Memorial Day is around the corner. It’s not just a three day weekend and an excuse to party, but it’s a harbinger to all fitness minded people. Graduation parties and June weddings and the biggest motivator of all are just around the corner. Swim suit season kicks off that weekend!
The biggest fear I have for this summer, is taking my shirt off in public. I’d rather show off a six pack than the thirty-pack I’m sporting right now. But there is still hope. Memorial Day is two weeks away. I can be back in condition in six weeks, and looking fantastic on the Fourth of July, as long as I put my mind to it and stop making excuses. So can you.
What does it take to drop two to four inches off your waist and five or ten pounds off the scale? What would it take to get you comfortable in that new bathing suit? It takes the three P’s: patience, persistence and certain immunity to pain.
OK, so none of that sounds like you. if you just knew how easy it is to strip away enough unwanted flab and replace it with beautifully toned muscle, you would have never waited this long. Losing as little as ten percent of your body fat and gaining as little as a pound or two of lean, sculpted, muscle will make you feel twice as good about yourself this summer. It’s within your grasp. All you need is six weeks. Six weeks to see amazing results doesn’t require a lot of patience. In fact you will see results in the first two or three weeks and that will motivate you to finish the next three or four.
You will not see anything instantly. You will have to earn this beautiful, newly conditioned body and the results will take place a little bit every day. Even after one week you may not be able to measure a difference but over six weeks — look out! To meet your goal, you must do things every day to get a little bit closer. Your scale won’t really measure a quarter pound of fat lost in one day. But it may well show you the pound you lost over four days; or the two pounds you lost in eight to ten.
Weigh yourself no more than once a week. The results will be more to your liking. Weekly weigh-ins will show you the downward trend. Daily weights will be up and down and can discourage you. Your focus over six weeks should be your own actions, not the number on the scale. In six weeks time I’ve seen hundreds of people weighing a pound or two less than they did at the beginning or even being the same weight as when they started but having to pull their belt in a couple holes or having to get new jeans that fit their tighter, sleeker, beach-ready curves.
Changing your body from flabby to firm is not going to be easy. Persistence is the ability to continue with a course of action even though the results you are looking for won’t be achieved in the immediate future. .Keep doing the right things for long enough and you will get that summer body!
Immunity to pain means being able to deal with the discomforts of change. Focusing on the six weeks immediately in front of you will help you to endure some rather uncomfortable times. I firmly believe that exercise can be fun. Choose activities that don’t feel like exercise for the long run. But for the short run, get out of what ever routine you may have fallen into and do something different. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It’s crazy to not make changes, but make them positive changes! Shocking the body for six weeks will give you amazing results and you just might find an activity that will be a lifetime pleasure for you
Putting off that immediate gratification of a late night Taco Bell run or that third or fourth beer of the evening for six weeks requires a certain amount of mental toughness. You certainly don’t need to be hungry for six weeks to accomplish your goals. In fact hunger pains are not part of the plan. The pain I refer to may include exercise soreness, being seen sweating in a gym, putting off a TV show or not being able to join your friends at happy hour because you will be exercising. These pains are very real and very likely and also, very temporary.
One of the biggest reasons people put off making a commitment to regain their youthful shape is they are afraid they’ll miss out on social gatherings. Don’t let this stop you from taking these very important steps. Take your friends with you. Get them to buy into your goals or even help them set goals for themselves so they can join you. Or you can become part of a group exercise program where others will welcome and support you. Don’t be afraid to hire a consultant or personal trainer if it’s within your resources. The investment you make in yourself will more than pay for professional guidance, knowledge, and motivational support.
Remember we are talking about the next six weeks here. Losing weight and firming up the body does not mean committing to a life time of drudgery and self-denial. I would never subject myself to that nor ask you to do it either. Once you get that healthy body back, you just need to exercise regularly and use some common sense when it comes to indulging your appetites to maintain your new shape.
Nine weeks from now, I’ll be at the lake in a new swim suit, showing off a much flatter stomach. It’s going to be a challenge but with a little support from the people around me and patience, persistence and immunity to pain, I know I will get there! You can to.
LiveFit!
Marc
www.m2workout.com
