action based on pleasure. So, you know, it's a fear-based action is that what most people do.
 
So, manufacture some fear in your life. You've got to go do that walk every day, go to the gym, you got to eat those healthy foods. And go and do it. 
 
I mean, God you know, one of the biggest things people say to us is “I have not got any motivation”. Motivation doesn't come and strike you in the head. You have to manufacture it. You've got to have a reason. You have to have a really significant goal ahead of you to be motivated. And if you haven't done that you will never be successful. It has to be a priority. It has to motivate you. It has to get you out of bed in the morning. It has to be purposeful. And it has to be very, very significant. 
 
For most people it is moving away from some kind of pain. Because if you don't, you're always going to be stuck in the wrong spot. So, my advice to you is if you want to lose weight, you want to reach a health goal – you’ve got to start with a reason. The big WHY. Then you got to start taking action and if you don't do any of those things, then nothing's going to change for you.
 
Leave a question or comment down below. We'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Serving Sizes are getting you duped! 100%

I have so many consultations with clients who wholeheartedly believe they eat healthy. 

And my answer is this. You may be eating too much healthy. And most people think that you can eat as much healthy foods as you like and not put weight on.

You see weight-loss is all about calories in vs calories out and it will always be that way. People just can't break the rules of thermodynamics. 

I'm gonna show you how you're likely eating 3-400 calories more than you think. Even if its healthy!

This video is part of our Food-Tip Friday segment on our Facebook page and I show you exactly how you can get this so wrong, by about 300 calories.

If you eat 1600 calories per day, you can eat a third of your calories in one sitting and not even realise.

This is my honest review of ​Swolefoods Butter Chicken Low Carb Range.

These meals are a must for anyone over 40 who are serious about getting great nutrition.

Use this review to make a decision on whether these meals are right for you.

To order meals head here and use GY21 at the checkout for 5% off.

Swolefoods state 'We have created delicious ready made meals with the right balance of protein, carbs and fats to help you achieve your goals.

All of our meals are based on the four fundamentals of clean eating'
Low Sugar
High Protein
Low Saturated fat Low or
good carbs

Their Chef's have taken every day recipes that you know and love and turned them in to clean, lean, high protein super meals that are full of nutrients, made with wholefoods and packed with flavour.

Swole Foods weigh and hand pack each meal to ensure it hits the desired serving sizes and nutritional targets we aim for and they even analyse the meals at a lab to make sure the labeling is accurate!

The butter chicken was cooked from frozen, in 5 minutes and tastes amazing! It fits perfectly into my 2000 calorie diet and keeps me full due to the high protein and fibre content.

To order head here --> https://swolefoods.co.nz?aff=69 and use GY21 at the checkout for 5% off.

​If you are too busy to cook, have no idea what to cook, or just need something convenient then these meals are an absolute must!

I'd review his and give a verdict of 8/10 If you would like to know more about the growing younger programme there is an expression of interest form. https://forms.gle/eyCS4E4hr3ExkqUq8 

​To watch the review head to the Youtube video below.

Physical activity is not only fun but also has a positive effect on health. Especially as we get older.  I could go as far as to say that physical exercise is the single proven way to future-proof your body for many decades to come.

Because exercise strengthens the muscles and promotes coordination, the risk of falls and accidents later in life decreases dramatically. As long as we keep ourselves active we are less likely to need a high level of care further down the track. Therefore, we can enjoy our well-deserved golden years for much longer. Sport can also strengthen our immune system against various bugs and viruses and protect the blood vessels against disease.
 
As mentioned, sport and regular exercise - if carried out properly - can help to prevent many health problems. Other positive aspects of doing physical exercise are greater resistance to stress, more restful sleep, and the opportunity to make new social contacts. Listed below are some outdoor exercise ideas for people over 40. Incorporating these can help you achieve an adequate amount of physical activity.

Why outdoor exercise? Problem with traditional, gym-based types of training is that because of the current pandemic many people are very hesitant to exercise indoors if it means sharing space with strangers. So here are a few solutions to get your heart rate up while staying safe and avoiding crowded gyms and recreation centres.

Hiking/walking or cycling. A great cardio option especially if losing weight is one of your main goals. When you carry out low intensity but long duration physical activities such as walking your body really starts to break down those fat stores to use them as energy. If you're just starting out and struggling with your fitness levels walking poles offer support and relieve pressure on the joints when going for brisk walks. The support makes you feel safer and allows you to walk longer distances. In addition, a cycling is great particularly for someone who needs to strengthen their knees and thighs.
Just keep in mind cardio exercise alone is not enough to take care of all of your body's exercise needs. You need strengthening exercises too.
 
HIIT Workout. In addition to the gym, a local park or playground is a great place to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT). It is possible to achieve effective results with just a 10-minute workout (not including a warm-up and cool-down). Tabata-style exercises are recommended here. For example, squats, jump jacks, push-ups, running on the spot, and mountain climbers, performed frantically for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest.

Agility Drills. Aging causes your coordination and reaction time to slow down gradually. Research has found that as people age, their ability to coordinate multi-joint movements decreases. Through the coordinated actions of your eyes, ears, and joints, your sensory organs help keep you in equilibrium. Using agility drills, like side shuffles and skips, prepares the body to rapidly move its centre of gravity over a changing base of support by combining dynamic balance and vertical core training.

Group Training. People over 40 can also join an outdoor fitness group and thus cultivate social contacts together with like-minded people in addition to sporting activities. We have seen it over and over again that people push themselves a little harder and get a better result when encouraged by others. That's why at Growing Younger we place a big emphasis on group classes.

Benefits Of Outdoor Fitness. Training outdoors is not only great for your health but may help to improve mood and minimise the risk of cross-contamination during the pandemic times. Mentioned below are some key benefits associated with outdoor training:

• Particularly varied training: The conditions are never the same as the day before (e.g. different weather or different surfaces on which you train).
• Can be designed as functional training (combining running and strength training).
• Saving time & money: The training starts right on your doorstep and there is no fee to pay for the gym.
• Training in the fresh air (oxygen): You don't breathe in stale, low-oxygen heated air, as you do when working or training in the gym, for example.
• Strengthening of the immune system and boosting blood circulation
• The extra portion of sunlight: This gives the body vitamin D, which is required, among other things, to regulate the calcium metabolism and ensures strong bones.
• Effective increase in strength, speed, and mobility.
• Lowering the risk of cross-contamination.

​
Conclusion. Outdoor fitness not only makes grown-ups fit, helps them lose excess weight, boosts confidence but may even save time. Instead of having to drive to a gym facility, outdoor fitness can take place anywhere, even right on your door step and regardless of opening times. Regular exercise helps people over 40 get adequate oxygen, which improves concentration. Various movements strengthen the body and ensures that the musculoskeletal system remains more flexible. Gently and gradually conditioning muscles helps to prevent age-related muscle loss which often results in significant disability later in life if ignored.

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