How To Not Blow It This Holiday Season by Jerry Trubman
Being in the health/fitness industry for over a decade, I’ve seen some very sad, yet predictable, patterns:
- Start crazy diet and/or exercise program that is unsustainable long-term.
- Grit through said program for a defined period of time (usually under 90 days).
- Attain a moderate amount of success from the program, but burn out quickly.
- “Fall off the wagon” Gain back the weight… and then some.
- Repeat steps 1 through 4 indefinitely.
Once again, the holidays are here and this is usually when step 4 sneaks up on us. We’re surrounded by yummy food everywhere and resistance can be futile; the average American gains 5 to 10 pounds during the holiday season. Then reality hits on January 1st and we decide this is the year we’re making a change! We’re going to sign up for that crazy workout program and eat nothing but kale smoothies to undo all the transgressions from the prior year! As the soreness from the workouts set in, and the thought of that smoothie makes us sick, our motivation wanes and we stray from the program. Maybe it will work next time? Probably not.
What if there was a better and smarter way? Well, there is. Weight loss is just not as hard as the diet industry makes it out to be, and the key is rooted in this one word:
Habits: ‘Habits’ outperform ‘diets’ long-term every single time. How does one start something like this? To explain, here is the best ‘diet’ ever. Ready? Type “What is the best diet?” into the Google search bar. You will soon find yourself immersed in a sea of information… and… well… lots of ads, nonsense, and contradiction too. Except we’re not looking for contradictions, we’re looking for similarities. Find at least ten things that all the diets seem to agree on. There will be more, but ten is a pretty good start. Next, make a list of those ten things in order from easiest to hardest, with the easiest being first. Start with the easiest thing and practice it for at least three weeks. Don’t move on until the first thing can be done without much thought. Can’t seem to get that one to work for you? Skip it and go to the next one. There is no timeline, just keep working until you can make as many of the things on the list as automatic as possible. If you are consistent and persistent, within a few months you will start to look and feel different. Some may ask, “What diet are you on? You look great!” You can honestly answer, “I’m not sure.”
At our facility, we’ve worked very hard to eliminate the yo-yo dynamic and help people find a consistent path to real long-term results. Mosts fitness programs have a dismal long-term use rate. Statistically, big-box gym memberships have less than a 10% use-rate… meaning most people who sign up for membership will rarely ever use it. Imagine a place where that number was 100%. No need to imagine, we’ve done it. In other words, we’ve rigged the game for you to win. Our system provides the instruction, progression, and accountability you need to do serious strength training correctly and effectively… all while doing it in a small, close-knit community of like-minded professionals. Interested in learning more? Please contact us at info@theprotocolsc.com or give us a call at (520) 990-7132.
Jerry is the owner and founder of The Protocol Strength & Conditioning, a fitness facility and coaching program specializing in teaching people how to move better and become stronger, through private coaching and small group classes. With over a decade of experience, Jerry has devoted himself to seeking out better answers, and distilling those answers into practical programs that produce great results. He provides workshops, clinics, and kettlebell certifications world-wide through the UK-based company, Strength Matters, and writes “The Healthy Addiction” blog. For more information, please visit www.theprotocolsc.com