(These could be morale, weather, geography, technology, experience, mobility etc.)

An army that possesses more of these force multipliers has better odds, which is how a much smaller army can topple much larger ones.

For close to a decade I’ve explored different ‘force multipliers’ in fitness and how they make a huge difference in lasting results.

Especially after seeing time after time all the different ways people would sabotage themselves when they were trying to clean up their nutrition… get on a regular exercise routine… or raise their standard for health and fitness.

And this morning just an article on Fortune landed on my “doorstep” sharing a few gems on the topic. In fact, these tips on the ‘mental game’ of fitness can make your exercise routines much more effective and help you make the ‘mental switch’ to lasting change.

#1: Do Activities You Enjoy

When most people kick off the New Year they focus on workouts and routines that are going to give them results NOW. So they focus on pounding the pavement… slaving away on the stair master… or pumping iron for hours each week.

According to Dr. Kevin Vincent, medical director of the University of Florida’s Sports Performance Venter:

“Enjoyment isn’t usually top of mind.”

Because of that it makes it difficult to integrate exercise as part of your lifestyle (instead of just a temporary activity). There are many ways to get fit so if you can gravitate towards workouts you enjoy — you may find it’s easier to stay consistent. And… eventually your “push motivation” may turn to ‘pull motivation’ (where you feel pulled to do it).

#2: Start Slow

Dr. Vincent suggests going at a pace that is “slower than you think you should.” That way you keep making steady progress, stay in the game longer and continue to improve.

‘Start slow’ is the last thing a motivated person wants to hear. They are ready to get after it and metaphorically charge into the battlefield with ax.

However, this can be their downfall.

Why? Because motivation is a powerful resource but it can also be an out-of-control storm that leaves a destructive aftermath. One reason is because we can overextend ourselves, drop the ball on other commitments, and push ourselves way beyond our current abilities which can set us up for injuries.

This “dark side of motivation” could be an entire article in itself but the best thing to remember is:

You are in charge.
Don’t let your motivation be in charge.

Motivation can move mountains when it’s channeled correctly.

#3: Set Your Goals In Reality

According to Dr. Michelle Segar of University of Michigan:

“So many people plan and begin a behavior change in what I call a motivation bubble”

Usually when people set a fitness or health goal they set it in a vacuum. Meaning: they forget that they have a career… family… relationships… a lonely cat… and other areas of life. So they tend to set goals that are not ecological (they don’t fit into their life well).

#4: Prepare to Reshape Your Plan

This is a gold bar piece of goal-setting wisdom. You may craft an inspiring and full-proof workout and fitness plan but what happens when it rubs up against real life? What happens when your schedule gets out of whack? Or when the weather gets bad for your daily walk? One of the most important skills is the ability to build resilience and flexibility in implementing your plan. That way your plan adapts as life changes.

#5: Determine What Motivates You

I’m a huge proponent of figuring out what drives you. Not your neighbor. Not your fitness partner. Not your fitness idol. Because sometimes what drives others doesn’t drive you.

Apparently research out of PLOS ONE found most people are motivated by typically three things:

• Affect: the feeling exercise gives them.
• Quantitative cues: data from a fitness tracker or smart watch.
• Social cues: teamwork and competition.

This a good start for exploring your deeper motivation. However, I’ll say there are at least a dozen other motivators that go beyond this (but that’s for another day). But whatever does motivate you, align with it. Use it to keep yourself on track.

Phew, we covered a lot of ground (and went to some interesting places).

These are simple lessons which are easy to take for granted.

But if you are looking to make the shift from short-term results to long-term this is a list to review frequently and go deep on.

For a deeper dive into the mindset of lasting transformation and making the shift to lasting changes, check out a free issue of my Mind-Body Breakthoughs newsletter. 

Kelan Ern

Having studied psychology extensively in college (especially health psychology) and then having spent over a decade of front-lines experience coaching clients, I’ve learned that theories don’t always hold up in the real-world.

But the ones that do can be extremely helpful with navigating lasting transformation.

Anyway, this particular article struck gold in terms of permanent weight-loss insight.

Here’s the story:

One day a physiologist wanted to lose 180lbs using various fasting diets, carefully watching his protein intake and taking a host of supplements to avoid nutrient deficiencies. At first his weight-loss was measurable and people showered him with compliments. But after a few months the compliments and ‘pats on the back’ dwindled and his motivation dried up.

He told the author (who was a grad student at the time):

‘This process seems endless, and I am not sure I have the patience to stick to it long enough to get to my goal’.

In fact, he felt as if he was in a dark tunnel with no end in sight. And that he knew that his weight-loss would slow down as his body adapted to his new lower calorie nutrition.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t psychologically pick himself up from this hang-up and dropped the diet before hitting his weight-loss goal.

From this experience, the author realized that what most diets need to be doing is teaching people to be patient with the process.

It would be no different than learning to play piano, tennis or a new language. There’s a certain expectation that mistakes in those environments will be made and progress will be gradual — but for some reason this perspective is missed in weight-loss.

"Losing weight permanently also requires mastering a new skill. The skill includes making appropriate food choices, maintaining a fitness routine, dealing with stress without overeating, and acceptance of a new body shape and life-style."
— Dr. Judith J. Wurtman

And here’s where most people go wrong:

"But when the focus is only on weight loss and not on acquiring the skills to maintain it, it is understandable why patience is lost."

Boom! This is rock music to my ears. Most people only focus on weight-loss when the only thing in their direct control is their skills. Weight-loss is the result of those skills mastered.

What are those exact skills?

That could very well fill multiple newsletters (and a future MBB might do that) but if we take Dr. Wurtman’s list it gives us a solid start:

• Food choices
• Workouts
• Dealing with stress
• Acceptance of a new body (new identity) and lifestyle

Onward,
​
For more skills of lasting transformation and permanent weight-loss:
www.elitelifecoaching.net

“Natural”
“Zero sodium”
“Made with real fruit”
“No sugar added”
“No cholesterol” (Even though peanut butter shouldn’t have cholesterol to begin with…)

Anyway, it can be confusing navigating some of these labels — especially when it comes to frozen foods. In an article published on She Finds, nutritionist Lisa Richards and dietician Trista Best share their thoughts on frozen foods to avoid.

#1: Frozen Veggies With Additives

“Frozen produce made with added sugar, oil, dressings and cheeses have added calories that aren’t necessary and will negatively impact your weight loss.”- Lisa Richards

Just the other day, I was searching for cauliflower rice (which is great as a rice substitute that I love tossing into eggs) when I saw bags of frozen broccoli with cheese… sauced veggie mixes… and “veggie tots”. So Lisa is spot on, sometimes healthy these frozen veggies will have extra ingredients that somewhat “spoil” their benefits.

In fact, this is a golden example of Jack Lalanne (the godfather of modern fitness) saying:
“Don’t spoil healthy foods!”

#2: Frozen Vegan Microwavable Meals

“The sodium, fat and calorie content in most of these meals makes them among the worst vegan foods to purchase.”- Trista Best

I’ve personally noticed the selection of frozen vegan meals has slowly grown over the last few years. Vegan chicken filets… vegan Italian sausage… and even vegan ground beef. And while these are convenient, easy to make, sometimes tasty (key word: sometimes) and have the air of ‘healthy’ attached to them many are not.

And like Trista mentioned: the fat, sodium calorie-content and ingredients can be less than desirable. I’m sure there are exceptions to this.

For example, one brand I love is Quorn (not corn) which is made of mushrooms and depending on what you cook with it, you wouldn’t have a clue that you aren’t eating meat.

Here’s one more thought on frozen veggies:

Some people will poo-poo them (that’s the scientific term) and only buy fresh produce. And some people are great at making that work.

In my experience, when people start getting serious about cleaning up their nutrition they initially struggle with fresh produce — largely because they aren’t used to preparing it, eating it and cooking regular meals with it.

That’s where frozen veggies are a great way to stock up on veggies without the urgency of devouring them before they go bad (and mushy). Plus, veggies that are frozen lock in their nutrient content. Fresh produce is a different story. As soon as it’s harvested it starts losing its nutrients and continues to do so as it sits on the shelves.

So ultimately find out what works for you (and avoid the pitfalls above)

For my most in-depth training on mastering your nutrition, workout habits and mindset check out a free issue of Mind-Body Breakthroughs.

Kelan Ern