The Real reason you’re not losing weight
What does a billion-dollar sports club and your battle to shift your belly have in common? A lot more than you’d think. Here’s why – starting with a recap of the most remarkable game of football I’ve ever seen, says New Body Plan fitness director Joe Warner
If you missed it, here’s what happened. Manchester City led Real Madrid 4-3 after the first leg of their Champions League semi-final last week.
In the second leg on Wednesday night, City score in the 73rd minute to go 5-3 up on aggregate. They have one foot in the final. As the clock ticks past 90 minutes almost everyone is thinking ahead to the prospect of City facing Liverpool later this month for European glory.
Almost everyone. But not Real Madrid.
They don’t know when they’re beaten. They need two goals in injury time. They get them. 5-5. Extra time. They get and convert a penalty. 6-5. They hold on. They’ve done it. The most improbable comeback anyone watching can remember and Real are in the final.
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Be a goal getter
What does this remarkable result have to do with you and your desire to lose weight?
Two things: the importance of goals; and how nothing is ever over until the final whistle.
It’s really common for people to tell themselves that it’s “too late” to get into shape. Maybe that’s what you’ve been saying to yourself. If so, I can’t be any clearer than this: you’re completely and utterly and hopelessly wrong.
How do I know? Because whenever someone tells me that they’ve left it “too late” to achieve a fitness goal I know what they’re really saying, even if they don’t realise it themselves.
What they are saying is this: “I don’t have a goal.”
Shoot to score
And that’s a big difference. Because it’s not actually about a lack of time, but a shortage of motivation.
Think of it this way. It’s all-to-easy to say, “I’ve left it too late to lose weight.” That’s a vague, abstract statement with no defined parameters that’s easy to shrug off.
But once you have a goal to work towards it’s far harder – impossible, even – to keep saying you’ve left it too late. Take these three common wishes.
Want to look and feel better both in and out of your clothes? It’s not too late to get your mojo back.
Want to be fitter so you can play football with your kids or grandkids? It’s not too late to show off your silky skills.
Want to massively reduce your risk of obesity-related illness, such as type-2 diabetes? It’s not too late to whittle away your waistline.
Time on your side
As long as there’s time left on your clock, the only thing stopping you from achieving the result you want is you. If you’re waiting for the perfect time to start then forget it. There’s no such thing as the perfect time! You’ll end up waiting for ever.
So today, right now, decide upon your goal – one that would make your life better – and start. That’s it. The best bit is that once you start you’ll soon notice the benefits and will want to keep going. And at that point you’ve cracked it – admitting defeat won’t ever cross your mind.
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3 things I wish I’d known when trying to get lean and lose weight