Theme of the Day!

So the theme of the day is ... change things up.  Lately I have been having conversations with people that sound similar and I am finding that I am coming to this same point:  to create change - you must create change.  (Also - I think it's important to state here that much of what I write about comes from my own personal experiences/struggles)  Anyway, what I mean is that you can't continue to do the same things and expect different results (a client told me once that is the definition of insanity).  I spend a lot of time thinking/talking about exercise and diet being lifestyle related and that you have to develop routines to ensure that you will stick to your plan and reach your goals.  At the same time - if we want to create a change - lose fat, gain muscle, gain endurance, increase flexibility, etc. - then we must change how we are approaching that goal in order to make progress.  

The most common thing I deal with is people (myself included) who want to lose body fat.  When I delve into a person's plan of attack - often it involves just making sure that they are sticking to a program and working hard.  But if they are already working hard - and/or have established a program - and then want things to change - they have to change the program.  I am not talking drastic changes but things that manipulate variables in your program.  For instance if your diet is routinely 3 meals a day and 2 meals a day on the weekends - then bump up your meals to 5 a day and 3 per weekends but decrease the size of them.  (The eating 5 to six smaller meals a day idea is tried and tested)  But again - let's say your doing that already - well then change the composition of those meals - maybe bump up protein (almost always a good idea) and lessen the carbs, change the source of fats, manipulate the type of carbs you have and when you have them (less at nighttime), or make sure your breakfast is larger than the rest of your meals.  These are just a few of the options that you have available.  

Here is the important thing with regards to losing weight:  In general - calories in greater than calories out = gain in weight; calories out greater than calories in = weight loss.  Depending on what you are currently doing to expend calories  - if you don't change how many calories you burn per day and how many calories you consume per day (and in many cases the source of those calories) then weight loss chances are lessened.  Of course there are all sorts of variables to consider in diet and exercise but the basic formula of burn more than you expend is still the number one factor.

In less common cases - I hear people that want to gain muscle - I say great!!! But still you have to understand - to gain muscle you have to gain "weight/mass" which means more calories than you expend.  Also - this is where manipulation of the types/sources of calories comes into play - the protein/carb/fat balance gets very tricky and is often different for each person.  Point is - you have to again take into account what exercises your doing and how you are doing them (which is directly related to how many calories you burn on a given day) and then how much calories you consume per day.  

Finally, with regards to any other goal.  If you want to make an improvement/change - you have to continue to manipulate what you are currently doing (if you are doing it to the best of your ability).  So you want to increase flexibility - then stop doing the same stretches and learn some different types of stretches or learn how to make your muscles more supple before you stretch.  You want to increase endurance - then change the type of cardio you do and increase the time you do it but change other variables like incline or resistance.  You want to build strength - then change your rest in between sets but up the weight.  You want to to "tone/lean" up - then change the repetition count and the rest between sets and add more variety.  I could go on and on but this is what I have been thinking about a lot lately as I talk to folks about creating "change".  Thanks for reading!

Andy