Shift fat faster – and look and feel better sooner – with our tried-and-tested transformation strategy that doesn’t require limitless reserves of willpower, says New Body Plan editor Joe Warner
Most of us would love to shift a few excess pounds fast to roll back the years and look, feel and perform better. The trouble is that the overwhelming majority of people completely fail to realise their fat-loss goal, and it’s often down to one very simple reason: they rely on willpower alone to change their health and fitness for the better.
Don’t get us wrong, willpower is great but relying on it alone is a sure-fire way of setting yourself up for failure, and then feeling bad about it to boot. Here’s a situation that might be familiar to some of you, and a major reason why so many fat-loss efforts fail, and – more importantly – how to send your motivation and energy levels soaring!
The EMU equation
Here’s the problem; when you rely on willpower alone your energy and motivation is wasted on resisting the things you think you want, which makes it incredibly difficult to lose weight and feel great. Here’s why: say you start each morning with 10 Energy and Motivation Units – let’s call them EMUs – and they have to last you all day. One gets spent with every challenge or difficult decision you face.
Last night you had a couple of drinks so didn’t sleep well, and woke up tired and hungover. You rush to get ready – the stress costs you one EMU – then you lose another because in leaving late you hit traffic. In the morning meeting one goes in refusing a chocolate muffin (you really want one, but must eat better today), followed by another because you’re not focused and can’t make a valuable contribution. Four of your 10 EMUs gone and it’s not yet 11am. Not good, and it gets worse.
Waking up late meant you didn’t make lunch so another unit goes in the shop queue, and you lose a couple more in denying yourself the salty crisps and sugary chocolate your brain is pleading for. Your shop-bought salad is soggy and tasteless so there goes another one. Two left. One goes when your rumbling stomach drives you to raid the office vending machine, and the final one vanishes when you remember you’ve told yourself you’re not “allowed” a beer tonight after too many yesterday. It’s 4pm, you’re all out of units, and there’s now no chance you’re going to the gym after work like you’d promised yourself. The only bar that’s calling you now is the King’s Arms opposite the office.
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The fat-loss formula
Imagine that same day but for one small difference: you got an early night and slept well. You leap out of bed, make breakfast and lunch, leave home on time to avoid the traffic, and arrive at work with plenty of time to prepare for your meeting. You don’t give a second thought to a chocolate muffin because you’re still full from a delicious and nutritious breakfast, and knock your presentation out the park.
Your home-made lunch is packed with protein and veggies to keep you full all afternoon, and you even take a soul-satisfying 20-minute walk when everyone else is queuing to pay for an overpriced soggy salad.
Back at work you sail through your to-do list and even manage to leave 10 minutes early to get to the gym before it gets too busy. Back home you make dinner with an extra serving for tomorrow’s lunch, and spend the rest of the evening relaxing. Tired in the good way, you head for bed and reflect on a day well spent. Sweet dreams.
Small steps, big changes
Those two examples portray two extremes – the worst-case and the best-case scenario, respectively – but our point is this: some very small and simple changes to your day will have a massive impact on how quickly you lose weight, and how much better you look, feel and perform. Do more things right and you will “bank” those unspent EMUs for the next day, and so start it with extra units that’ll make taking the smart and healthier daily decisions easy! If you want to make losing fat and feeling great easier than you ever thought possible then read on and put our advice into action to send your motivation levels soaring!
1 Commit to success
Your fist step is to identify your health and fitness goal and make a commitment to yourself that you’re going to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The point here is that you’re taking choice and decision-making out of the equation – from now on it’s all about action! We created the New Body Pack – as the complete fat-loss guide to help you look, feel and perform better than ever. All you need to do is follow each workout in the eight-week training plan, as well as the meal plan advice, and you’ll amaze yourself at what you can achieve.
2 Out of sight
Once you’ve committed to your New Body Plan or another programme – remember, it’s essential to have an exercise plan to follow because it’s the fastest way to lose weight – you need to ensure you have enough EMUs to get to the gym. The easiest way to do this is to avoid situations that will cost you units! According to a study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science how much temptation you’re exposed to is more significant than your ability to exert self-control. So think about what’s likely to derail your better-body efforts and make a plan to avoid them. If you’re always tempted to buy a grande latte and almond croissant from a particular cafe on the way to work, take a slight detour to avoid that EMU-spending temptation. You can create conditions that encourage success, such as doing a big food shop once a week to avoid shopping when hungry, or spending five minutes writing down that afternoon’s workout into your New Body Plan training diary to mentally prepare you for a trip to the gym.
3 Make some noise
To guarantee hitting your goals you’re going to need some skin in the game. Research proves that when you’re both financially and mentally invested into a process you’re far more likely to have success because when there’s something at stake you’ll be less likely to give up. You could go public and tell your friends and colleagues about what you’re doing – so they’re less likely to shove biscuits in your face – or share your journey on social media (make sure you tag #NewBodyPlan so we can find you!) to find support and encouragement from fellow travellers on their better-body journey. You could even sign up for a New Body Plan with a friend or partner to add some friendly competition – and extra motivation – to your challenge. Whatever option you take, if you’re properly invested in the process you’ll get a far better return.
To find your perfect transformation plan, just click on the link below!
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