Remember back in the day when we had to wait an entire week to watch the next episode of Friends? We had to wait even longer to watch the season premiere to find out what happened after the cliff hanger in the season finale. The time between seasons that left us waiting months to see who got Rachel pregnant or what happened in the aftermath of Monica and Richard’s breakup felt like an eternity. Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but this is how many of my weight loss clients feel.
When we focus too much on the results we lose sight of the small, consistent steps it takes to get us there.
I miss those days when patience was a skill that we were pretty much forced to learn. We do get a taste of past network TV with streaming services that release one episode a week, however, it’s easy to wait until all the episodes are available and bing watch them.
I liked the weekly consistency of watching Friends on Thursday night. It gave me something to look forward to at the end of the week. Sitting on the couch watching Friends on Thursday nights at 8pm was my happy place. It gave me a dopamine hit and, looking back, it was a quick win to boost my mental health. I was not to be disturbed because it was my time. It was a non-negotiable in my world.
Each episode of Friends made me laugh and shared tidbits of overarching story lines throughout the season. The tug and pull of the Ross-Rachel will they or won’t they get together in season two was both frustrating and exciting at the same time. It kept me watching every week wondering if the next episode was going to be The One Where… they finally got together. See what I did there!
Perimenopause weight loss is like TV shows pre-streaming services: consistent and slow with quick wins along the way. When my clients show up to training sessions consistently, even when they don’t feel like it, they get results sooner rather than later. You’ve probably heard this many times before but creating sustainable nutrition and exercise habits that lead to weight loss is a marathon and not a sprint. It takes time to create new neural networks in your brain to allow new habits to form. It takes time for your body to shed any unwanted fat and build lean muscle mass. It knows how to burn fat in a way that’s healthy and helps you feel your best.
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight after 40 you may notice it’s not as easy as it was in your 20s or 30s. In your 40s, your body is going through hormonal changes that can be unpredictable. It can be shit show at times. The great news is that with patience and consistency you can lose fat and build lean muscle after 40. You just need to adjust your strategy and accept imperfections in your behavior and your body.
When you treat your time creating nutritious meals and working out like a non-negotiable it simplifies the habit creation process. More great news is that it doesn’t have to be perfect all the time. In fact, it shouldn’t be perfect. We learn a lot about ourselves from imperfections, especially when it comes to lifestyle habits.
Here are two simple ways you can create consistency with your fitness and nutrition.
Create an accountability plan for your workouts.
There’s several different ways to be held accountable for completing workouts. The buddy system is a great way to stay consistent with workouts and it makes it fun. I coach a group fitness class as part of a corporate wellness program for a local company and the employees love the accountability. The accountability and camaraderie has encouraged people who were unsure of their fitness abilities or just needed the accountability to join the workouts and step out of their comfort zone.
Working one-on-one with a personal trainer is another great way to create consistency with exercise. My clients pay for their sessions in advance which is an incentive for them to show up. I do have a cancelation policy where if they’re sick, injured, or have a family emergency they can reschedule if it’s within 24 hours. If they just don’t want to show up to their training session they can cancel at the last minute but it counts as a paid session. I do this to protect my time and to encourage them to show up since they have skin in the game.
Eat some form of protein at every meal.
Protein is an important component of weight loss. It helps you feel full longer, naturally produces GLP-1, and minimizes sugar cravings. We’re all being told these days to eat more protein to build lean muscle mass. I even encourage my clients to eat more protein if we learn they’re not eating enough for their body and activity level.
This is one of the biggest challenges my clients have with nutrition, and for good reason. I work with busy professionals and some days it’s difficult to find time to prepare a whole food meal with complete protein such as eggs, chicken, or beef. I struggle with this myself when I have an early training session with a client and want to get a workout in in the morning.
Eating protein at every meal, even a small portion, will add up throughout the day. After several days of this, you’ll go on autopilot and adding protein to your meals will feel like second nature. Eventually protein will be a non-negotiable with every meal.
Consistency Equals Results
The bottom line is when you create a consistent routine with nutrition and fitness, you’ll experience quick wins along the way and get the results you want. Celebrate these wins as you experience them. This will help reinforce your behavior and you’ll naturally be encouraged to continue the actions.
Want to learn more about how you can personalize these steps? Head here to book a free discovery call with me.