A few years ago I used to think goal setting was just fancy talk people in seminars would talk about, but after reading books such as Psycho-Cybernetics, Leading The Field and Think And grow Rich I began using some of their techniques – and within a short amount of time my life began to change for the better.

If you don’t have clearly defined goals you have nothing for your subconscious mind to work towards. And as Earl Nightingale put it…

“A person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder!”

Your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between reality and fiction, so you can actually trick your subconscious mind into doing anything that you feed it, borrowing another quote from Earl Nightingale (I’m bit of a fan)…

“You will become what you THINK about!”

If you keep thinking about walking around looking toned and lean, guess what? This will become reality.

But…

Thinking is only a part of the process because you still need to take action!

However if you keep focusing on your end goal you’ll be thinking less about getting up at 5.30am to go to boot camp and find it easier to NOT cave into the temptation of eating junk food.

Instead you’ll have more focus on the end goal – and how good it will feel once you get there.

And once you do get there it will be well worth the effort!

Right now get a pen and paper and write down your goals, add a timeframe you’d like to achieve them by, now put it somewhere you will see everyday like on your desk or fridge.

By subconsciously seeing your goals everyday you’ll be feeding your subconscious mind with something to work towards, and when you have clearly defined goals anything can happen.

Till next time!

Dan Clay.
Dangerously Fit

P.S Here’s another post I did a while back on a similar topic…

http://dangerouslyfitpersonaltraining.com/blog/fat-loss-diet-or-exercise/

                          

If you missed part 1 you can view it here… Fat Loss Tips

If you have any questions please feel free to comment below.

Fitness tip # 6 – Calorie deficit. Through proper diet and regular exercise create a calorie deficit. This simply means burning more calories than you’re consuming. Keep a journal and get a calorie counter, you can record your diet for free at www.fitday.com. How are you supposed to know how many calories you’re putting into your body if you’re not keeping track of what you’re eating and drinking? By creating a calorie deficit you’ll be using energy from your energy stores (body fat). The trick is not to create a calorie deficit that’s too high or your body will think its starving and will begin too slow your metabolism down, your focus should be on losing fat, not necessarily weight. A too high calorie deficit can also cause a reduction in lean muscle mass making it harder for you to lose weight.

Fitness tip # 7 – Weight training. Muscle is the only tissue that is metabolically expensive. Therefore increasing muscle mass will elevate your metabolism at rest, you’ll burn more calories sitting behind your desk and whilst you’re asleep, you will also burn a considerable more amount of energy whilst you’re exercising through greater energy demand from the increase in lean muscle. Perform exercises that will give you the biggest return, compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, pushing and pulling exercises and use a variety of combination lifts and circuits. Use drop sets and superset’s and keep the rest period in between exercises to a minimum.

Fitness tip # 8 – Consume more protein. Eating protein will keep you fuller for longer, meaning you’ll consume less overall calories in a day. Eating protein also makes your digestive system work twice as hard as eating carbohydrates and fat, so by eating more protein you’ll be burning more calories through digestion (this is known as the thermic effect). One of the biggest mistakes people make when dieting is that they lose muscle as well as fat, which will in turn slow down their metabolism. By eating plenty of protein and following a suitable weights program this will ensure you maintain your muscle tissue. If you have trouble consuming adequate amounts of protein, try supplementing with a ‘whole food based’ protein drink.

Fitness tip # 9 – Interval Training. Interval training is the #1 cardiovascular exercise for weight loss. It includes high intensity exercise (for10-60 seconds) broken up with periods of low intensity exercise. The good thing with interval training is that you burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. So there’s no need to spend hrs pounding away on a treadmill, you can be done in 20-25 mins and that’s including your warm up and cool down! This form of training will keep your metabolism elevated for up to 24 hrs after you’ve finished training, through E.P.O.C (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), so you’ll be burning calories even while you’re sleeping.

Fitness tip # 10 – Include a cheat day once a week! Keep your body guessing and have a cheat day once a week. This will stop your body from hitting a plateau and stop your metabolism from slowing down. A cheat day is a good time to eat the foods you’ve been craving throughout the week. No-one can eat perfectly 100% of the time without cracking, so hold off any foods that aren’t in your nutrition plan until this day. Having a cheat day will allow you to be good for the other 6 day’s of the week, (just don’t go too mad)!

Be sure to check back in a few days for part 3 of this mini series.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training
Sydney Personal Training
Sydney Fitness Boot Camps
Sydney Corporate Fitness

                          

Fitness tip # 1 – Eat low GI foods. Eat foods that are low on the GI index. Put Simply, The Glycemic Impact Index (GI) of a food tells you whether the carbohydrate in the food is fast or slow releasing. Eating foods that have a high GI rating causes your insulin levels to rise, it’s a known scientific fact that your body has trouble burning fat when your insulin levels are elevated. Foods that are low GI will give you longer lasting energy whereas high GI foods will give you a short burst of energy, leaving you feeling hungry shortly afterwards. Avoid simple sugars which are found in sweets, soft drinks, cakes, bread, bagels, white pasta/rice and juices. Limit alcohol consumption. Instead get the majority of your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, beans and brown rice.

Fitness tip # 2 – Healthy Fats. Not all fats are bad for you, the right kind of fats are essential for optimal health and help reduce the risk cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and a host of other illnesses. Foods that are high in saturated fat, which are found in animal based foods and Trans fats which are in processed foods should be kept to minimum. Totally eliminate fatty meats from your diet (bacon, sausages etc). If you do eat meat, make sure it’s a lean cut. Make sure you eat plenty of seeds, nuts, avocado’s and fish and be sure to take an omega 3 supplement.

Fitness tip # 3 – Drink plenty of water. Two thirds of the human body consists of water, which makes it our most vital nutrient. Water is necessary for the transportation of essential vitamins and minerals as well as carbohydrates. If your water intake is low you lose the ability to transport nutrients through your body and substances such as urea, uric acid, ammonia and other nasty matter begin to accumulate, leaving you feeling lethargic. If you don’t drink enough water your body will actually store more water because it’s not sure how long it will have to wait for you to drink again. So by drinking more water it’s actually possible to lose 1-2 kg of bodyweight of stored fluid. Drinking a glass of water before your meal can also help control your appetite and stop you from overeating.

Fitness tip # 4 – Eat 5-6 meals times a day. Eating at regular intervals will keep your metabolism burning strong throughout the day. You’re also less likely to binge eat, will have stable energy levels and will burn more calories through increased meal consumption (digestion burns calories). If you have trouble eating 5-6 meals a day, try adding a meal replacement to your diet, make sure its ‘whole food based’ so it has genuine nutritional value.

Fitness tip # 5 – Eat more fiber. A diet that is high in fiber will aid in fat loss whether you’re eating less calories or not. Fiber assists weight loss by releasing sugar into the bloodstream slowly. High levels of sugar in the bloodstream cause an insulin spike which will slow fat burning. Good sources of fiber are found in whole grains, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid refined and overcooked foods.

Be sure to check back in a few days for part 2.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training
Sydney Personal Trainers
Sydney Boot Camps
Sydney Corporate Personal Training

                          

Q.
Hi Dan,

I’ve been following one of your programs for 7 weeks, my waist is smaller, my hips and thighs are smaller and my clothes are fitting me better but my weight’s still the same.

Why am I not losing weight?

A.
If you knew when you started training that after 7 weeks your waist, hips and thighs would be smaller and that your clothes would fit you better would you be happy?

I think most people would.

Weight is not always the best way to measure your results, if you look slimmer, your measurements are smaller and your clothes are fitting you better you’ve obviously lost bodyfat.

Above is a picture of 2.2 kilos of fat.

As you can see fat is much larger than muscle, so if you lose 2.2 kilos of fat but put on 2.2 kilos of muscle you’ll be leaner, your clothes will fit you differently but your weight will stay the same.

Don’t get too caught up on scale weight, it’s more important too know how you look and feel than it is to see a drop on the scales.

Here is an assessment sheet we use with our clients, as you can see we use more than way of measuring results.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training
Personal Training Sydney
Boot Camp Fitness Sydney
Corporate Fitness Sydney