Not losing weight? What’s the point? Are you getting resentful of the weight training weight loss ideology?
You know the feeling….knowing you “should” be working out but you DREAD it. It’s the last thing you want to do and to be honest…….you would rather be chilling out by watching a movie, getting a mani-pedi or whatever it is as long as it does not involve blood, sweat and tears!!!
But let’s go a little deeper…..why is it that you REALLY resent working out?
Why is the effort and the habit of training SO DIFFICULT and SO OFFENSIVE for SO MANY women?
Well to be honest…….often it’s because what you expect in return for your blood, sweat and tears ….. the time you invested …..
the time OFF the couch ……..
the sore muscles the next day…….
What you expect is RESULTS on the scale!!!!
You expect that with all that effort you should be seeing those numbers on the scale go DOWN.
I mean after all…..you burned all those calories.
You did a hardcore workout.
You SACRIFICED.
Then the moment comes when you step on the scale and…….nothing.
Well, maybe there was a 0.4lb. change.
Disappointed….confused…..and RESENTFUL.
This is the point when most women give up.
They begin to think “what’s the point.”
Then the Smeogal mindset enters and you may start saying:
“You’ll always be fat. You can’t do this. You’ll never lose weight. You will never be one of THOSE girls that loses weight……..face it. You are stuck.”
But then……if you are good at tracking your stats….you may see something like this:
Meet Miranda:
Miranda’s 33 years old and is a Registered Nurse. Smart girl!!!!
But she was beginning to get discouraged because the scale was changing SOOOOO slowly. Making that number change on the scale is difficult but all the women that train with me would comment on how her body was changing.
But that damn scale was ruling her mind!!!!
Until she saw her before/after.
Until her mom told her she was not longer “shaped like a pear”.
This……is the power of muscle mass and muscle density.
Right now her body is a tremendous muscle building and fat loss stage. And the scale can mask what is REALLY happening.
But we KNOW this!!!! (And no…..it’s not that muscle weighs more than fat….it’s that muscle takes up LESS SPACE than fat).
LISTEN UP!!!!!
Miranda’s result is STILL NOT THE REASON YOU TRAIN.
So in order to NOT RESENT THE SCALE……
In order to NOT RESENT THE MIRROR……..
Get it straight as to why you train. If you get this right now and you learn to make this your mindset you will NEVER miss a day of training or being active EVER AGAIN.
I try as best I can to train 6 days per week. Even if it as little as 20 minutes.
I just get that time in.
Why?
1. Because each day I train it will enable me to KEEP DOING WHAT I WANT so I can fully participate in life.
What does this mean? Look….you know those people that don’t participate in life because it literally causes them too much pain. It’s too difficult because their body has begun to break down with chronic dysfunction.
My dad is one of those people (sorry dad!!!!). He has Type 2 Diabetes, congestive heart failure, inflammation, neuropathy, hip issues, asthma, etc.
Participating in life is difficult. Yes, he comes with us to Disney but he spends most of the time on a bench and he needs to use a wheelchair to get around. Or, he spends much of his time sleeping because he is tired.
But all of this was preventable………if he had stayed on top of it.
I don’t know about you but I want to be one of those women who is 70 years old STILL HIKING and STILL EXPLORING and STILL TRYING NEW THINGS.
I don’t want to ROT or DETERIORATE. I want to live as OPTIMALLY as I can and I want YOU to understand what happens in your body when you do the RIGHT THING and not for misguided reasons like the damn scale!!!!
And this is how strength training helps you do that……time to get a bit CLINICAL (just so you can believe me!!!!)
2. Tear and REPAIR = GROWTH
Exercise triggers the message to your body to repair inflammation. Specifically it releases C-10 (Cytokine 10) which is “the great repairer”. Cytokine 6 or C-6 causes decay …. But this is not all bad IF used correctly.
C-6 is released constantly from stress and little constant drips can be released through emotional stress, back pain, stressors on the body BUT C-6 can trigger C-10 to be released but ONLY if there is the RIGHT type of stress.
And the type of stress that it needs to release C-10 (the great repairer) is through EXERCISE and HARD EXERCISE. Not just some meandering walk through your neighborhood but the type of exercise that makes you SWEAT. Yes…..like BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS (ok….minus the blood).
But…..if your body is ONLY releasing C-6 (and this happens when you are sedentary) it is sending the signal to your body to ROT, DECAY and HIBERNATE. So C-6 is not always good.
BUT…..if you place ENOUGH positive stress on the body through strength training, aerobic exercise and good hard physical work it will TRIGGER the release of C-10 which comes to the rescue and combats that DECAY, ROT and HIBERNATION.
And….as we age we secrete more C-6. But remember…..this is not a good thing if the trigger for C-10 is not activated.
And what is the trigger? STRENGTH TRAINING…..LIFTING…..ENDURANCE…..AEROBIC…..and good old fashioned SWEAT.
So now….back to Miranda.
She looks great….doesn’t she?
She lost only 18lbs. but she went down MORE than a few sizes as you well can see.
But if she uses her physical image as her only motivator……likely this will not become a life long habit.
If she heeds my advice (being 10 years her senior) she will continue this way of life not only for vanity sake but so her life can look like this.
- Skiing well into her 50’s and beyond.
- Having more energy than her kids and being able to OUT PLAY them. ( I don’t know about you but I can OUT PLAY my 11 year old daughter).
- Hike up a mountain at 70 years of age.
- Run a marathon well into your 60’s.
Knowing Miranda……she will heed my advice and be able to live a life like those I describe above.
But if you use the SCALE and your vain PHYSIQUE as the only reason you train…….you are missing the biggest message of all.
You are then saying that if the scale does not change…..what’s the point.
Then you are OK with allowing your body to HIBERNATE…..DECAY ……. And ROT.
All while you are ALIVE.
Or you can change your mindset and you can decide TODAY to trigger the necessary chemical processes your body CRAVES and is meant to do.
But it cannot do it on it’s own.
It needs your help and that is through strength training and then more intense strength training.
I am telling you that there is not ONE MOMENT WASTED when you make the decision to stress your body through exercise.
You have to learn how to make time…..how to make this a priority……and how to make this something you do for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
Not just until you reach that goal on the scale or the skinny jeans you want to fit into.
If you are reading this post to this point and would like a quick kick in the butt phone session with me to help you get your mindset right…..I am offering a free 30 minute phone strategy session to help you get focused on rebuilding your health…..from the inside out.
If you are interested – fill out this form below and let me know you read this article and would like a free KICK IN THE BUTT PHONE STRATEGY SESSION.