Happy Tuesday
I hope you all had a wonderful Queens birthday!
Doesn’t the Queen look good for 91 years old? – Not that it is the actual Queens birthday 😉
Did you know, the reason the Queen’s birthday is celebrated on the first Monday of June is because of the weather. A tradition started in 1748 by George II. George was born in November and felt the weather would be too cold for a birthday parade so he moved it to June. All British Sovereign’s now have the option of celebrating an ‘official’ birthday and a ‘real’ birthday.
The irony is it is the start of winter for New Zealand. Regardless a holiday is a holiday 🙂
After doing some ‘google’ research I found that the Queen’s secret to staying young is smoked Kippers for breakfast and the Daily Telegraph’s crossword. Her diet is one of unprocessed, real foods, with plenty of protein, fibre and low in sugar.
Anyway enough of the Queen.
Seeing that our 12 Week Challenge is on the horizon I thought I would bring you a rundown of what a 12 Week Challenge typically looks like for most. Over the last 18 years of being a trainer I have completed a number of 12 weekers and I have been the trainer for my fair share too.
12 Weeks is a long time for a challenge but it’s the perfect amount of time to make some real visible differences. A challenge is a challenge for a reason, it’s tough. You have to dig deep and find the motivation to keep going when it gets hard.
Week 0
You’re feeling good. The fridge has been emptied of junk food. You have lots of protein and veggies in the fridge, your program is mapped out and you’re ready to make a change.
Week 1
You’re sore because you pushed hard this week. You have filled your diary out and stayed 100% on point. Measurements are looking good, you have dropped a massive 2kg and the body fat has already started to shift.
Week 2
You continue your training and nutrition with discipline. Amped by the results of week one you pull yourself out of bed early for morning workouts and you feel you’re turning into a broccoli as it seems to feature in every meal. At the end of the week you jump on the scale and … you have dropped 0.5 of a kilo. You were hoping for more and though your trainer tells you it’s not about the scale weight you can’t help but feel a little Bridget Jones on a bad day.
Week 3
This is one of the hardest weeks of the whole process. You had a great week one but after so much hard work you only dropped 0.5kg last week. You begin to question whether it’s all worth it. Am I eating the right foods for my body-type, shouldn’t I be doing more cardio?
Week 4
If you make it through week 3 then you’re doing great. As week 4 brings habits. It takes about 4 weeks to lock in a habit and things just seem easier. It’s no longer a struggle to get up early for those workouts because now it’s just ‘what you do’
Week 5
You’re feeling positive because though the last few weeks have been a fight you look in the mirror and you can see change. The belt buckle has gone down by one notch, clothes feel looser and your body feels tighter. Though you haven’t dropped the 2 kg from week one, you have consistently dropped week by week. You are nearly 5kg down and though that excites you, your trainer reminds you it’s not about the weight and shows you that far more importantly your body fat is down and your visceral fat (fat around your organs) has dropped significantly
Week 6
Half way. You have made it this far, surely you can do another six weeks. You continue to truck on despite the fact that it seems like someone is trying to derail you every second of your journey. Yes someone brought croissants to the morning meeting and you have a friends birthday party this weekend and everyone will be drinking. Maybe just one?
Week 7
You decided not to drink but you question ‘is it all worth it?’ All you want is bread, wine and cake. You literally dream about it at night time. You ask your trainer if you should be on more of an 80/20 lifestyle plan. He/she reminds you that it is a challenge and it’s not forever. After the 12 weeks you can go to an 80/20 but for now, it’s time for more broccoli
Week 8
The fat has been melting off. You have dropped 2 dress sizes but there is just this little bit. No matter what you do you just can’t seem to get rid of it. You have sprinted, squatted and eaten broccoli till the cows come home but that last bit just won’t shift. Your trainer reminds you to focus on the positive not the negative.
Week 9
You can see the end in sight. You still want to shift that last bit and you dig in a little more. On the one hand you put some extra sprint intervals in, on the other you’re already planning what that first junk food meal will be post 12 weeks. Will I have pizza or will I just go straight to the Whittaker’s Caramello?
Week 10
You’re exhausted, you ache from head to toe. The question in your mind now is ‘how am I going to maintain this?’ You have trained 4-6 days a week and you just can’t see how this could be sustainable. You worry that when you go back to ‘normal life’ the fat will come piling back on. Your trainer assures you that won’t happen. He/she tells you the reason you have been doing the resistance training is to speed your metabolism up. With a faster metabolism and a leaner frame you are actually able to get away with less training and more eating ice cream. Your trainer explains that the difference between you and the biggest loser is that they primarily focus on cardio and a very calorie restricted diet, both of which will help with short term results but don’t do anything for your metabolism. On the other hand your focus has been resistance training and eating for fuel and energy not starving yourself.
Week 11
The end is in sight. You are full steam ahead as there is nothing more you want than abs in your after photo. The nervous energy of a post photo has you doing extra abdominal workouts in the evening.
Week 12
You have survived. You are really pleased with your results. Not only do you look and feel great but you have done it. You give yourself a massive pat on the back and realise it was more than just a body transformation it was a transformation of who you are and who you have become. You’re strong in every sense of the word. You feel like you could take on the world. No obstacle will get in your way. You’re ready to climb mountains. Empowered with your new found strength you start looking for the next challenge – All while chomping down on your Caramello 🙂
Please note this post was written with a degree of tongue and cheek. Even though much of it is true.
And for those interested here is a pic of my before and after
Pretty impressive don’t you think 😉
That’s it for today
Paul ‘ TRANSformation’ and Krystie ‘the past is the past’ Miller
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