Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax. -Abraham Lincoln
Whether your goal is to lose ten kilograms or to run a marathon you have to plan everything step by step. Approach these goals the same way as you would an important project at work. It’s unlikely that you’d take on a project without a plan on how to execute it. Solid planning always beats “winging it”.
Trying to lose 10 kilograms with a vague decision of “train more” doesn’t get you anywhere in the long run. The question you need to ask is how much more? How will I fit training in my schedule? What if I can’t make it to the gym, what is my fall back plan? How do I keep myself accountable? Is more training the easiest way for me to lose weight or do I have other options? And then the most crucial question of them all, why do I want to lose ten kilograms in the first place?
Let’s look at each of those questions and dig a little bit deeper for possible answers.
How much more am I going to train?
Before you scream “EXTRA FOUR HOURS A WEEK!” because that’s what you think you should say remember that there is no shame in taking a small step first. The first time you fail to maintain the four hours a week training habit you will feel like you’ve failed. That is going to affect your level of motivation, and not in a good way. It requires a considerable amount of determination and willpower to climb back on that horse of yours. And honestly, for most of us willpower on it’s own is just not enough.
So what to do instead? Choose an attainable behavioral goal that you are 90-100% sure you can reach. Maybe it’s an hour a week or even 30 minutes. Maybe that’s too much and you can only commit to doing 20 bodyweight squats daily. That’s cool, it’s a start you’ll build on.
How will I fit training in my schedule?
So you’ve decided to do an extra hour each week. What day of the week is the most convenient for me to train? Can I fit an hour on a single day or is it easier if I do two 30 minute sessions weekly? What time of a day is the best for me? If you know that it is very unlikely for you to finish work on time, plan to train in the mornings. That way it is done and your success doesn’t hinge on emergencies that might come up at work.
What if I can’t make it to the gym? What is my fall back plan?
There’s a chance that the gym is not a convenient place for you to do your training. Maybe it takes too long to get to and that itself is discouraging. In that case you could buy some tools such as a TRX and few kettlebells to do your training at home instead.
How do I keep myself accountable?
Willpower itself will get you nowhere in the long run, you will need more than that. You could find a accountability buddy to keep you in check, someone that you check in with daily or weekly to see where you are at regarding your habit. Talk to one of your friends and ask if they’d be willing to do it for you. Even better, it could be someone who would have to be accountable for you too. Someone working towards a similar goal.
If a friend is not an option you can find groups on Facebook where people think the same way as you do and have similar goals. You’d be surprised how well Facebook groups work and one advantage you have is the support of many individuals going through the same as you are. It’s a great place to share ideas on what worked for each person as everyone is different.
Finally, you can always hire a trainer to keep you accountable. But don’t expect that just because you pay someone money everything will fall in to place for you. You still need to work on all this.
Is adding extra training the easiest way for me to lose weight? Do I have better options?
Whatever your goal you should always spend 80% of your time on actions that give you the greatest return towards your goal. For fat loss that 80% is your eating habits. So if you have to choose between training more or staying at home prepping and cooking meals, always choose cooking. That will get you closer to a sustainable fat loss target than any amount of training ever will. Then spend the remaining 20% on training and staying active. Always try to get the best bang for your actions. Intelligent training will improve your health in many ways but it wont’t be the sole solution for fat loss. However, it ca make you more mindful about your eating habits.
Why do I want to lose ten kilograms, what difference would it make?
Ask yourself this, “if I lose ten kilograms and keep it off how would my life be different in five years time?” If your answer is “so I can have a six pack and walk on the beach”, you have to dig deeper than that. Also “I will feel better” will not suffice either. Do you want something because of what it means to you or do you want it because you think that’s what you have to want. Whatever your goal is it has to align not only with your values but also with your lifestyle. In the past I’ve written Align Your Goals With Your Values that will help you with this answer.
As you probably realize by now, all this will take considerably more time than just deciding to lose ten kilograms. Yet, people who put in the effort in the beginning will reap the benefits later. They have actionable steps for the problems that might arise. So, if you are serious about losing weight you might as well take the time.