Top tips for succeeding in reaching your goals (and staying there)

1. Stop trying to be perfect

   This is the one I think trips people up the most. Trying to be perfect, and then giving up when they don't manage to be, and thinking that they've failed - so what is the point in carrying on. Please avoid these 'all or nothing' approaches, if you're consistently taking (imperfect) action towards your goals, you are making much more progress than being perfect for a week and then giving up. e.g you'd gain more from one workout a week for a year (52 workouts), than two weeks of doing 5 workouts a week but giving up as you can't sustain it (10 workouts). The steps you take all add up, you just have to keep plugging away. Only starting or doing something when you've got the right time, or the right conditions or when you can do it perfectly is either likely to never get going in the first place, or is impossible to stick to. Just start, or keep going, any action is always better than nothing.

   
   

2. Don't fall in to the "f*ck it bucket"

   Life happens, things go wrong, we get thrown off "plan", we have a big holiday or party or work events that mean we can't stick with our plans or routines. When things go "off-piste", don't say "well I've blown that one, so I might as well continue down this path and not bother trying anymore - it's not worth it". Rather, draw a line under it and get back on your plan, or adjust your plan if you can no longer sustain the original (i.e need to drop from three workouts to one for a few weeks, that's no biggie (see tip #1). I feel a good analogy is this one - you're on a journey and you get a puncture. Don't then go and puncture all the other tyres. Instead, work to repair the puncture and get back on your journey, adapting the route if you need to. One day / meal / event off piste and then back on plan is hugely better than a full week sabotaging your efforts because you thought you'd blown it. Don't spiral, don't dwell, don't wait... just get back on it.

   
   

3. You don't need to "make up" or compensate for anything

   This only leads to binge / restrict cycles and is really blimmin' miserable. Or potentially causes injury or overuse injury. Try not to compensate for falling off plan with punishing routines or over-restriction in your diet. Just draw a line under it and get back on your plan, or as per tip #2 adjust your plan if you need to.

   
   

4. Embracing flexibility in regimen

   Life is meant to be fun, and you should be able to enjoy social occasions, holidays and meal out. This will also help your adherence to any plan you're on, and vastly improve your likely success rate and maintenance. Where you can plan for these, e.g if you're going out to a big party - there are few great ways you could approach this (aside from just going!):

   1. be 'on it' with your plan as much as possible surrounding this event, and then just go and have a great time, and get back on the plan straight after (avoid the f*ck it bucket)

   2. set some parameters for the event that you feel comfortable with - e.g max of three alcoholic drinks, alternating drinks with water / soft drinks, not having a starter but will enjoy a pudding - whatever makes YOU feel comfortable. You don't have to go - oh well, I'm going to party and I'm just going to eat everything on offer, allll the buffet and not think about what I'm drinking - unless that is what you WANT to do, then by all means do it and have fun

   3. do not feel guilty whatever happens - see tip 2 & 3

      
      

5. Compromise vs restriction

   I'm talking particularly about fat loss here, and people who are successful (for the longer term) and happier, are those that can focus on compromise rather than cutting out or restricting. Include the things you enjoy in your diet, but you might have to compromise to reach your goals. This could mean the frequency of eating or drinking something that isn't overly nutritious, adjusting the portion size of said food, or making a healthier version of said food. It doesn't mean you never have to eat it again.... as this will like lead to falling in to the f*ck it bucket, giving up or binging and feeling really crap about it. You need to work out what it is for you that you need to compromise on, if there's unlikely foods you don't want in your life any more then by all means leave them out, but if its something you'd be miserable without, then develop compromise.

   
   

6. Make this your lifestyle

   This does take time, but really in order for changes to stick and to maintain certain goals, the actions you take and habits you create just need to become the way in which you live your life. This is why it's important to be realistic and achievable in setting your actions, and they should be things that you enjoy - if you're doing this for 'life', you need to not hate it.

   
   

7. Use range targets

   This is a great way of continuing to progress during the ups and downs of life and avoid feeling like you've failed if you don't hit your optimal or absolute target. Some people also think of this as A, B or C goals or Gold, Silver and Bronze. Personally I use ranges, or parameters to work within. Landing somewhere within this range helps me to stop feeling rubbish if I don't hit a specific target when the life juggle gets too much. So simply, this could be: I want to do a minimum of 2 workouts a week, optimal is 4. I want to walk and average of a minimum 8,000 steps a day, optimal is 12k. I want to sleep (or at least resting in bed) for at least 6.5 hours a night, optimal is 8.5. I want to eat balanced home made lunches at work, for 5 days a week, minimum 3. That kind of thing.

   
   

8. Accept that goals might take longer to reach

   But you've enjoyed your life in the process and importantly are MORE LIKELY to stick to the behaviours and routines that you established in doing it. Yes there is a place for aggressive and quick fat loss (if fat loss is the goal) (2-8 weeks) but this does mean you need a very good relationship with food, are absolutely on point for that short term period, and then learn how to come out of that aggressive diet and figure out how to maintain that for the longer term. If you want to see results quickly then this is for you, but being super strict for 2-8 weeks is actually the easier part, the much harder part is keeping it off / finding a balance when you stop the diet.

   
   

   Whichever way you look at this, it is not easy, and it really is a journey. Plus as you get older, it gets harder, with more things to juggle and life just isn't what it was in your twenties. But you're not here for the easy, are you? It took me YEARS to get myself out of binge and restrict / yo yo approaches - but whilst part of this comes with age and giving less sh*ts about what I look like and numbers on the scale, ( I now focus more about how I feel, health and performance rather than my cellulite which isn't going anywhere!), it's been a whole lot of trial and error and learning what works for me. All of the tips above are tried and tested by me and many of my clients, and hoping some of them may help you too.

   
   

   Any questions of thoughts on any of these please add a comment below or ping me a message!

   #goals #fitness #fatloss #exercise #lifestyle