Although I can't say that I've ever jumped on the fad diet bandwagon or have spent money on what a commission based sales guy from a big box "Health Store" was trying to push. I have felt lost, frustrated and stuck in this mind set of "things are never going to change and i just need to accept it as fate and deal with it".
Here's what I have done, and I tell you so that you avoid the pitfalls and mishaps that I made.
1. Went from opposite ends of the health spectrum at a rapid pace
2. Wasn't living life and enjoying it
3. Negative body image
4. Food shaming myself
5. Stop sharing sooo much info and shut up and listen

Pretty much the only thing I did do "right" was found a support group to help keep me extrinsically motivated on the days I just wanted to give up in the beginning of this journey, and it's been just that a journey. I certainly didn't foresee being in the position I am from that one single event of laying in my bed and being totally disgusted with my moobs (man boobs) texting a friend and saying dude I need to do something about this!

If the mind can't conceive it the body wont achieve it.


In case you didn't notice are fancy cool logo the top word is Mind, and rightfully so as before we take on any clients we sit down and interview them to make sure they are a good fit for us and that we are a good fit for them! I tell my clients all to often I don't do this for the money, I do it because It brings me joy to serve someone who's willing and ready to be served. This is where the cool fancy psychology of behavior change comes in, and I didn't realize how much of psychology was involved in being a personal trainer until my sleeves we're rolled up and I was in the trench trying to help the clients I really never should have taken on, on.


According to James O. Prochaska of the University of Rhode Island, Carlo Di Clemente and colleagues they developed what is called the Transtheoretical Behavior Change Model in 1977.
Now this model applies to all behaviors not just health related instances, so please think outside the box and not just towards your health aspirations.

Now most of the people I see and work with are anywhere weaving in and out of Action and Maintenance and a good majority of the people I speak to are in the Contemplation and Preparation Stage, and we all fall subject to Relapse no matter how good things seem to be going. For instance I sprained my ankle a few years ago and feel back into the preparation stage and didn't feel much like doing anything "fitness" related.

So these stages in a brief review look as such.

1.Pr-contemplation is defined as individuals who don't view their behavior as unhealthy or intended to change it in the near future. They also tend to view the risks of changing at a higher perceived pain level then that of staying on the same course.

2.Contemplation is defined as individuals who are becoming more aware of the need to change but haven't yet began to do so. They have also started to see a decisional balance shift to the pros and cons of making a change.

3.Preparation is defined as individuals who are ready to make a change within the next thirty days, they also start making small steps towards what they believe will make them healthier. Ex: Telling your significant other that you're going to try smoking half a pack a day vs a full pack of cigarettes .

4.Action is defined as individuals who have changed a behavior within the last six months.

5.Maintenance is defined as individuals who have changed their behavior more than six months ago.

6. Relapse can happen at any point in the stages of change and the individuals in the Action and Maintenance stage need to be mindful to seek healthier habits or fail prey to slipping back into their old ways.

If I were a betting man, and I'm really not I'd say a good majority of you reading this are in the Action or Maintenance stage, and maybe a sprinkle of those reading this were sent this link by a friend or loved one are in the Contemplation/ Preparation stage trying to help tip your scales to getting into the Action stage.

For those of you in the Action stage seek out accountability and start to develop a strong intrinsic WHY! That driving force that will help you own your new behavior and will prepare you to move into the Maintenance stage. For those of you into the Maintenance stage keep things fresh so you don't start viewing exercise as a chore! At a recent workshop we were asked what four letter word we could begin to describe exercise as and that word was PLAY. All to often exercise is viewed as a chore and something we do to punish are bodies for eating the tacos the night before.. So try doing some non-traditional forms of exercise and start to play again!

For those of you just starting out, take it slow! Baby steps! As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog I went from one extreme to the other really quick. And while I went from 250lbsish to 180lbs in 9 months it wasn't healthy on my family relationships at all or on my relationships with food or life in general. Birthday parties, brought my own food! Eating out, forget that! Do you know how much work I just did to eat a cheeseburger? No thank you, I'll stick to my chicken and broccoli that I cooked 4 days ago and have sitting in the fridge waiting for me. My poor grama who's food I had eaten as a little kid was no longer fit for me and looking back I probably hurt her more than I cared to acknowledge because I was on a mission to remove the moobs!

So find your why, weigh your pros and cons to making a change, ask for help it's ok you're certainly not alone and asking doesn't equate to weakness. Above all realize anything worth doing right takes time and real effort! And not the pop of a diet pill type of effort while you go back to watching reruns of cops on your favorite chair while you eat potato chips like it's your job to taste them all.

Enjoy the journey, take time to stop and smell the roses and it's ok if you get a flat tire remember you have a spare that's going to help you get a little further down the road.