What exactly is the #1 weight loss habit? This was the topic of an article written by COACH STEVO, recently posted on the fitness pal blog. A group of fitness gurus got together and created a list of all their weight loss tips. Then they were asked to pick their #1 tip to lose fat easily. But the the #1 tip they agreed on was not even on the list of tips they were using. They decided The Number 1 "weight loss" Habit You Should Have to Lose Weight (™) is: FINDING PEOPLE TO SHARE YOUR JOURNEY
I found their idea very interesting. At first I thought no, that's not right. My personal belief is that our goals need to come from within. We have to want it because "we" want it, not because we think others say we should. It has to be internally motivated.
My #1 tip for weight loss would be CONSISTENCY.
I thought more about this. When I started my journey toward a healthier, fitter version of me, I went to the gym. I didn't go home, because I knew I wouldn't go back. I didn't go for a run on my own either but rather to the gym where there were people. Everyday, for 5-6 days/week. Why? Because my people were there. I am a social being and those people kept me coming back. I made friends, we learned about each others goals and aspirations and we shared our successes. The social part was a distraction from my workout while I continued on my weight loss journey.
On a similar note, many of my members only work out when they are training with me or participating in a class setting. This motivates them, it keeps them going. It's more CONSISTENT than if they were on their own. Again, we are with "people who share our journey" So ... I guess what I'm saying is, maybe consistency is the key to weight loss but that "FINDING PEOPLE TO SHARE YOUR JOURNEY" is a "habit" that supports our ability to be consistent.
I'd also like to add that we are all different.
We have different likes, dislikes and preferences. We need to find what motivates us to keep going and when that doesn't work anymore, we need to find something that does. I once had a client at the gym who would do a set of weights then read her book, do another set, then read her book : ) I laughed the first time I saw her do this. She said, this is what gets me here. Without the book, I'd just stay home. Brilliant! Is this ideal, nope, but guess what? If it motivates her to keep going, at the end of the day she will be ahead of where she would be without that book. Aaaand, she will be ahead of the one who just stops.
People got me to the gym. My client got there for the book and time to read 🙂 I say "well done"! At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you get there as long as you keep going : ) Figure out what motivates you, then find a way to keep doing it ... with CONSISTENCY! : )