Stay Focused

Undoubtedly the most difficult part of a lifestyle change is staying focused. Keeping your eye on the prize so to speak. It holds especially true for those of us reshaping our physiques. You've probably been getting it in at the gym or at the very least walking around your neighborhood or apartment complex. However, no one has been giving you any accolades on the 1-2 inches you've already lost. No one seems to notice that you're out there doing something. Try not to focus on that. Besides ultimately you are not doing it for anyone else anyway. Right? Remember that the change you seek will not come overnight. You are deliberately changing your body and it is a process. It takes planning and then execution. Above all patience because you need patience to allow the plan to work itself out.

I was in the gym recently and using a standard flat bench I added bench presses to my workout with free weights. An accomplishment for me in that I typically have stayed away from free weights because I'm usually working out alone and it is a safety hazard unless you're not a novice. And more to the point that until recently I wasn't able to perform exercises on the bench comfortably because of my girth, as it were. I couldn't lay my back flat on the bench.  Some of you are probably here, now. Don't get discouraged. Again just stay your present course and in time you'll see the results you're wanting.

You're wanting to know what I'm doing. I do 30 minutes of cardio at a brisk pace and then I do ab work. The gym to which I belong has machines that target specific areas of the abdominal. Including one solely for the obliques, wow. Love it. So I spend about another half hour to 45 minutes once I'm done with all the machines for my abs. I do a lot reps, about 30-40 depending on how heavy the weight and about 6 sets each. Cardio followed by ab work like I'm doing believe me the inches around your middle will fall off so quickly. I concentrated on this for months. I'm saying almost 3 months of just this with some leg work in between and I started dropping waist sizes. And I haven't stopped. This is one part, there is another area that requires just as much focus and that's your diet. First thing is to increase your water intake. I drink literally a gallon of water a day. I go to Kroger or Walmart and buy those gallon jugs of water for sometimes less than a dollar and I'm drinking a jug each day. Also add more raw and steamed vegetables in addition to fruit to your daily diet. You can still have some of the foods you like just in moderation. A good tool to help teach you discipline is to choose a food you like and make it a reward for yourself at the end of the week. If you complete all of your workout tasks then you have the reward to look forward to.

Hopefully, I've given some helpful tips or maybe my stories here can offer some motivation. I'm just an average guy who decided to take control of his health and then share my experiences so that other average guys won't have to feel like they're alone in this fight. Because that's exactly what it is once it starts. It's a constant battle to keep going. So that you, too can live ....LESS THAN HEAVY