by Matt Weik
When people see a lack of results with their weight loss or muscle-building, they tend to blame their training and nutrition program. However, there could be more to the story for a lack of results, and we’re going to uncover some of these common issues many people face.
Note: This article may trigger some people who are lazy and complacent. So, if you don’t want to be called out for your lack of drive, just go ahead and “x” out of this article – I’d hate to ruin your day by holding you accountable for your actions or lack thereof.
That said, if you’re still with me, good on you. It means you’re ready to take the next step towards hitting your goals and finding out where your lack of results is coming from.
Look at Your Behaviors
While I’m not doubting that you’re TRYING, the question you need to ask yourself is, “Do my behaviors align with my goals?” Far too many people are convincing themselves that they are doing the right things, but in actuality, they aren’t. It’s a mindset of sort and a delusion that they live in. Almost like telling yourself something enough times until you actually believe it to be true.
If you want to see any type of weight loss results or add quality lean muscle mass, you need sleep. If you are the type of person who will stay awake until 2am catching up on Netflix shows, and your alarm is set for 5am, you’re on a path headed towards failure. Sleep is incredibly important regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle. Seven hours should be the minimum amount each night you should strive for.
Are you prepping all of your meals, but you have no self-control? Did you pack a chicken breast with asparagus for lunch, but the second you got to work, you realized some glorious individual brought in your favorite donuts, so you have one (err, three)? Did the clock hit 3pm, and your stomach starts grumbling like a bunch of wild animals are going at it, which causes you to raid the vending machine instead of having healthy snacks easily available?
All of these things will account for your lack of results. What you do on a daily basis needs to align with your goals, and your behaviors need to mirror what is necessary to achieve success.
Leverage Your Free Time
What are you doing in your free time? Were you supposed to hit cardio last night, but you found yourself sinking deeper and deeper into the couch while watching television? Were you going to prepare your meals for tomorrow but got hung up in the middle of a video game session with your buddies, which caused you to grab something from a fast-food restaurant the next day during your lunch hour?
Are you using your free time to learn something new about nutrition or fitness? Are you learning new ways to improve your health or get you closer to your goals? If the answer is no, how committed are you to achieving success? You can’t be half-pregnant. You’re either fully engaged, or you’re not.
Evaluate the Company You Keep Around You
This one may sting a little bit, but it’s true for just about everything in life. If you see a lack of results, it could be due to the people you hang out with and keep in your inner circle. As they say, hang around with five successful people, you’ll be the sixth. Hang out with five broke people, you’ll be the sixth. Hang out with five unhealthy people… you get the point.
It may be time to change who you keep around in your life. Now, I’m not saying to walk up to your spouse and say hit the bricks or tell your mom to get lost. But the fact of the matter is, they could be part of the reason for your lack of results.
Anyone who is a bad influence on you or who isn’t looking to level up could be holding you back because they are comfortable with where they are in life. While the people around you could be causing you to act and behave in certain ways, you also need to put the responsibility on yourself, too, as you have the choice to hang out with those individuals or engage in the same activities as them. Look for people who want to achieve the same results as you, where you can hold each other accountable.
There IS something you need to be aware of when YOU start changing your behaviors due to a lack of results, and that is the people around you may not stick around. So, naturally, your circle may change on its own even without your involvement. If you stop hanging out with people after work during happy hour, they may naturally move on and stop asking you to go out for drinks. Or if you give up your video gaming late at night to hit your workout or cardio session, your friends who you played with online may stop asking if you’re jumping online tonight or if you want to play Call of Duty (or whatever game you play).
Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes
The key takeaway of this article is that if you don’t change your behaviors and the things around you, you’ll more than likely always suffer from a lack of results. And when you stop seeing the results is where you may get frustrated and wind up throwing in the towel and giving up.
Look at all of the things mentioned in this article and think about other aspects of your life that could be contributing to your lack of results and make the necessary changes. Nothing changes if nothing changes.
