How often do you look at someone on Instagram or Facebook with a before and after picture showing a massive transformation? When you do, do you ever think I wish that was me?
People like change, lost six stone, gone from couch to marathon runner. How appealing does that sound.
So why do we not see more transformation pictures? Because we don’t like changing.
See to make a massive change in your life you have to makes changes to the way you do things. That’s the hard thing; that’s why people like the idea of skinny coffee or diet pills; because the idea of doing the same things and getting results just by drinking a magic potion each day sounds amazing.
Reality check. That isn’t how it works. If you want results you need to work for it. And to be brutally honest, you need to work at it for a bloody long time.
Let me introduce you to my friend Emma.
Emma has just finished a 16 week nutrition, training, mindset programme called JUMP 4.2. Here are her results from those 16 weeks.
Now here’s the thing. You know what she did? She ate extremely well for 16 weeks without exception. She didn’t eat chocolate for 16 weeks – I mean my mind is boggled by that! She followed the JUMP 4.2 programme and more.
She trained. Hard. Think of hard and then times it by two to get what I mean. She did the workouts on the programme and taught her classes and did extra training on top of that.
She didn’t need to do that. I know, as does she, that she would have got amazing results following the programme without extras. It worked for me, it’s worked for so many others.
But she decided that she was in the right place to really commit and push her body to see what it could do. She made a choice to do more. Jump is massively about mindset as much as it is about eating and training- because mindset is crucial to succeeding and being happy with your nutrition and training. Emma used the mindset work to transform her routine and outlook on her life to allow her to work so hard to make such a dramatic change.
Background done, here’s point one. Emma made a choice.
Emma decided she wanted to see how far she could go. She then made the changes, the sacrifices, put in the work to get there. Those results show her effort over 16 weeks. She didn’t sign up for a course and assume that would change her. She knew she had to work and her effort levels are how she got the results she did.
Point two. Taking that on board – how hard do you WANT to work? There isn’t a right answer here. I am fit, healthy, eat well, am in good shape. I don’t have a six pack. But you know what- I don’t eat or train like someone who wants one. I enjoy food, train often but in short sharp bursts, so I know I won’t get those same results from what I do. I admire Emma massively, I’m also aware that if I want those results I would need to work as hard as she has, which right now I don’t want to do. I’m happy with that, I work to a level that provides me the results I have and I’m happy with that position. I know if I want to change my results I will need to change my lifestyle.
Emma and I discussed this and agreed the thing we would love people to understand is you get out what you are willing to put in. Everyone’s happy place, everyone’s goal is different so the level of work rate will also be different. To be happy you need to find where you honestly want to be and what you are honestly prepared to do to get it and check those two align.
If they do then you will be in a position to reach your goal and be satisfied with your achievement. There are others who have recently completed 16 weeks and reached their goals which looked completely different – some were aimed at achieving certain milestones they set out at the start which were specific sport performance based, for instance. Honesty with yourself about what you want and what you are prepared to give to get it matters if you do want to create change.
Final point, Emma’s journey didn’t really take 16 weeks. It took around six years. Emma was overweight, she lost weight, became a fitness instructor. That in itself was a transformation worthy of pictures and praise. She knew she still was not where she wanted to be. She had confidence issues, didn’t quite feel as happy as she felt she was meant to, having lost lots of weight. She had succeeded but still didn’t feel at ease with her relationship between her diet, training, life.
So the last 16 weeks were an extension of the last six years – a continuation on a journey where she honed new skills to bring herself to a happy place which allowed her to take her results that one step further. The physical transformation in these pictures was 16 weeks, the mental transformation took years.
So if things aren’t moving fast enough for you don’t worry – there are no deadlines for when you must hit a goal, and there’s no harm in reaching one goal and realising as pleased as you are it wasn’t the goal you really needed to hit and taking more action. That wasn’t a failure on the first transformation, just acknowledgement that striving to improve will always lead you to want to improve further and further. I know Emma won’t just stop now, whether she change focus or continues to work as she is she won’t stop growing.
Saturday thoughts:
- If you want change you need to change things.
- It’s OK not to aim for what anyone else is aiming for. Pick you goal and work to that. That doesn’t have to be a certain dress size that could be to feel in control of you eating. That’s a transformation too.
- Change takes time and change is continuous.
- Don’t be afraid to celebrate your successes.
- Don’t be afraid to look for help.
This is genuinely not an advert, I wanted to do a blog about something relevant to me and also celebrate my friend’s success but if you want to find out about the programme JUMP 4.2 and how it can help you reach your goals let me know and I’ll be happy to chat.
If you’ve had enough of me talking you can log interest here and get emails about how to join instead!
Heather Sherwood Fitness 