Whether you are heading back into the office after lockdown and back into more of a semblance of normality, or about to enter a new period of lockdown, there are a lot of people starting to prioritise their physical health and how their body looks, feels and functions.
Lockdown meant for a lot of people……
- A drop in activity levels
- An increase in food/alcohol consumption
- Overconsumption of negative media
These elements compounded to produce a calorie surplus alongside a drop in motivation. What that meant essentially is a lot of people ended up gaining body fat and had no drive to try and combat it – all the while being completely oblivious as to why either was happening.
This led to frustration, confusion and feelings of helplessness and low confidence. These things were reported to me time and time again by people getting in touch over lockdown, asking for my help to get them back in shape.
Since the ‘first’ lockdown I have coached dozens of people into their best ever condition and the vast majority are business leaders and busy professionals. And if I were to tell you what 3 things were the most important for clients to achieve success you would probably expect: Exercise, Food and Recovery. When in actuality I would say there were: Education, Accountability and Psychology.
You see, if people are unaware at how they got out of shape so fast, then they are not going to be able to combat it sustainably until they are taught what happened and learn to adapt their thinking towards their physical health.
If you do what you always did, you’ll get what you always got
If you do what you always did, you’ll get what you always got
What I mean by this is if you want to make a change, you have to make a change. There needs to be a shift in your thinking away from habits that lead to negative results, and towards habits and behaviours that lead to positive results.
This is what I strive for with my clients. So many of them come to me completely confused about their physical appearance but are still spouting buzzwords like ‘macros’, ‘HIIT’ and ‘Keto’. My job is to help them start at the beginning by adapting their thinking and their approach towards their habits, before we get into the nuances of physical transformation.
The example I give to my clients goes something like this.
Debating what kind of exercise or diet is going to give you the best results before you understand body composition, is like debating what kind of running trainers will make you go fastest before you’ve learnt how to walk.
I push to educate, equip and empower people that come to me so they not only enjoy the process but more importantly they understand it. That way better habits become ingrained and sustainable for them.
My advice for maintaining your fitness during lockdown, or for getting back into shape after Lockdown (which is tried and proven with dozens of clients) is as follows:
- Get more active – aim for 10,000 steps per day to start with
- Get hydrated – aim for 2-3 litres of water daily
- Get enough sleep – aim for 7-9 hours per night
- Get fresher – eat fresh produce instead of processed foods and takeaways
- Get accountable – if getting in shape is a priority for you then you need to reach out and hire a coach who has achieved the results you are after, and will give you structure, guidance and accountability to hit and surpass your goals.
These are small changes, but done consistently can lead to incredible transformations.
Or you can keep doing what is comfortable for you and I will let Einstein explain what happens then….
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Michael Canas is a highly sought after online coach. He specialises in coaching business leaders, entrepreneurs and busy professionals through complete physical transformations.
Utilising a background in psychology as well as fitness coaching, Michael helps business leaders take charge of their bodies so they can look, feel and perform better both inside the boardroom and outside it.
This article is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
