Dirty, Sexy, Boring Consistency
Do you want to know the best diet and exercise plan out there? The one that you are willing to follow.
Everyone has their own distinct personality. Some of us like group sports like soccer or CrossFit; others prefer more solitary disciplines like running. If exercise is a chore I can pretty much guarantee that you will skip it when you’re tired, or it’s raining or it’s a Tuesday in Austin.
But when you love your sport? You look forward to working out (at least most days). And on those days when you’re just not feeling it, when the love of bodybuilding or Zumba just isn’t motivating you to get out of bed, then you dig deep and rely on the big secret:
Dirty, sexy, boring consistency.
Yep, habits will be the key to getting results and then maintaining them. My sport of choice is bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is divided into two seasons: competition prep and the off season. During competition prep the diet is strict and the cardio increases because you are trying to lose as much body fat as possible to look shredded on stage. During competition prep I eat things like chicken, fish, asparagus, spinach, brown rice, oatmeal and egg whites.
During the off season the diet is not as strict because I won’t be standing on stage in a bikini. During the off season I still do cardio and strength training (just for shorter amounts of time). During the off season I eat things like…chicken, fish, asparagus, spinach, brown rice, oatmeal and egg whites. The only difference is I will change my portions from 1/4 cup of rice to a 1/2 cup of rice and include them in just about every meal instead of the early part of the day. Also, full disclosure, I switch from tilapia to salmon.
See? Even in the off season, I’m pretty consistent. You’re body is like a garden. When you are tending to it meticulously it can look amazing, but when you slack off it can get overgrown with weeds pretty quickly. Just as you keep up basic maintenance of your garden even when company isn’t coming over, so you must maintain consistency with exercising at least 3- 5 times per week and eating whole, unprocessed foods at least 92% of the time.
The good news about habits is that they can be made in about two weeks. Pick the exercise that seems most appealing to you and get yourself on a schedule. Make eating lean proteins, vegetables, healthy fats and complex carbs part of your routine and it will become part of who you are and how you define yourself.
In my chubby days my nickname was “Soda Queen” and I used to joke that the only way you would see me run is if a lion was behind me. Now my habits are different. I drink about a gallon of water per day and the gym is my happy place – and my body and soul are better because of it.
Whatever your sport, stick with it and the results will stick with you.
Be healthy!
Lisa 😉
Lisa Traugott is a personal trainer, Mom’s Choice Award writer, original cast member of FOX/John Cena’s “American Grit” and has a monthly fitness column on Bowflex.com. She won Ms. Costa Rica Sports Model 2017 and her transformation story was featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers, Good Day Austin, Great Day Houston and Texas Monthly. She blogs at ShesLosingIt.com and is passionate about her clients.
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