The No More Excuses Diet (51 page)

Keep in mind that this program doesn’t require you to eat 100 percent perfectly. There is no such thing as perfection! I believe in moderation, which is why I follow the 30/30/30/10 program, in which you eat a balanced daily intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fats and if you want, you can utilize that last 10 percent for a small treat!

Genetics always plays a small role in your body’s physical makeup, but you can combat your susceptibility toward being overweight by eating well and exercising. Everyone faces physical, social, economical, and biological challenges, but you cannot combat them if you compare yourself with unlike individuals. Everyone’s body develops differently; some people have a stocky frame while others are a taller, thinner body type. We are all unique, so celebrate the strengths in your genetics instead of focusing on the weaknesses.

Perhaps you have strong shoulders for swimming or muscular calves for running. Don’t feel frustrated if you weren’t built like a ballet dancer. Your body type may be built for another activity, so it’s up to you to discover it! Do the best you can with the cards you were dealt, and don’t let them be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

My mother is overweight, and I was always the heaviest of her three daughters. Realizing that my mother’s genetics made me susceptible to being overweight prompted me to eat healthy and exercise at a young age. Is it fair that my youngest sister can eat fries, drink wine, and snack on sugar all day and not gain weight? Of course not! But just because it’s easier for her doesn’t mean I can’t have a body I love.

Recognizing your genetic propensity to be overweight should motivate you to work harder. Always remember that while the road ahead is hard, the reward is great. I know that my body is naturally inclined to process food and store fat in a certain way, but I also know I can override that by being smart and strategic. You can, too!

Seek out those who represent your body type and use them as your marker, your basis for comparison.

If you are undergoing any medical treatment, understand that your health situation can be a setback for a while. The most important thing is for you to care for your health and manage your
ailment with the help of your doctor. Whatever you are experiencing, keep in mind that a healthy diet and regular physical activity positively benefit the body. Thyroid conditions, for example, are a common medical reason people can’t lose weight. While that’s a very real obstacle, you need to be vigilant about fixing the problem. Never assume you are overweight because you have an undiagnosed medical condition; get tested before you come to such a conclusion! If you are diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, work with your physician to get it under control.

Or maybe you’re dealing with an
injury. Don’t put undue stress on your body by continuing high-impact exercise. Instead, focus on rest and rehabilitation, because if you are too eager to start training again, it will take longer to heal and you may possibly reinjure yourself. Work around your injury and find exercises that will strengthen your weaknesses and challenge your strengths.

I have a good friend, Kris Dim, who is a celebrated male bodybuilder. In the past decade he’s undergone three open-heart surgeries and is now paralyzed from the waist down because of a spinal cord injury. Despite his setbacks, on any given morning you will find him at the gym, overcoming his pain and physical limitations by performing upper body exercises, stretching his back, and rehabilitating his legs. So, if you can’t run, then swim. If you have injured your knees, train your upper body. If you are sore, focus on stretching. No More Excuses.

When you have physical setbacks, don’t use this challenging period to eat unhealthy foods and watch TV. If your activity levels have to decline, focus on what you consume and have your caloric input match your caloric output.

Look into your family’s medical history and seek areas that will be a struggle for you. Do high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar levels run in your family? Has anyone experienced heart attacks, strokes, or cancer? These are great questions to reflect on now because you can start focusing on prevention.

For instance, if you think you may have a medical condition, get your blood work done promptly to ensure you are properly diagnosed. Follow your doctor’s orders while doing what you can to continue challenging your heart and strengthening your muscles. If you are injured, find alternative ways to get your blood flowing without straining yourself. While your exercise level is lower, adjust your caloric and macronutrient intake to reflect your lower activity levels.

No matter what condition your body is in now, there are ways to challenge yourself without risking injury. When I had a sprained ankle, I found that I could use foot straps on my stationary bike
to ensure I never applied pressure to the ankle. When I hurt my wrist, I utilized a straight barbell to keep my wrist and forearm in a neutral position as I performed push-ups. When my shoulder blade was inflamed, I avoided running and opted for lighter impact cardio and used the elliptical.

There are many ways to avoid an injury by performing various exercises. For example, you can engage in lower impact exercises like swimming, walking, Pilates, and yoga. Find out if your doctor has any recommendations, listen to your body, and do some research into safe ways to stay active. Pick one activity and commit to it for one full week. Then, reflect on how you feel; if it feels you’re making progress, stick with it! If not, pick a different activity and try again.

It’s easier to push yourself to exercise hard and eat right when you have a short-term goal. A lot of people are able to whip their bodies into great shape for a big event, but once the event passes, they resume their old routine of eating poorly and rarely exercising. But this leads to yo-yo dieting that erases results and leaves you feeling frustrated and discouraged. Being fit is a
lifetime
achievement—it can’t be just about fitting into a certain size for a specific event. At the end of the day, despite all your excuses, you either want it or you don’t. Plain and simple. If you’re complacent in your daily routine or overwhelmed with personal and emotional issues, then taking action is really hard. In order to grow, though, you must be challenged—there is no other way. And your challenges must be long term, not just some upcoming deadline.

So challenge yourself and commit to something that scares you. People fail at fitness goals for so many reasons. They fail
because there is no sense of urgency, because they don’t have the right mind-set, but most of all, because they don’t want to succeed.

Yes. I just said that.

People fail because they are too comfortable in their identity. They have written their life story and are comfortable with their current narrative. If you keep saying you’re unmotivated because you’re tired, depressed, busy, or stressed, then you will seek things in your world to support your claims.

If you want to create motivation, then you must fight the urge to be mediocre and create enough mental discomfort to promote change. Imagine performing a bicep curl with a 5-pound weight. Your muscle isn’t challenged because the weight isn’t that heavy. Your mind isn’t engaged because the challenge isn’t great enough. That poor muscle isn’t growing because there is not enough opposition. Adversity strengthens you, not weakens you. If you want to create big changes in your body and your life, you need to make yourself
uncomfortable.
You need to feel pressure to change, to keep yourself focused on achieving your goals, regardless of what else is going on in your life. You need to create a mental discomfort zone that will push you out of complacency and force you to grow.

So imagine your best body. Think about how you want to feel, what you want to do, and where you want to go. Envision yourself confidently shopping for sleeveless tops or a form-fitting dress. Picture yourself walking down a beach, hiking up a mountain, or running a 10K race.
Really think about it.
Fill your mind with thoughts of how life would feel if you accomplished this incredible effort to build your best body.

Once you seed a desire, that intention will grow daily through attention, reflection, and action. Put aside some time each week to dream, and allow your thoughts to implant such things in your will.

Think deeply about what achieving your best body really
means. Why do you want it? Choose a deadline and plan a reward when you complete your weight-loss goal. Tell your friends about your efforts and invest in this process. Make yourself accountable to yourself, to your loved ones, to anybody who will keep you going.

When you decide to create a new habit, know that it takes three days to overcome the initial struggle of making it part of your routine. When you pass the three-week mark, you are well on your way to making that change an established habit. By three months, you have ingrained that new habit!

Habits are actions, and actions are what define who we are. And who we are is what we continuously do. When we perform something continuously, it becomes ingrained in the person we are, which alleviates the struggle in trying to find the daily motivation to complete that task. When you develop healthy habits, they are your new standard and no longer a struggle.

Staying motivated in this No More Excuses journey is one of the key ways to ensure your success, so don’t take this excuse lightly. Be prepared with a list of things to do when the lack-of-motivation bug bites you. Here are twelve ways to stay motivated:

Create a list of personal things that are motivating you to take this fitness journey. Write down twenty-five reasons you want to change your body and your life, even if some of them seem silly, vain, or unimportant. Writing down the reasons you want to make a change to your life will make those reasons feel more real, and looking frequently at the list of reasons will help you stay focused. Remember: good health is the best gift you can give yourself—and you deserve it!

If you don’t know where to start, begin by doing something small. It’s as simple as walking 20 minutes this evening or adding a big serving of vegetables to your next meal. Dieting and fitness information can be overwhelming (I know!), and while it’s tough to figure out what works, your power is in discovering what works for you! Not everyone can eat a chicken breast and broccoli for lunch five times a week; not everyone likes eating poultry. Not everyone can train with heavy-strength machines because not everyone has access to that equipment. We all have unique allergies, tastes,
resources, and physical strengths, so it’s up to each of us to figure out where to start.

People often think that a new diet and exercise plan starts in the New Year, on a Monday, or even in the morning. Here’s some big news for all of you: You can start right now! You can begin your journey to a healthier you at 3
PM
on a Thursday afternoon. The moment you get motivated to change, the minute you unhappily see your reflection in the mirror, and the instant you recognize your dream for a healthy body are the times you need to start taking action! Don’t let the moment pass you by; take advantage of that desire and discomfort, and utilize it to create change.

These first few days are exciting times. Not only will you dream big but you will also believe in the power of possibilities. This momentum is what seeds the passion that will elevate you on a journey that will have its peaks and valleys. When you want to give up, this moment is what you will remember best. You can’t lose hope; when you’re frustrated and tired, you will look back on this moment when you had the most hope—which is right now.