You don’t need to be perfect to build a better body!

Do you want to lose weight and achieve a leaner, stronger and fitter body? Then I’ve got some good news for you: instead of chasing perfection you only need to “nudge the needle” to build your best-ever body, says New Body Plan’s Joe Warner

I’m going to let you into a little secret and it’s this: there’s no big secret to losing weight. Getting slimmer is actually quite straightforward – you only need to do four things: move your body more, eat better, get enough sleep and manage your stress levels by having more fun. There’s nothing more to it than that.

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So why are so many of us unsuccessful in – or even worse, never even begin – our attempt to lose body fat, build a little muscle and improve our health and fitness levels to look, feel and perform like someone half our age?

It’s because most people believe that to make progress – even just a tiny, minuscule amount of progress – everything has to be perfect. A “perfection philosophy” way of thinking is so common, but it’s a big mistake. (A far better fat-loss philosophy is what I call “Nudge the Needle” and I’ll get to it in a minute.)

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The perfection fallacy
Having a perfection philosophy means our training needs to be perfect every session, and every morsel we put in our mouths must be the perfect food in the perfect amount. We need to get a perfect eight hours of quality sleep every night, and then be perfectly calm and stress-free all day.

The slightest imperfection in any of these four areas and we quit. We throw the baby out with the bath water, telling ourselves “I can’t do this”, or “now’s not the right time”, or even worse, “If I can’t be perfect all the time there’s no point ever trying.”

The key realisation that powers all successful body-transformation challenge it’s that you don’t have to be perfect to make progress. Why? Because perfection is impossible. And the sooner you realise that, the greater your chance of losing weight, improving your health and happiness, and living the fit and full life you want and deserve.

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Nudge the needle!
So if perfection is impossible to achieve where should your focus be when you want a better body? Consistency. Consistency is what makes or breaks your transformation challenge. And this is why you need to Nudge the Needle.

Think of it like this. There’s a dial with the numbers 0 to 10 on a scale from left to right, with 10 signalling that you’re doing absolutely everything right to lose weight, and zero implying you’re doing absolutely everything wrong.

You thought you needed your needle pointing bang on 10 to make a positive difference to your waistline. You now know that’s wrong because perfection doesn’t exist. The reality is that to lose fat you only need your needle to be pointing at 6. That’s it. That’s only just passed half-way! That’s not a big deal at all.

You may already be pointing at 4 or 5, so you really don’t need to make too many changes to nudge that needle in the right direction to start dropping weight. And the best bit is that once your needle is at 6, it becomes so much easier to move it up again, to a 6.5 or even 7, so that your spare tyre shrinks even faster.

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Take your time!
What does this mean for you, right now? It’s simple. I want you, the next time you’re faced with a decision about what to do, or what to eat, to consider your options. Which one nudges your needle to the right, to move you slightly closer achieving your goal? Then all you have to do is decide whether that’s the option you want to take.

I’ll bet my bottom dollar that it is, because once you stop to think about a decision and understand why you’re actually making it – rather than rushing headfirst into it without a seconds’ thought – you’re far more motivated to make the right call for better health and happiness. And the more often you can think about your needle before making a decision, the faster you’ll achieve your better-body ambition.

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Plan for progress!
The best way to make rapid progress towards a leaner, stronger and fitter physique is to follow a tried-and-testing training programme, such as the New Body Plan range of body-transformation workouts. If you’re not sure which programme is best for you then you can take our quick and easy New Body Quiz, and we’ll suggest your perfect plan based on your specific experience, goals and other factors.

To find your perfect transformation plan, take the New Body quiz!
Take the New Body quiz!

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