The Biggest Things Can Start Very Small
I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t completely my idea… but the more I thought about it the more I really liked it. This was after a few members of my fitness group and I talked about doing a weight loss challenge – they wanted a way to help jump-start the New Year. I figured it would be a great way to help motivate and just change it up a bit – plus they ganged up on me and made me do it.
Our Weight Loss Challenge Results
We set the actual weight loss challenge up like this: I would provide as much motivation, support, instruction, and logistics – along with our weekly fitness class – and they would dive in headfirst and commit 100%!
I knew they would do their best and I was hoping we could lose 20 pounds altogether – which would have been awesome!
Boy was I completely wrong…
What these ladies did was nothing short of astounding. They lost over 42 pounds in ONLY 6 weeks combined!
That’s over 5 pounds per person or over 7 pounds total a week. Trust me, that is pretty damn great. Just think, they lost the equivalent of an average 3-year-old child – let that sink in.
Gone! Bye-bye! See-ya later! Forty-two friggin’ pounds… How would you feel if you could lose an extra 7 pounds?
That got me thinking about why our weight loss challenge was so successful – apart from me being incredibly knowledgeable, motivating, inspiring, and most humble… 🙂
Here are 5 principles that stuck out that you can employ to jump-start your results as well:
1. Get a Group
This might be one of the best parts of the program – the group support that you get. If you have really struggled in the past to achieve results maybe it’s because you don’t have the correct support group around you.
The proper support not only picks you up when you are down but is massively motivating. Grab a few friends and start working out together during your lunch break or in your free time.
There is nothing more motivating than having a friendly competition to see who can reach a set goal. We are all inherently competitive to a certain degree, take advantage of that inherent emotion to help you get results!
2. Make it Measurable
For better or worse – weight loss is always measured in pounds. People always ask, “How many pounds did you lose?” While I’m definitely not a fan of weighing yourself every day, when you do it as a way to motivate yourself and have set guidelines (so you don’t do it forever) it can be a great way to measure your success and keep you motivated.
There is an ingrained notion in us that getting healthy is about losing pounds. Of course, this isn’t true but you can use your own psychology to your advantage by helping to appease this notion to keep you motivated.
If you are doing a group challenge make sure to base your results on % of weight lost per person (or % body fat loss if you have the ability to measure that) – this levels the playing field for everyone.
3. Review Weekly
Think about it – if you go 6 weeks in a row without ever really taking any notice of how far you’ve come then you are unlikely to continue – there’s no motivation. Weekly reviews can help you determine your bad habits, reaffirm your motivation, and get you back on track. Plus, it’s really motivating to see the results of each week!
Even if you aren’t doing a challenge, it might be a good idea to reflect back each week to look at the things you did great and the things that you slipped up on.
4. Find an Open Forum
One great tool to have at your disposal is an open internet forum. These are great for members to be able to talk and discuss the trials and tribulations they are going through.
These make for great places to share recipes, workouts, support, and motivation. Plus, members can ask and answer questions or the trainer can be there to help as well – they are so helpful.
5. Be Proud of the Small Victories
If I’ve learned anything over the past 6 weeks it is this: you may lose 8 pounds or you might not lose a single pound but you have to be proud of the fact that you improved your life over those 6 weeks.
The point is that you are now stronger, healthier, and more confident than you were 6 weeks ago! Small victories are how you keep the whole process going – be thankful for them!
Wrap-Up
It was awesome watching the members lose over 40 pounds in as little as six weeks.
The process of the weight loss challenge taught me so much about the psychology and the process that goes into motivating people to really strive to reach their true potential and the best part is that these ladies aren’t going to stop here – this is only the beginning.
Amazing things can happen when you get the ball rolling!
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