Today, we bring a motivational article, so you can forget about your insecurities and start working to achieve the results you always wanted. Keep in mind that no change is easy, but at the same time, nothing is definitive in life.
As human beings, we are largely capable of adapting, being able to transform difficult situations in our favour. Thus, today’s article will have a more personal character, bringing some of my experiences along my fitness journey, as well as some difficulties I had when I started to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Keep learning! Read more fitness articles:
- How To Create A Workout Plan
- What are Macronutrients? Starting a Healthy Diet
- 5 Cardio Workouts That Help To Lose Weight
- Protein Intake Benefits And How Much You Should Eat
- 4 Tips To Stop Eating Junk Food
- 8 Steps to Stick to a Healthy Diet
1. Bad Genetics x Body Transformation
Ok guys, here is my first advice: forget about your genetics or your biotype! Certain people find it easier to gain or lose weight because of their genetics or metabolism, but this is not decisive in defining the results you will have.
When I started working out about 10 years ago, I weighed about 45 kilos, and everyone told me I would be skinny forever because I had bad genetics. Today, I weigh 75 kilos, I have an athletic physique, and I’m more than happy with my evolution throughout the years.
Because of this limiting belief, I didn’t put in enough effort in the early years of my fitness journey (both working out and eating) and that made me believe that I really couldn’t build muscle mass. The truth is, I wasn’t consistent, I didn’t eat right, and I was easily demotivated by other people’s comments.
You must understand that each body is unique and that we all have our own time to accomplish great things in life. If I can leave a tip is: believe in your potential and get rid of toxic people. If you have friends who constantly put you off or joke about your goals, re-evaluate your friendships.
Keep in mind that 4 things allow anyone to transform their body: knowledge, hard work, consistency and time. Your genetics can hinder or facilitate progress, but it is not decisive for your success.
2. Be Realistic With Your Goals!
The first step in starting your body transformation is to be realistic. You see, if you’ve spent the last decade eating poorly or living a sedentary lifestyle, you’re unlikely to reach an athletic level in 6 months.
During my first college, I spent approximately 4 years eating poorly and drinking alcohol almost daily. The irony is that despite being extremely thin throughout my life, I gained about 15 kilos during this period.
When I decided to change my lifestyle, the mindset I had was: If I spent 4 years ruining my body, I would spend another 4 years trying to recover my physical condition.
The truth is that I managed to achieve my goals in half the time, but I was always aware that only consistency and time bring results.
3. Your Diet is Essential the Body Transformation Process
I wish I had listened when I was told this at age 16. Trust me, your diet is as important as your workout. Do you have a friend who has been working out for a long time and hasn’t been able to progress? Probably his diet has something to do with it.
Remember that your body needs nutrients to perform vital functions in addition to maintaining and building muscle mass. Even if your goal is to lose weight, you must understand how to do it without affecting your health.
Recently, we posted 2 articles about macronutrients, and how much protein you should be eating. If you haven’t read it yet, it will help you considerably to start changing your habits.
4. Don’t Go On Restrictive Diets
Forget crazy diets that make you hungry. The body transformation process must be healthy and progressive.
One of my best friends has had obesity problems for about 15 years. Even after trying several times, he still insists on restrictive diets that cut carbohydrate intake completely. He has always lost weight incredibly fast on these diets but ended up putting everything back in a couple of weeks after. Not to mention mood swings, hair loss, feeling sick, weakness and the risk of developing other health issues.
This phenomenon happens to many people, for the simple reason that there is no dietary re-education process. Trust me: the process will be much easier and rewarding if you accept that the road can be long and you will have to go through it. Most of the time, restrictive diets (such as zero carbs) are unsustainable, forge a temporary solution, and lead to even more significant health problems.
As always, we recommend you see your doctor or a nutritionist, before making decisions that will affect your health.
5. Forget About the Others and Focus on You!
Forget about celebrities, influencers and the perfect bodies you see around. We all have individual characteristics and organisms, so what works for them won’t necessarily work for you.
We often end up paralyzed by comparing ourselves frequently to other people. The truth is, there will always be people better than you at something, and that shouldn’t put you off. You don’t know the struggle of these people, what they do and how long it took them to get there.
The real transformation happens when we stop looking at others and start focusing on ourselves.
6. Allow Yourself to Make Mistakes!
That’s the golden rule. Over the last 10 years of exercising, I have never been comfortable with any type of restricted diet, as I believe that balance is more sustainable than restriction.
During this time, I have proposed losing fat or gaining muscle several times, always allowing myself to eat pizza or hamburgers regardless of my goals. Life is about balancing and you don’t need to live the life of an athlete to be healthy.
Try to keep that in your mind: If you are eating pizza, for example, you don’t need to eat 8 slices. Still, sometimes it happens, so it’s a good idea to eat clean and watch your calorie intake for the next couple of days.
You will be much more consistent if you respect your limitations and adapt the body transformation process to your reality. If you can completely cut your junk food intake, even better!
7. Pay Attention To Your Protein Intake!
I moved with my wife to Europe almost 4 years ago, and at the beginning, I was surprised about how few people understand the importance of a complete meal.
For the last two years, I have worked in a warehouse, where most employees have heavy physical work. Most of these guys would have a sandwich every day (lousy carbohydrate and low-quality protein). The result: Most of these people would lose weight and muscle mass in a matter of weeks.
When we exercise, we break muscular fibre, and protein’s role is to repair and build muscle mass. In other words, if you put in a lot of physical effort and consume little protein, you lose muscle mass. Remember to prioritize full meals instead of ready-to-eat foods!
8. Drink Lots Of Water!
In case you didn’t already know, our body is made up of approximately 60% water. This means that drinking less water severely affects your metabolism, your appetite, and therefore your ability to lose or gain weight.
If you want to learn more about hydration and its benefits, read our latest article about how much water you drink.
My advice is: buy a big bottle and set alarms on your phone, so you can drink water frequently, without forgetting. It’s essential to balance your consumption throughout the day so that you keep your body hydrated all time – not a few hours only.
9. Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption And Sugar!
We all know that alcohol and sugar are highly destructive to any kind of body transformation, but still, we consume them regularly. Both disrupt your metabolism, stress your body, severely affect your weight and mood, and can lead to several health issues.
If that’s not enough reason for you to cut back or stop drinking alcohol and ingesting sugar, try looking at the nutritional value of the products you eat regularly. A simple candy bar, or bottle of wine, can have the same nutritional value as a complete meal.
This means that there is little point in controlling your calorie intake for 6 days if you eat and drink unrestrainedly on the seventh day.
10. Exercise: Work Hard and Efficiently!
Exercises are essential to maximizing your gains for the simple fact that they increase your caloric expenditure. In addition, anaerobic exercises can promote gains in muscle mass, strength, among others.
The tip is to choose some sport or physical activity that you like to do. If the gym doesn’t suit you, try to do something that works for you. Remember, it’s so much easier to be consistent when you do something you love! The body transformation process should be as enjoyable as possible for you!
Founder and Editor of TheLifesty. Passionate about Health & Fitness and enthusiast about changes. Interested in everything that improves the quality of life.