Lessons Learned
If I could rewind the clock 10 years, I could have saved myself so much time, money, and burnout! I just put together a list of the 7 biggest lessons I learned the hard way—including why endless cardio is actually stalling your progress.
If you could rewind the clock and tell yourself something you wish you knew, what would that be?
When it comes to fitness and nutrition, sometimes the hardest lessons we learn are the ones we live through ourselves. And sometimes…just sometimes we shake our heads at the crazy stuff we do.
And sometimes…just sometimes we shake our heads at the crazy stuff we do. I’ve been in the health and fitness industry in some way for 20 years….starting as a gym rat and eventually building it into a career. If I knew then what I know now, man….I could’ve saved myself a LOT of time and money! So I’m going to help you out and save you some time.
Here are a few things I wish I knew 10 years ago.
Starvation diets don’t work.
Does eating a piece of lettuce and half an almond sound like a good plan to you? Sure…you’ll drop weight. And also energy, the ability to function, brain power as well as mess up your metabolism, eventually leading you to weight gain. Short cuts and quick fixes do not work. Nor are they fun!
1) Don’t overtrain.
More isn’t always better. Yes, you have to train hard and with intensity but spending more time in the gym than anwhere else isn’t necessarily going to bring you more/greater/faster results. Most likely what’s going to happen is you’re going to burn out mentally and physically. Train smarter, not harder. Big difference.
2) Weeble wobbly thingies don’t decrease your love handles.
We’ve all seen that person in the gym holding onto a weight bending over at the waist. Maybe they are trying to reduce their love handles, maybe trying to build their obliques. It won’t work, you can’t spot reduce. Your nutrition is the first way to change the body fat around your waist, appropriate cardio as well as a reasonable training program (including some core work).
3) Sugar is a carb.
I remember very early in my years thinking I could be on a low carb diet, but eat candy because it was sugar. Um, no sugar IS a carb– no further explanation needed!
4) Over doing it on cardio will eventually backfire on you.
Have you ever been to the gym and seen the same people on the same cardio machines and get this…they look the same!!?? There’s a reason for that. This is another prime example of more is not better. More cardio does not = greater results. Eventually, your body IS going to adapt to the hours of cardio and stop responding…so you have to do even MORE cardio. Focus on weights and diet, cardio has it’s place but shouldn’t be primary focus in changing your body. There are cardiovascular benefits obviously, but trust me when I say this…recovering from too much cardio is very long and challenging. Lift. Weight.
5) No matter how hard you try, your body is smarter than you.
There’s a very specific reason why our bodies function the way they do. The various systems we have internally work in harmony with each other so we can do what we need to do without thinking. For me, it usually comes down to having the patience to let nature take its course. With proper nutrition, supplementation and training, anything is possible but trying to out smart your body may not lead to the most optimal results.
6) Proper supplementation can make a world of difference…but not replace good food!
Sometimes it’s really tough to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need from the food we eat. Having the right supplements to assist in your overall health plan as well as help with recovery and the efficiency of how your body functions. If you don’t know what kinds of supplements you should be taking, ask a knowledgeable, trusted professional. And, don’t fall for over-hyped marketing claims. Another case of more is not better, be smart and use sparingly.
7) Train smarter, not harder.
Less is sometimes more – as you’ve read, this is kinda a running theme for me. Coming from someone who’s put their body through the wringer and back multiple times, I suffered the consequences. It was a really tough journey for me to get my mind and body back to a healthy place. I’ve learned the hard way that working smarter can be the same thing as working hard, you just need to understand the difference. Your body is going to be so much happier when you’re nicer to it!
I’m sure there are many more lessons I could add to the list. Hindsight is 20/20! Bottom line, be smart and take care of the house you live in (your body!), you only have ONE!