Habits and Routines That Will Transform Your Body

Lyz and I constantly review the top performers at the gym; the people who make consistent progress, and see changes in their body month after month.

We break down what these people are doing differently to everyone else. And there’s a common theme.

One that I want to share with you in today’s post. Along with a number of ideas that when implemented will likely double the results you see from the time invested in exercise

Decisions

They’re a problem. We have to make hundreds if not thousands per day.

1. shall I get up or snooze
2. what shall I wear
3. what do I fancy for breakfast
4. and on and on…

At the same time as these decisions there are a number of things that are going on without you having to decide. Things you do as part of your routine: brushing teeth, washing face, doing hair/makeup, taking kids to school…

These things form the structure of your day, become part of your routine and get done consistently. Often without much thought or effort.

And because you do these things consistently you see consistent results; Clean teeth, fresh breath, clean face, looking presentable, kids getting an education etc.

So if getting a repeatable result is all about consistency then how can we apply that to transforming our body?

Take decision making off the table

We already have structure and routines. We’re often just not aware of them. As a result they’re rarely designed to deliver us to our fitness and physique related goals.

For example a few routines from people I’ve noticed are struggling:

1. they wait until 6:55am to choose what to have for breakfast at 7am.
2. they decide if they’re going to workout or not at the end of the day (when they’re already tired).
3. they choose what to have for lunch based on what’s in front of them at the work canteen
4. they decide what to have for dinner based on what they have in (and what they can be bothered to make)
5. they food shop based on what takes their fancy at the time

At best this default routine keeps us stuck where we are. And more than likely if we’re not paying attention it slowly moves us away from our ideal health, fitness and body.

High achievers do it differently

After analysing a number of the result getting clients at DF we noticed they do things very differently. They create structure to their day, and build out their routine consciously.

The successful clients plan out what they’re going to do in advance to lead them in the direction they want to go. Rather than just reacting to the situations that come up.

They minimize the amount of decision making to be done.

Structure and routine ties in with fitness truth #6: Make it easy to go right, and hard to go wrong.

When you have a routine that you’ve designed in advance you don’t have to keep deciding ‘am I going to make a healthy choice today’.

You just do it automatically. You make the decision once (rather than daily), set up your routine and after a couple of weeks it becomes the norm.

Putting it into practice

If you’re struggling to do things consistently I want to share a few ideas we either use ourselves, or have seen others use successfully to keep them progressing towards their goals:

1. Have a set protein rich breakfast. Every day (protein supershake with protein powder, frozen fruit and water/almond milk works well for fat loss).

1. Have protein and veggies each day for your mid morning snack (I prep our mid morning snack while making breakfast – it’s raw veggies, almonds with one of the snack size portions of protein below)

1. Get in the habit of buying small individual serving of high protein snacks every-time you’re in the supermarket (feta cubes, 2 slices of prosciutto, thumb size portion of cheese, cooked & sliced chicken breast, smoked salmon, tin of ‘no drain’ tuna)

1. Every evening cook enough food so you have enough to take to work for lunch the next day

1. Cook an extra chicken breast (or quorn burger) so you can include protein with your mid morning snack

1. Set up a recurring online food order with all the food that supports your goals (I use ocado ‘reserved’)

1. Decide on set times for eating, and stick to it as close as you can

1. Write out your workout plan for the week on set days, block them out in your diary and commit to sticking to it

1. Select what you’re going to have for your 4pm snack and have it everyday (like Greek yoghurt and flax seeds then using seasonal fruit to add variety).

The key is deciding what your routine is going to look like, set it up. Commit to doing it, then making it what you do each and every day.

Your challenge for the next 30 days:

Be warned though. You’re going to feel resistance. The free spirit in you is probably already rebelling against the idea of consciously creating structure for your days.

And that’s totally normal. To be honest, you can get so far without structure and a solid routine.

But if you’re stuck and no longer seeing results it’s time to have a plan for how you’re going to make it happen.

So, I want to set you a personal challenge. Pick one of the options above, something you can see yourself doing every day for the next 30 days. Then commit to practising your new habit each and every day. Work it into your routine every day

This probably isn’t new

You’ve likely done some or all of the above at one point or another. My question is are you still doing it now? If you are that’s excellent. You’ve officially got yourself some structure, good habits and routine.

If you haven’t then that’s great too. There’s plenty of scope for you to make a small change or two and start seeing some significant results.

So, if you’re up for the challenge select the new habit you’re going to implement into your routine and post your commitment to the DF Facebook page.

Summary

We’re faced by hundreds of decisions each day. We make fat loss hard by leaving decisions like “should I have steak and salad, or have what I really want” until the last minute.

Seeing what you feel like eating on the day, or considering whether or not you feel like training is not a good strategy for making progress.

For best results decide what you’re going to have/eat/do and commit in advance. Take as many day-to-day decisions off the table by establishing a routine with set habits that support your goal.

Whether you’re booking the week’s training sessions in advance or scheduling what times you’re going to eat, creating a routine that supports your goals is the most effective way to take your body (and your health) to the next level.