Finding a Training Style and Diet Plan You Can Stick To

If you open any fitness magazine, there’s a section at the front exploring the teeny tiny nuances of training and nutrition strategies and all the latest research in regards to what is optimal for your success. Don’t get me wrong, some of it is super interesting - but a lot of it is also severely misinterpreted and SO trivial to the everyday gym goer.

If anything, I think this information can just overwhelm a gym newbie into getting bogged down in miniscule details. I often meet people with questions like “Should my cardio be fasted? What’s the best time for me to workout? What rep ranges are best for this? Do I need to workout 6 days a week or 4? What if I eat right before bed? What do I eat pre and post workout? What supplements should I take?”

It’s not that these things don’t matter or that there aren’t things that you can do to improve your success. It’s just that adherence is a heck of a lot more important. I don’t always eat within a half hour of working out. Sometimes, I get to the gym late at night and don’t eat anything at all before heading to bed. Some people weight train fasted in the morning. Some people HATE strength training. Some people LOVE eating on a meal plan and having chicken and broccoli 6x a day. Some people train for an hour and a half and others workout for 20 minutes.

I think I made my point. Ultimately, research can say whatever the heck it wants about what will help you burn fat the fastest or build muscles in record time. But if it doesn’t work for YOU, then who actually cares?

If you hate lifting weights, do something else. If you feel sick eating before a morning workout, then don’t. If training just 15 minutes a day makes you happy, then do it. If you want a bowl of ice cream before bed, go for it. Ultimately, if you find a dieting or training strategy that you feel you can commit to long term, then THAT’S where you find the most success. Don’t get too caught up in the details.

Training and nutrition is both a science and an art. There are so many variables that go into each that it is nearly impossible to determine the single best strategy to see results the fastest. That's why your mission should be to find what is easiest for YOU to commit to. 

Here are a couple tips for developing a routine/strategy that you can fully commit to:

1. For 1 week, experiment with going to the gym at different times. 

Try some morning, afternoon, and evening workouts depending on your schedule. You might find that you're WAY more likely to go if you wake up early enough to go before work. Bonus if your mood improves for the rest of the day because of it. 

Ask yourself: What changes when I go at different times? How does my mood change? Do I think more clearly after my workout? Is it impossible for me to roll out of bed in time to get it done before work? Am I more likely to make excuses when I wait until the end of the day?

2. Test different types of workouts and figure out what YOU personally enjoy the most. 

There are sooo many different styles you can try! You can totally combine methods to keep your training fun for you -

• Weight training/ bodybuilding style workouts for you to try here
• You can try HIIT training similar to this
• Do some yoga or pilates
• Venture outside for a hike
• Take a cycling class

3. If you're weight training, experiment with different rep ranges.

Different rep ranges are best for different goals but if you realize you just HATE workouts where you're only doing 3-5 reps with max effort or the idea of doing 15 reps of anything just makes you dread your trip to the gym, then DON'T do it. 

If you want assistance with developing a fitness program that fits your likes and dislikes while getting you optimal results, you can apply here for 1:1 coaching. 

4. Think about what has made you quit your diet in the past. 

Did you have to give up foods you love? Were there too many rules? Did you just end up feeling drained and cranky all the time, causing you to give up? What stopped you from being consistent? 

Believe it or not, picking a dieting strategy that works is easier than you think. It starts and ends with picking something that requires the least suffering and sacrifice from you. 

If you're interested in a more flexible dieting option, I highly recommend starting here.

I hope you found these tips helpful! I'm often asked what the best way to lose weight is. What's the best way to train to burn fat? What's the best way to build muscle? And the honest truth is that you need to figure out what fits best with YOUR lifestyle.

That's why it is so so valuable to have a coach who has experimented with different options and knows what to incorporate to fit both your preferences AND your fitness goals. I would absolutely LOVE to help you get started on a program that is tailor made to YOU! 

And I'm always available to talk via email or answer your questions on Instagram!