Everybody wants to see big gains being made as a result of their training.
Yet it seems the only way to verify gains in some peoples’ minds is to present them with facts that confirm their expectations.
Like BMI, reduced skin folds and circumference measurements and, perhaps least relevant of all, weight. (You can get fitter, leaner, healthier and stronger but not have lost weight, particularly in the first few months of strength training. This happens because you are gaining muscle, which is a good thing. As you get older, strong muscles, joints and bones are invaluable to ensuring good physical and mental wellbeing in the long term.)
But big gains require discipline and persistence – they take time and they don’t come easy. If your focus is on big gains, rather than the small steps it takes to achieve the big gains, you are more likely to be disappointed, disillusioned and may struggle to keep at it when the “big gains” don’t miraculously occur – because your expectations were not realistic.
“Big gains” include any weight over 5kg. Don’t burden yourself with the expectation of “losing 10kg”, because there are so many uncontrollable factors – injury, stress, work, family, social – It means the “four solid weeks,” you planned to put in between now and holidays will probably be disrupted. If you have invested all your emotion in the outcome (weight loss) rather than the process required to get there, it will make it harder to deal with unforeseen adversity.
Unrealistic expectations mean realistic setbacks are more likely to become emotionally draining issues because you are more emotionally invested in the result, rather than the process required to achieve the result.
You need to look at things dispassionately, because your body doesn’t care – it does what you tell it to and responds to how well you look after it.
So to ensure big gains the best thing to do is forget about them. Because big gains are not possible without the endless small gains that, when added up, tell us that, “Hey, after four months I’m leaner, fitter, stronger and feel better”.
Small gains can be anything from getting up early one morning and doing a 3km walk, to playing touch footy twice a week with five other friends, to cutting out the processed food one night a week.
I could not begin to get close to the end of a list of potential small gains any one can make.
Here’s some, but I’m sure you can come up with many more to suit your lifestyle.
*Add an extra km or 5min onto your regular walk or workout. After two weeks, add another.
*Train harder when you’re there. Most people will admit they don’t give it their all when they train. Fair enough, just don’t expect gains.
*Reduce sugar intake. For example – If you eat chocolate every day, try to go a day this week without. Next week try two days. If you can reduce that down to chocolate every second day (good), twice a week (better), or once a week (legend) you are making gains.
*Drink less grog: Alcohol is an obvious one and reducing amounts is good for your health, your pocket and your ability to get more from your training.
Those two nights you have 3-4 beers and/or wines - knock it back to one drink. Then try to cut it out on certain nights all together – remember small gains.
*Eat more fruit and vegetables (remember – skins are an awesome source of fibre, which is something most of us don’t eat enough of. If you can replace daily chocolate craving with fruit you are one step closer to becoming a zen-master, as well as ensuring better health – blueberries and raspberries are expensive but worth it, for taste and health benefits).
* Start doing 10 push-ups/squats/lunges each morning. The make it twelve, then 15, then two sets, then three, etc.
*Eat more potassium (particularly if blood pressure is high). Potassium is believed to be a good counter to sodium (salt) in the diet, which can be of particular benefit to people with high blood pressure. Foods that are high in potassium include avocado, spinach, bananas, sweet potato, mushrooms, apricots, acorns and white beans (something for everyone).
*Eat less processed food. If you have to have takeaway, have sushi instead of pizza one night a week and you’re making a small gain.
*Eat less salt.
*Eat less processed meat
*Eat more fibre. High fibre foods include bran, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kidney beans, pumpkin, mushrooms and oranges (you gotta eat the pulp, not just the orange juice).
*Have multigrain or wholemeal bread instead of white, the fewer preservatives added the better (get it fresh).
*Take the stairs instead of the lift. – Can be applied literally and as a metaphor. If you live close enough to the shops then walk next time all you need is milk or something you can easily carry home. PS: Take a bag with you – reduce need for plastic bags.
*Swim once a week. Then make it twice a week, or do an extra lap each time you go and try to keep it to the same time or faster than last week.
None of these require a massive emotional investment – you don’t have to “give up” anything. Just reducing the amount you have of something you know isn’t good for you is a small gain. Once you’re only drinking beer or scoffing chocolate one night a week you might say, “Hey, why don’t we do a week without”. And before you know it your health in a whole range of areas will have improved.
The more small gains you make the faster they add up (and the easier it gets – because you start to take pride in your health). Then you’ll have started to make big gains.
Just remember - without small gains, any expectations of big gains are unrealistic.