Tag Archives: motivation

9 things I personally do to stay lean and feeling awesome

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Kate Martin11. I never (ok very, VERY rarely) tell myself I’m fat – anymore. I used to when I was post baby, but that’s another story. Never, ever, this is sooo critical to you getting what you want from your body. Try this – whenever you hear yourself say these things to yourself, you are honestly going to get more of it so stop, acknowledge what needs to be done, distract yourself from thinking like that and get on with it.

2. I try not to believe my own b.s. excuses..Trust me I have them. So does EVERYONE. But I also have many, many people in my life who call me on it.. as much as I dislike it sometimes, they are often right. Surround yourself with these honest b.s. calling people if you want to get anywhere apart from believing your own b.s. and wallowing in it but wondering why things (your body, life – whatever situation) is still the same. What are you b.s-ing yourself about at the moment?

3. I am accountable to someone/something to the point where if I don’t do it I will be either 1 – REALLY embarrassed as I’ve public-ally claimed something, or 2. I will lose my money (and usually a lot of it) as I’m paying for advice so I’d better implement what I’m paying for.

4. I change my exercise program to things I’d prefer not to do. Eg. I will spend a certain period (3-4 weeks) lifting just heavy or doing high reps.

5. I try to stick to things long enough to see results – in the health and fitness game anyway. Realistically I think you feel a difference in 1-2 weeks and after 3-4 weeks you see it. Try not to waiver during this time, try not to listen to the opinions of others during this time either if that will make you lose your focus. Which brings me to my next point.

6. I don’t care what I look like/what other people think if I am doing what’s different to the norm. Eg. I often eat out of a plastic container at inappropriate times (I figure I’m not going to stay home just because I am following x, y, z diet because I thoroughly enjoy socializing with my friends – and the real ones will love you no matter how strange your behaviour, so long as you aren’t harming anyone), even though they do sometimes think I’m crazy or embarrassing.

7. I get out of my comfort zone/learn something new. This stretches the mind and I’ll admit I do need to do this more often. But achieving things you didn’t think you could do, even if it’s, for example, lifting weights that were shit scared of does translate to the rest of your life and the confidence spreads throughout your life and into other parts.

8. I don’t calorie restrict anymore – (yes I’ve done it before, when I was desperate to lost weight after having my bub) for more than several weeks at a time. I really do want my brain function to be at an all time high. Girls you really honestly GROW fat cells when you calorie restrict, be careful and have an excellent eating plan which includes healthy saturated fats for when you come off it is all I’ll say on that.

9. I use the mantra ‘I love myself’. Try saying it to yourself at regular intervals throughout the day. Your entire world (internal and external) can change just because of this one thing. Cheers to being awesome! 🙂

I’m sure there’s more than 10 but I want you to share with me yours!

What do you do/have done in the past that’s worked? Change your mind and the body will follow I say.

Results are 100% a mental game. Here’s my take on what it takes..

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diet mondayWell the reality is getting results requires a slightly different approach for everyone, but some things, like the mental approach to change and implementing habits I’ve found from coaching clients and observing my own self talk, is similar regardless of the special diet or exercise regime you are asked to follow.

The following is what I believe goes through our heads (including my own) and some tips to overcome the self talk and FINALLY get results;

1 a. I’m going to start the new diet (or insert new habit here) Monday.

1 b. You really mean it when you say it but unless you are planned with your time and preparation for whatever needs to happen, and understand that stuff ain’t going to go your way on Monday AND you will have to have an iron will and wits about you (especially on the first day or two of a new regime).. You Will likely cave.

How do I know? Because I often do the same thing! In fact sometimes I make the rules so hard for myself I can’t start for months of Mondays in a row :).

What you can do: The best prep is to know that the first day isn’t going to go your way and that you are going to do it anyway. Start with a habit at a time, this really does help. Be prepared.

Trust me as the days go on, it DOES get easier, a lot easier.

drink2 a. It’s not fair that all the other girls eat drink xxxxxx (insert your favourite food or drink here) and they ARE skinny, I must just have xxxxxx (faulty genes, a slow thyroid or insert excuse here).

2 b. We absolutely have to stop blaming other peoples luck and our misfortune and instead take full responsibility for where we are and how we are going to there, and yes some people have a different body composition to you, but really so what? What makes us think it was always easy for them? Or that they aren’t suffering from a terminal illness.. Heaven forbid.

But my message here is to be grateful for what you have that DOES work, your arms and your legs if you have them and stick to the plan and get on with it.

What you can do: Focus with ninja like focus on YOURSELF and your own game and try to compare yourself to others less. A lot less.

3 a. I’m not changing/I can’t see results – so there’s no point!

3 b. I beg to differ, In fact if you don’t already feel a lot better after the first week of your new habit, I bet you are possibly already getting compliments (if not you will by the 3rd or 4th week) and of course, in typical female manner (sorry fellas) you’re not taking the compliments on board.

The only way I know of to overcome this is to stop putting yourself down and have your results measured somehow.

What you can do: Either do your circumferences with a tape measure weekly (eg. Around your waist , butt etc). Take a photo of yourself weekly, get your body fat tested weekly. (I prefer not to encourage people, mainly women, to use the scales as it’s not an indication of gaining muscle tissue and gaining muscle tissue IS what you want. Plus us women use the number on the scales to dictate if we are going to have a bad day or not…. It’s just silly really).

Measure your results until you CAN be objective with yourself. This personally took me two years of having my body fat measured weekly until I thought, you know what I can tell the reaction food is having with my body and I’m happy with it and understand how to adjust it. More importantly, I love and respect it anyway.

Click here to see more about my personal fat loss journey.

If you would like more ideas on how to measure your results or get out of your own way, don’t hesitate to drop me a line, I’ll be more than happy to call you to see if I can help.

See more about my online program for women here.

Do your friends think you are going crazy for ‘getting healthy’?

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dont quitI’d love to get results but my friends think I’m weird or crazy for… (Fill in the blank).

So in your attempt to get healthy you may sometimes feel like you may lose your friends?

Every week clients say to me that they feel like as they implement their new health habits they are going to have to ‘Not see their friends’, ‘Never go out again’, ‘Not start the new healthy routine until after the x y z weekend or event has finished’.

I know how you feel trust me, it’s normal to feel this way what starting something you haven’t done before and someone is asking you to do something ‘way out there’ as far as you are concerned.

Not only do you feel isolated in that you can’t hang out with your friends at social occasions because everything involves food, but that you can’t drink? What? Is your trainer crazy? What do they think this is? that you have no life? How are you suppose to be able to go to boozy lunches with friends, a beer with the fellas, have a latte with a weekend breakfast, socialise and not be the odd one out because you are ordering something separate or different on the menu at your friends dinner, or heaven forbid your trainer expects you to ‘take your own food’ to an event??

Who are these people, your trainers, do they not have a life? Do they not know what it’s like to have to socialise? Have friends? To go out to dinner, the party, a wedding, a bar mitzvah? whatever.. you get my point.

Well let me share this with you my dear client 😉 Actually we do know how it feels as we are part of society too remember, it’s just that we have discovered something, a little thing called results and how to get them, and you came to us, remember, to ask how to get them.

And no we are not asking you to join some weird club where you are not allowed to hang out with your friends, go to any more social events, or that you have to stay home and not go out ever again. We are not telling you that for the rest of your life you have to do anything at all. What we are telling you is a few ‘big bang for your buck’ lifestyle changes that once made, will give you enormous results, usually within a couple of weeks if you can do what we ask. We are purely here to help you shortcut the time it take you to get results and lessen your frustrations when it comes to exercise and nutrition and how to get the body you want.

No matter the diet, or exercise regime you go on, things only work when you do. Yep that’s the magic secret sorry, you are going to have to put your head down bum up and follow something strictly (no I don’t believe in making clients go hungry, but you do have to follow the rules, so to speak, especially if it’s only the last 5kg, or a half to a dress size that you have to lose).
If you want to get results fast or at minimum implement 1-2 of the habits that your trainer asks you to do per week. (I find the later gets the best long term results for clients)..

My suggestions when it comes to socialising/friends and influences:

I suggest you don’t use google, use the references your trainer gives you or ask if you need more info. And I really suggest you don’t ask your friends opinions (unless they have the body and health or lifestyle you want?) … So yep this might mean you can’t tell your opinionated friends about the health advice you are following and you probably don’t want to be enlightening them with your new found knowledge either, unless of course they have told you that they definitely want to hear about it.

Yep, you may have to stop telling some of your friends every little detail about what you are doing, unless you want them to tell you how crazy or stupid you are for doing ‘x y z’.

inner strength

I personally have some super healthy friends that I discuss some things with and some others who I discuss other things with and I love all of them but I try not to force my opinions onto others ears about health unless they really want to know, something I’ve learnt over the years is they don’t usually want to know.

So my suggestion to you would be sometimes you are going to have to ‘suck it up’ if you want results. Things you can do to get results now:

  • Eat before you go to your event.
  • Take your food with you.
  • Keep your healthy lifestyle changes to yourself unless someone asks.
  • Make more friends that eat carrots 😉
  • And take me with a grain of salt. Everything in moderation.

Cheers!  I’m off to get a Cocktail because life is about balance and I’m out of the office at the moment 😉