This is the first of four articles' I'm writing about the most common roadblocks I have encountered over the years training people with different goals and backgrounds.   I have found a familiar pattern in all individuals with a slow response to exercise ranging from psychological to physical issues.   I have firsthand experience witnessing sluggish progression and answering to misconceptions about health and fitness.   First of all I must point out that exercise alone isn't enough to look your best and to be healthy.   The vast amount of people that join gyms or the inactive population that do zero amount of exercise assume that doing X amount of exercise daily or weekly will be the answer to their appearance and health concerns.   How wrong they all are, I have familiarity not only with my own training and training clients but also by witnessing gym members to have gained enough experience to know that even the most dedicated and hard working individuals following exercise programmes fail to make progress towards physical changes because they overlook nutrition, programme design and lifestyle factors.   Hopefully with these 'Transform Everything' articles it will help clear the fog of confusion for a lot of people out there.   

I'm going to begin talking about how the mind is normally the first hurdle that needs to be conquered before any improvements are to be made.   I'm writing from professional point of view to tell you what goes on in people's heads and what causes them to be unsuccessful with their goals while hopefully saving the reader years of trial and error.   I will also discuss how to use the mind to accomplish health and fitness goals.                     

Transform the mind

Every conscious action we tell our bodies to perform begins in the mind.   The mind of the average person soaks up information every second of it's waking hour.   Today we have more accessible information at hand than any other time in history.   Reading snippets of information, watching television or listening to conversations influences us in some way or another.   When this information is nutrition, health or exercise related the average person in the street assumes what they see, hear or read is acceptable and the truth.   This is where a lot of people go wrong and fail to get the results they are looking for with exercise or diets because what they believe is correct most often is poor or at best distorted information that has been passed down or hyped up for marketing purposes.   This is where it all starts to go wrong for the masses; their mental wallpaper is tarnished with fuzzy facts before they even embark on any kind of eating or exercise plan.     

The dieter

The major problem dieters face on a mental level with weight loss today is the routine of counting calories and getting weighed weekly.   Dieters set their minds to a number on the scale and points with their eating which I label tunnel vision syndrome because its common for them to just focus on numbers without considering health or fitness.   It's a great marketing tool to sell a diet but it overlooks healthy eating and proper exercise prescription.   The success percentage with this kind of dieting is below 10%.   Wow, some people have made millions selling this dream.   Once you tell the mind you have to weigh yourself every week and limit calories from any source to lose weight it becomes an addiction to reach a number on the scale.   It's about chasing numbers and ignoring health and proper nutrition.   What's wrong with this you may ask, well, if the desired bodyweight is ever reached and the person is still dissatisfied with their appearance what happens next?   Eating disorders, malnutrition, weight fluctuations, is it worth it?   Long term - definitely not.       

This is a hard habit to break and is when self-control is at its weakest.   People will do things on gut feeling rather than on actual proven formulas.   For example if someone is not losing at a rate they desire they will either cut their calories to a dangerously low level and/or increase their exercise volume to compensate for a lack of progress.   It becomes a disheartening vicious circle that eventually ends in defeat.   If your body shape is a certain way and you are feeling crap with low cal diets and marathon training sessions surely this is telling you something.

Remember what I said about this method of dieting being a marketing tool, that is all it is, its not the only way and it certainly isn't the best way. The mind needs to be reset to allow a variety of foods back into the diet and to use common sense with portion sizes, and not worrying about counting calories and getting weighed every week, that can come later once a healthy cycle is established.  

The mirror never lies, the tape measure never lies and your clothes will tell you if you are changing shape or not.   What feels like the wrong way can end up having the opposite reaction to what you might expect and by following the normal protocol normally means ending in failure with today's diet and fitness jargon.        

The bodybuilder

I think there's a fine line between dieting for weight loss and building a good physique.   Many bodybuilders have reverse anorexia and will compromise the quality of food just to get their desired daily calorie intake in the hope it will turn into muscle, which I've seen many times over.   It's not as easy as that and I will discuss more about that in part 2 of this article but in the meantime this is one of many misconceptions that dominates the thinking of a typical bodybuilder especially the beginner.   Glossy bodybuilding magazines publish mammoth workouts that would never benefit the majority of their readers, brainwashing them all into thinking more is better.   There is always a hidden agenda to these magazines; they are all trying to sell something.   Once a high testosterone weight trainer sets their frame of mind in believing in a system it is very difficult for them to be open minded and learn.   Passed down myths and the bodybuilding magazines are all responsible for perpetuating the 'no pain no gain' mentality.   This is a brilliant principle when applied in a smart and save way but not in a jumbled up sense.

It takes a lot of guts to listen to your body and train according to its capabilities.   The average trainer fails to seek out good information about bodybuilding and nutrition instead turning to the guy with the best bench press in the gym for their wisdom.   There are loads of good training and positive thinking books available to help educate and develop personal goals.   A brave step outside the standard bodybuilding circle to gain new knowledge could make a massive difference for those that hang up their weight lifting gloves early due to disappointing results.   All it takes is a new angle with thinking differently and applying the knowledge.               

Its all in the mind

The conclusion to why we do things a certain way comes down to the fact we are all creatures of habit and we like our comforts that tell our minds everything is all right.   Whether these are direct actions from an outside source or by following our own instincts, our behaviour towards how we act upon achieving what we want from exercise and diets are directed by the mind and the mind alone is the main driving force towards achieving our desires.   Most often our bodies will respond by following the least demanding path to satisfy the minds requests and this is normally the least successful way.

When we eat what we like or drink excessive amounts of alcohol it will show up on our bodies!   Ignoring this as some people do will never be fixed with a diet that allows a 'eat what you like' lifestyle, hoping that one-day everything will be reversed.   It seems changing eating habits is the final hurdle to cross with exhausted dieters and exercise enthusiasts, eating for convenience and enjoyment rules the brainwaves in today's fast living world.    

Mind power dominates our actions and believes, we choose how we live, eat and drink, we are able to control our needs and apply willpower to overcome bad habits.   All it takes is planning and goal setting with a view of accomplishing them.   Seeking the advice and help of a personal trainer as a guide through the many misconceptions could save time and help put the record straight once and for all.    

Finally the people who fail with either weight loss, toning or bodybuilding goals are the ones on autopilot, they go about their daily lives in a daze and fail to use their willpower to set goals and mentally commit to their cause.   They want to change but find it easier to repeat their failures.   Willing to change and apply effort is the number one difference between people that succeed and the people that fail.   

Flex the power of your mind

•  Write down your goal

•  Ask yourself where you are now

•  Plan the steps towards your goal

•  Keep in mind why it is important to you

•  Make sure you have all the best information to help you  

•  Stay motivated when the going gets tough

•  Visualise success

•  Don't be scared to get outside help  

•  Change anything you don't enjoy  

In Part 2 read about how to transform eating habits.