LIVIN' LARGE: Minimizing yourself and maximizing your life!When you have over 100 pounds to lose it can seem impossible to get started in the right direction.
Over the past couple of years, many people have asked me "what's the perfect diet for me?" This is usually followed by, "what is the perfect workout?" The truth is, while most of the time there are better food choices to be made, better exercise pairings, etc - before you get ahead of yourself, CONSISTENCY IS KEY.
Yes, that is right the key that unlocks the door to your health and fitness goals is opened by the practice of consistency. Some will call it dedication. But as you'll see, dedication isn't necessarily enough.
A popular dictionary defines dedication as a form of "devotion, a commitment: the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action. Consistency on the other hand is "a harmonious uniformity or agreement among things or parts."
Many people when they decide to change their habits, their lives, anything for that matter often experience a healthy degree of conflict within. This conflict is often seen as a driving force behind their process of change.
So, you have decided to change. You have the fuel. Now, what are you going to do. Dedication isn't enough because if simply wanting to reach your goals would get you there; you'd already be there, right? Align yourself with the ideas of Dedication and Constistency. Bind (yes, its a strong word for a reason - it's why I like it) yourself to a plan and then stick to it. Seek harmony at this point. No more of that inner turmoil stuff.
People every day, (I too have been guilty) often don't realize they already have "the perfect plan" for health, well-being, and the physique they've always wanted available to them. We always need something more, we need the magic pill, the super supplement (X or Y, X+Y, or heaven help us A thru Z + nausea). Success in the arena of personal health, wellness, and the body you've always wanted will not hinge on any of these things.
The many Oustanding Coaches and Nutritionists you have available here and elsewhere can help you design your plan. We're happy to. Its what we enjoy. But, the bottom line to your success will always be....
Dedication and Consistency.
Newman
__________________
"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
Dedication and consistency. How do you stay consistent with school, work, family, friends? How do you stay dedicated to your training and nutrition? I have no idea. I'm pretty good for oh 30 seconds maybe 90 if everything is going really well at the moment. But toss a monkey wrench in the equation and it all goes to hell in a hand basket, like trying to divide by zero, the dedication and consistency in one or more of those important areas of my life starts to slide.
Well I guess I do have an idea, surround yourself with friends like Newman who will bust your chops when you screw up, but even then its still up to you.
Dedication is the easier of the two for most people, I think, since it is a mindset more than an actuality. Sure, you'll hit some bumps in the road--that's life--that interfere with short-term consistency (of course, "short-term" is relative for everyone), but in the long run, it's applying that dedication of mind to the dedication of your body.
Having a support network (even of one other) is great and sometimes necessary to help keep you on track, but as many (most?) successful people will attest, it's ultimately an inner drive. That's why those around you are support, not foundation--that's you, buddy. Read and talk and listen and learn as much as you can, then internalize, filter, and use what's best for you--everyone's situation is different.
By the way, Mahler successfully divided by zero
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Dedication and consistency. How do you stay consistent with school, work, family, friends? How do you stay dedicated to your training and nutrition? I have no idea. I'm pretty good for oh 30 seconds maybe 90 if everything is going really well at the moment. But toss a monkey wrench in the equation and it all goes to hell in a hand basket, like trying to divide by zero, the dedication and consistency in one or more of those important areas of my life starts to slide.
Well I guess I do have an idea, surround yourself with friends like Newman who will bust your chops when you screw up, but even then its still up to you.
cody
You CAN be consistent if you set the right expectations. Can you workout with weights only twice per week and keep it up? Would it be possible to make a nutrition plan that you CAN live with and stick to?
The key is to lay out your goals and your various limitations. Then design your programs around them. If you are really, really busy and not willing or able to cook your own food or pack your foods, then you need to design a program that fits those limitations.
You can always find a way. Your time and your goals, together, determine how fast it will be possible to reach your goal, but not your ability to reach it.
Nice essay, Newman. Thanks for the shot in the arm.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I hope my last post didn't come across as preachy. I didn't mean it that way. I've had to redesign all my workouts and nutrition to fit around my current stress levels. I'd rather be successful at less than fail at more.
I hope my last post didn't come across as preachy. I didn't mean it that way. I've had to redesign all my workouts and nutrition to fit around my current stress levels. I'd rather be successful at less than fail at more.
I didn't see it as preachy, especially since I know you're speaking from experience. We're all working on developing greater consistency (well... *I* am, anyway) so anything to help maintain the right mindset can help.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I hope my last post didn't come across as preachy. I didn't mean it that way. I've had to redesign all my workouts and nutrition to fit around my current stress levels. I'd rather be successful at less than fail at more.
I didn't see it as preachy either. One of the greatest things we have to offer in this sub-forum or any forum for that matter is our experiences. We have such an awesome group here. It is great to be a part of it.
Newman
__________________
"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
Should start off that there was a lot of hyperbole in my last post. What I was trying to say is that you have to put in place strategies like a support network of good friends or plans that have expectations that are achievable to defend against those things that would detract from your consistency or even your dedication.
What are most of the detours, irritants, etc that you guys feel when it comes to consistency and dedication? We have talked about damage control in general. More specifically, my hallucination is well before the need to enact damage control measures, many of our plans lack these two ingredients. So, before you leave the starting gate what sort of things can you plan for? What unexpected things might arise (I know expect the unexpected)? And what are some possible solutions to these things?
__________________
"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
For me lately everything can be distilled down to this
I want that snickers bar.
I shouldn't have it.
Ah what's one snickers bar? Lots of people eat way more than that. Did you see that guy with the giant slurpee? hahahha yeah.
*INSERT MONEY* *PRESS BUTTON* *EAT SNICKERS*
Rinse.
Repeat.
I need to know that I would rather be in good shape, than enjoy 30 seconds of snickers.
Og.
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
Dedicated and Consistent...
Linear Mode
