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The best body gain advice I can possibly share is actually potentially underwhelming.

It is so simple, it’s deceptive.

You’ve heard it before and gone searching for an easier, flashier, quicker or more exciting solution.

And there are a lot of solutions out there to be found. Many even work. But will they work for you? Will you even give them a fair chance before you feel overwhelmed at all there is to first choose from and then do or frustrated at the time it takes to see results?

In todays show let’s: Swap Confusing For Simple.

I have 3 tips for you. One each for the category of Fuel of Move and of Life.

As I said, you already know it. The trick is to make it easier for you to do it.

So by order of importance:

LIFE = time and time = life.

#1 Tip. Take comfort in the fact you will never get it all done, have the clarity to decide what is most important and execute the discipline to structure your life around your priorities.

=> Accept you will never get it all done and recognise the value of a ‘not to do’ list. Opportunity cost means whenever you say Yes to something by default you say No to something else. Never let that which is most important to you be sacrificed to indulge in the fun, low value things that are easier to do in the short term but will lead to frustration and disappointment in the long term.

=> Know your ‘big rocks’. Both those activities that you require to function efficiently and effectively AND equally those activities you crave to be happy, feel connected and also to evolve.

=> Invest time, energy and money in the systems, tactics, (mind games with yourself!) and accountability that will help you stick to doing whatever is the #1 most valuable use of your time right now – with focus – at any given time.

FUEL = food.

#1 Tip. Focus on what you are giving your body not on restriction. You and your body are a team. If you expect it to treat you well – to look, feel and function at it’s best – then it deserves quality fuel.

=> One ingredient foods. Such as: Veg. Nuts. Seeds. Eggs. Meat. Fish.

=> Allow yourself a cheat day or meal or whatever level of sustainability is necessary for you to be able to feel happy, satisfied and non-restricted. Here’s a link to a post on how to make cheat days work:

=> Admit that fueling your body as it deserves is going to take some planning and commit to your food shopping and preparation. Most of society is not eating this way… if you don’t want the unfit, overweight, under-energized body that ‘most of society’ live stuck in, then out-plan the challenging situations that will pop up.

MOVE = exercise.

#1 Tip. Motion creates emotion, consistency is key and intensity counts.

=> The mind – body connection is a proven fact. Changing your physiology to change your emotions and in turn change your long-term results is partly about understanding moving more will make you want to move more (!) and also giving up the pay-off (that short-term benefit you get from choosing to indulge in sluggish physiology).

=> The good (or even fair) training plan you can stick to will always return better results than the ideal plan you can’t stick to. The stop start approach means you get to go through the toughest part of any exercise plan, repeatedly, AND that you never get to enjoy the rewards. “If you’re sick of starting over STOP GIVING UP!”

=> Our bodies were built to move not for our sedentary lifestyle and it’s excessively abundant food supply. To counter a decrease in ‘normal’ daily activity and see results in a time frame that compels you to continue (without walking hours every day) means pushing beyond ‘comfortable’.

Now to the DOING. The time of the actionable. I came across a quote that really resonated with me this week. It’s a perfect launching pad for todays action step.

First here’s the quote by Corey Anton: “People should never practice what they do not want to become good at.” 

So simple. So true. Even deceptively effective.

The first time I practiced eating nut butter from the jar with a fork I should have stopped. As I’ve gotten good at it… and I do not want to be good at it. It’s why I don’t skip my walk on rainy days as I know I’d get good at dragging out that old excuse pretty quickly. Are you thinking of something that you practice – even though you really don’t want to be good at it?

Todays action step is to apply the quote “People should never practice what they do not want to become good at” to one of todays 3 tips. To recap:

The LIFE Tip: Take comfort in the fact you will never get it all done, have the clarity to decide what is most important and execute the discipline to structure your life around your priorities.

=> so perhaps this is when you practice jumping straight into email each working day and prioritise other peoples to-do list for you…. rather than deciding what is most important to you and achieving your goals.

The FUEL Tip: Focus on what you are giving your body not on restriction.

=> so perhaps this is when you skip lunch and order the “boring salad” for dinner… when really all you need to do is think of a couple of your fav proteins and a couple of your fav fibrous veg and then build or order a generous, satisfying meal based about them.

The MOVE Tip: Motion creates emotion, consistency is key and intensity counts.

=> so this might be when you blonk yourself on X-Trainer, in front of the T.V. and meander away the next hour mindlessly… it’s better than nothing (just) however an intense weights session or some high intensity interval training are going to give you much better bang for your fat burning buck AND leave you both energised and NOT craving an excessive-carb-over-refuel.

So, we’ve covered my deceptively simple best advice within the 3 categories of Life, Fuel and Move. In the Friday show #282 I have a strategy to make doing the do (!) easier for you.

First though I hope you can join me for the Wednesday weigh-in show where we’ll cover: Curiosity Didn’t Kill The Cat.

If you liked this you’ll also like: Smart Simple Weight Loss: Prioritise v. Overwhelm.

If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.