A Formula for Fitness Success?

I’ve had a few requests lately for me to post my diet and exercise routine on my website, and I’ve been hesitant.  Not because I don’t want to share, but because it has all seemed so experimental lately!

Last night I was talking to my trainer about how I am starting to see great results, but I’ve changed so many things in the past week, that it’s hard for me to tell WHAT exactly the cause for the results are.  He replied with “all of the changes are responsible for the results!” 

That is when I finally got it: I will never have a set “plan” because the basic principle for my plan is to constantly “shock my body” and that includes changing my routine every single week.  This includes my diet and exercise routines.

So I can definitely explain a vague idea of what I’m up to every week, but to give you a set plan would not be possible.  If I am increasing my carbs, and I start to gain weight, then I will pull some back, same goes for my fats and supplements.  For example, I took 50g of wheat germ one morning and I couldn’t get out of the bathroom for the first half of my work day, clearly I needed to cut that in half, maybe more! 

The reason everything feels so experimental in my routine right now is because it IS!!! 

And this is the lesson I’d like to put forth today:  We are all unique creatures with different body types, genetics, goals and abilities and we have to find that formula that works for our body’s individual needs to create success!

It doesn’t really matter what I am doing, because it might not do a thing to get you closer to your own goals! You can use my regime as a starting point for you to begin experimenting, but that is as much help as I can provide!

The biggest thing I want you to remember is: There is NO “One Plan Fits All” that will give you the results you are looking for!  How could there be? We are all so incredibly unique in every aspect of our bodies.  

No two fingerprints are the same, and no two blueprints for fitness results are the same either!

The trick is to accept this, and be encouraged to figure your own body out! There have been times in my life when I felt frustrated with how “hard” it was to lose weight or gain muscle, but now I have adjusted my thinking to a more playful, curious approach now.  I know my body is unique to me, and now I feel like a mad scientist trying to figure out my own formula for success!  This journey can be fun and exciting, or you can see it as daunting and exhausting! 

If you try something, and it does not work (after giving it an appropriate time to experiment) then this is great news, because you are figuring out your body by way of trial and error! Every time you find an “error” that doesn’t work, that just puts you one step closer to figuring out your own personal formula! How exciting!!

In the past, Mike has told me what to do and I would follow his plan, and get my results.  But today I am looking for much bigger results, and my journey got much more interesting the day Mike told me I had to do research before he would help me anymore.  His idea makes a lot of sense too (don’t tell him I said so though!) because if you are given everything you need without any effort, you won’t appreciate it as much and you won’t fully understand the process.  

To get results, you must do work! It’s that simple.  

So if I want the best glutes in the bikini division, I need to go do research on how the glute muscles work, what exercises work those muscles, and what the best in the industry are doing to earn their amazing bums!  Mike could tell me what do eat and what to work out, but without understanding specific things, that he’d never have the time to explain, I will not see the results I’m shooting for.

You can ask a million questions, or get out there and WORK for the knowledge it’s going to take to get you where you want to be!  Knowledge is power, people!

I stopped eating junk food and refined foods because I read a lot online about what it does to my body.  So if I’m tempted by sweets, I will now not only feel guilt for my goals being hindered, but I’m also aware of how those sugars are going to affect my insulin levels and how the modified ingredients are going to stress out my body.  That really takes the cravings away, let me tell ya!

The last time I had anything “off” my diet was my last trip to Edmonton, Jan 13th.  So I’m at around 6 weeks now, and I can say with all honesty that I haven’t even struggled with this.  Many people include cheat meals in their contest prep, but to me if that cheat meal includes anything not good for my body (and I can do without), then I’m not going to reintroduce those foods or bad habits into my life.

If you are looking for a change in your body, and want my steps on how to do it, I will give you the steps I took to get where I’m at without including particulars, because you need to find your own path!

To make changes in your body:

1. Find the body you want

• Search online for the body of your dreams
• Don’t limit your potential by picking a body that is easier to achieve
• Have complete faith that you can do this! Because you CAN!

2. Google that particular person, or a person similar to them and figure out what they are doing to get their results

• This will help give you an idea of how much work this body will require
• Success ALWAYS leaves clues, the owners of these bodies are doing something right, so figure out what kinds of habits they have and start adopting them one by one

3. Adjust the diet and fitness routine to fit your own individual needs

• Use this person’s basic plan as a platform to develop your own journey to success
• Get your measurements and do some mirror work to become brutally honest with yourself, as change will never occur if you do not get disturbed about your current condition
• Do weekly checkups on your progress.  Measurements can be done monthly, but keep an eye on that mirror, how your clothes are fitting, ad how you’re feeling for changes
• Find ways to keep variety in your program to keep your body guessing
• • Change tempos, reps, and sets in your workout
  • Change your weekly splits on what days you are working your muscles
  • Change the muscle groups you’re working out each day
  • Keep your diet fresh and new! If you eat the same thing every single day your body will adjust too and stop shedding fat! I am currently doing a carb cycle, where I have 3 “low-carb” days and one “high-carb” day to keep my body guessing.  Look up the options and think about how you can change your intake with a carb or fat cycle!
  • Enjoy the process of coming up with new and interesting ways to put variety in your routine! It can be as much or as little fun as you want it to be —choose fun and joy my friends!—for the sake of your mental state, if nothing else 

4. Document everything in a journal so you can create your own formula for success! 

• Keep a food journal of what you are eating, how you feel, how your workouts are, and your results.  This will help a lot when going back to see what you have already tried! Find the days when your results and energy were good and analyze WHAT happened in those days, and repeat those good habits!
• • Do you think Albert Einstein kept all of his formulas in his mind? I doubt it.. Imagine if he forgot his formula.. E=M…. Ughh… Dammit! I knew I should have written that down!
• Do not get frustrated! Think of how many times you fell as a child learning to walk, it takes time to develop good habits, and it takes even longer to find the formula for success! Especially when you have to start from scratch and have to figure out your own body! Expect delays, but also expect results!  Results are earned, so put the time and effort in!
• Think of the Reward! Think about the day you figure out what your body likes and what it doesn’t like, and now you are in control of what your body is doing.  If you want to lose fat, you will know exactly what to do.  How lovely with that day be! Keep working towards that goal!
• Remember that everyone is different! Some people need to do hours of cardio to lose weight, where others don’t do any.  Some can eat as much as they want and won’t gain weight, some gain lbs just looking at a dozen of donuts.  Know that you are on your own individual journey, and stop comparing your results to others.  You are not on the same path, so stop expecting the same outcome! 
• • Think of two people punching in the same GPS coordinates but they are both in completely different places in town.  They are going to have different delays, twists and turns, and different ETAs for that destination!  Accept it and keep on truckin!

5. Encourage Yourself

• When a child is learning to speak, we encourage every single little improvement they make, which encourages them to be better.  We are excited for every syllable they get out of their mouths.  So why is it when we are learning something new, we can be so hard on ourselves? Turn that around and begin to encourage yourself throughout this learning process!  Be your own cheerleader, and remain a positive influence on yourself! Never EVER self-criticize! 

6. Enjoy the process!

• You’ve done your research, made up a plan, and are following through! Don’t expect results to come overnight, because if they did we would all be fit! It’s the persistence and resiliency of your efforts that will determine your results! Don’t quit, and be sure celebrate the little victories – just not with food!

Results are achievable to those who are willing to put in the work.  This involves sacrifice, effort and a positive attitude.  There are thousands of decisions to make in a day, and each one is going to get you either closer or further away from your results! So think of that every decision you make today, tomorrow and beyond!

There are mornings I don’t want to get up for cardio, but I do.  Some days I’d prefer to go home and sit on the couch, but instead I’m going to the gym for the second time that day.  To me, it’s black or white: I am either doing what I need to for my goals to be realized or I’m not.  You don’t need to be as extreme as I am, but understand that everything affects everything.  If you do not prioritize your results, they will never come.  You don’t need to be perfect, but you need to become aware of how your choices are affecting your goals! 

Now for anyone who wants to know the specifics of what my week is looking like, I will post it below! Feel free to give it a try if you’d like, and I’ll post the diet that goes along with this excellent workout split below too!

My training schedule this week is actually directly pulled from Muscle and Fitness Hers Kim Oddo’s Workout Plan:

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/training/four-weeks-fit-training-plan 

I am doing the first two weeks plan, with Upper and Lower Body Circuits.  I’ve never done a circuit split, as I normally have a weekly split with specific muscle groups assigned to different days, but in order to shock my body, I’m giving this a try! Let me know what you think!

And as I explained earlier I am personally doing a carb cycle this week, so I am doing three days of low carbs (80-100g) and then one high-carb day of 200-300g carbs.  This is my first week of this, so I’m not sure how my body will react yet, but I am sure enjoying my high carb days (weeeeooo!).

On the same page as the Workout plan above, there is a diet plan to go with the workouts, and I’d highly recommend it! It looks good and balanced to me!  It is all natural and healthy foods so that is good enough for my recommendation! So give this try and you should be well on your way to finding your own fitness success formula!

Here’s the link for the diet plan: http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com/nutrition/dieting/four-weeks-fit-diet-plan 

I truly hope this blog has served you in some way, and my hopes for you are that you can take some of these tools and really start making changes in your life!  You have unlimited potential, you just need to put in the WORK!


-L.K.

(Archived Feb 27, 2014)

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