Episode Notes

On episode 643 of the 40 Plus Fitness podcast, we discussed the second of the three primary reasons why we fail at reaching our health and fitness goals and what to do about it.

Hello, and welcome to episode 643. Today, we're gonna continue the conversation we were having about the three reasons we fail at reaching our health and fitness goals and, of course, what you can do about it. Again, I'm traveling, so I don't have a ton of time, but I can get you the second reason today. First reason was last week. 3rd reason will be next week. So one of the core reasons we fail at reaching our health and fitness goals is we let life get

in the way, And I'm sure you've experienced this. I often call I call them detours. Okay? So because they're fairly common, but I call them detours, because we have a path. We have somewhere we're going, particularly if, like last week, we did what we were supposed to do. We we have a direction. We have something we're up to. But then every once in a while, we take those this off ramp, and we're no longer in pursuit of our health or fitness goals. We're we're off track. We're not off the road.

Okay? And there's times when that's important, and there's times when it's not. It's times when it's planned, like, we know we're gonna take a detour, detour, like I'm on this cruise right now. Or it can be an unplanned one where something happens, and you're stuck. Okay?

So I am going to talk about planned detours first. And so as this episode's going live, okay, I should probably be in Venice right now, okay, with my wife, Tammy. We were on a 12 day cruise before this, and now we went to then we went to Florence, and now we're we should be, as this goes live in Italy. And so as you imagine, traveling for nearly a month, I am not on track entirely. My normal life is not there. So this is a pretty epic detour to be gone traveling for an entire month. But the good thing about a planned detour is that you can prepare yourself ahead of time to make the most of it. Now there are times, I'll tell you, when you take a planned detour, just just go.

Just go enjoy yourself, and be 100% off. Okay? But there are other times, like, you know, taking a whole month off. That's that's pretty extreme. So, you know, I I wanna try to stay on track. So my plan going into my detour was that I I wanna do a few things to stay on track. I'm still going to enjoy myself, but I'm not completely off. But there will be times that you want to be completely off, and that's cool. That's an important part of life, too.

So here's some things that I've done to prepare myself for this trip. I looked at the gym that was available to me on the cruise ship. I looked at gyms that were available to me in Florence and, Venice. Okay. The one on the cruise ship is pretty awesome. So, again, I'll be getting some lifting done. I promise you that.

Now, obviously, we're gonna be going on we're going on excursions. We're doing various things, as we, as a tourist, often do. So I'm probably going to get plenty of steps. But on the cruise ship, they also have a track. So either way, I should have no trouble getting in as many steps as I want to set as a goal for myself during this period of time. Again, a little different than what I would normally do. It's not my normal beach walk. But it is it is the opportunity to get my steps in.

Maybe even get more steps in than I would have otherwise. Okay?

So I can do the research to know what's there. And so I'm going to have what I need to get this done. I just need to really push myself to stay on it. Now since I have what I need to pretty much keep my lifting program going and to maybe even walk more, I have a pretty I had I had a pretty solid plan coming into this this period of time, this detour. Now the second part of a detour is you have to plan your way back onto the road, onto the highway, the on ramp, if you will. And so when I get back, I wanna have some things in place that are gonna help me be more successful.

Okay? So I'll probably still be lifting. It'll be different equipment than I'm used to. I'll still be doing a lot of steps, but it won't be my normal walk. So when I get back, I just need to make sure that I've scheduled the time to do what I need to do, And I'm actually considering hiring a coach that will basically one of us will write my program. I'll either hire a coach to write my program and coach me, or I'll write my program, and I'll hire a coach to hold me accountable. But either way, I want a coach to hold me accountable and push me a little bit harder.

Accountability is a really important aspect for success, and you really should have a coach helping you.

Feeling stuck? Do you struggle with discipline and willpower? Imagine waking up each morning feeling energized and ready. Ready to conquer your fitness goals? Ready to take on the day with unstoppable energy? How? With a coach and a team by your side. At 40+ Fitness, we understand the challenges of losing weight and keeping fit as you age. That's why we've designed a unique hybrid program just for you. This isn't just any fitness plan. It's a blend of 1 on 1 coaching and group sessions, creating a powerful mix of personalization and community support.

Accountability is your secret weapon. With your own online coach to guide you, there's no falling off the wagon. I'll be with you every step of the way, pushing you forward and ensuring you stick to your goals. Plus, you'll be part of a vibrant community, a group all on the same journey, all supporting one another. You're not just joining a program, you're joining a family. Ready to transform your life? This exclusive coaching program is limited to 12 committed people over 40. The first cohort starts the 1st week of June and is designed for people just like you, people who want real change. They just need

a little help. Don't miss out. Get on the waiting list at 40plusfitness.comforward/laser today. Motivation comes to those who do things. It's time to do this 40plusfitness.comforward/laser, and join the waiting list now.

So in summary, when you have a planned detour, this time that you're going to be away is not going to be normal. You need that plan for what you're going to do for that detour so that you stay generally on track. You can plan to be completely off, or you can plan to be partially off, or you can plan to be fully on. You can make that decision based on your life circumstances. And then you also need a plan for when you return. Okay? So if you will go out there and make sure that you have in place the things you need, then you can make it happen. So certain strategies and tactics, like having time blocked out on my calendar in between the excursions so that I can get my workouts done, having time on my calendar and reaching out to a coach before I get back. I'll have 1 hired ready to go when I get back.

So all of these different things require a bit of planning on the front and the end of both of them. And, again, that's we we go back and you think about what we talked about. And number 1, that makes complete sense. When you have a good plan, you do the things that need to be done. So you set yourself up for success when you have a planned detour. Now, unplanned detours can be

a bit harder, but they're basically a very similar thing. A lot of times, though, people will have an unplanned detour. Something happens in their life. It could be a family issue, an injury, an illness. Just something happens, and they're like, oh, life got in the way, and they quit right there. Okay. And you don't want to do that. You want to make sure that you look at this as an opportunity to learn, and an opportunity to push yourself just a little bit harder to be a little bit more diligent, to be a little bit better self managed. Okay? So the unplanned detour is similar to the planned detour. It's just usually you'll have less time ahead of time to know it's happening, and you'll have probably less freedom of choice. Okay? Because things are what they are. So if you come into an unplanned detour, you might find, okay. I've got to go to a family member's house for this or that. I wasn't planning on doing that. So now I've got to start and quickly try to do the research.

Okay. I don't have access to my gym. What gym will I have access to? K. I won't have access to the food I usually eat. What food will I have access to? So if you're staying in a city that you don't have access to a kitchen, obviously, you can't do grocery shopping and cooking for yourself. You're gonna be somewhat maybe reliant on other people or restaurants or whatnot for those things. So looking around, what are some of the menu items that are available in the various restaurants? Is there food delivery apps and people that basically I can go through and make sure that I'm getting what I need? Maybe this is a time when I am able to cook, but, you know, doing the grocery shopping, getting all prepared, I don't have as much time. So I contact one of those delivery services that delivers the fresh food already cut, already measured, already ready.

You just warm it up or you cook put it together, cook it per per their instructions, and you have a a full well done healthy meal. So there are gonna be some choices. You just have to make those decisions a little bit quicker, and you may have to spend a little bit more money than you would normally spend. But it just means that you have to make adaptations to yourself to make sure you're still on track as much as possible.

And like a planned detour, you have to plan your way back onto the on ramp once the situation passes. Now, again, this is also a little harder because you don't necessarily know everything as far as when things are gonna get back to normal or if they will get back to normal. But the process is pretty much the same. You basically have your plan. You know what you want to do, and then you basically make sure you execute on that plan. Now there is one additional thing, that you need to do, whether you're on a planned or unplanned detour. And this is this is maybe the hardest part of all of this, is that you you do have to reset your expectations. So if you went into your your journey here, and you wanted to lose £20 in, say, 2 months, and now you've had to go spend 4 weeks at a family member's house taking care of a loved one, well, the things you were going to do aren't necessarily going to get done. So you might have to give yourself a little bit of wiggle room, a little bit of grace, a little bit of kindness, and just say, my pace is going to be a little bit slower, or it will be a good bit slower, but I'm still going to be moving forward. I'm still going to do something. I'm still going to make progress. And so maybe you had thought, I'm going to do that resistance training twice a week, and I'm gonna walk for half an hour 4 times a week. And now you're sitting there saying, well, you know, since I've got to do these things, I I can't necessarily get all of 6 of those workouts in. I might have to say, okay.

One good resistance training and 2 longer walks, 1 hour walks. And if that's all I can do, that's all I can do. I'm still gonna watch what I'm eating. I'm still gonna do those other things. But if I wanna do this, I I'm just gonna be moving slower. So I probably won't get there in the 2 months. Maybe it's gonna take me 3, maybe longer. But I understand that that's where I am, so I can still feel good that I'm making some progress.

Because some progress is better than none. And remember, this is where most people quit. And so if you're gonna let life get in the way, that's how you're gonna live the rest of your life. Because life is always in the way. And for you to reach your health and fitness goals, sometimes you just have to buck up and push through. There are better ways, because you can plan through these processes of knowing there's a detour, and knowing what it means, and being realistic, but still doing the work that you can with what you have, where you are. That's the best approach. So that's the second core reason why people fail at our health and fitness goals is that we we let life get in the way, and I think I've given you some tools today for you to not do that going forward.

So a week from today, we'll be talking about, the third reason why we fail at reaching our health and fitness goals. If you enjoyed today's show, take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss the next one. And if you would, please leave us a rating and a review on your podcast player of choice.

Music by Dave Gerhart

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Episode Notes

On episode 642 of the 40 Plus Fitness podcast, we discussed the first of 3 primary reasons why we fail at reaching our health and fitness goals and what you can do about it.

Hello, and welcome to episode 642 of the 40 plus fitness podcast. Today, we're gonna start talking about the three reasons why we fail at our health and fitness goals, and then what we can do about it. But because I'm traveling during this month with my wife, it's our 10 year anniversary, I really can only get into the first one. We'll get into the other 2 in the next two episodes, so stay tuned for those. So one of the core reasons why we fail at reaching our health and fitness goals is that we don't have a plan, or we don't have a good plan. So when I'm talking to potential clients, I'm often having the same conversation over and over, and the conversation goes like this.

I say, what are your goals?

And they say, I need to lose some weight.

I ask, how much weight do you need to lose? They respond,

I don't know, maybe 20 lbs.

I ask, why 20 lbs?

They answer, that's when my jeans fit me better.

And then I ask, how are you going to get there?

And she answers, I'm eating healthier. I'm going to start walking after work with my sister.

And then I follow-up with a question, is that something that will work for you?

She answers, yes. That's what I did last time I lost 20 lbs.

I say, so you've already lost 20 lbs, and you need to lose 20 more.

And the answer, well, no. I gained back that 20 lbs when the weather turned cold last November.

So do you see the problem? Well, actually there's several. Okay.

So the first one is that as they came into this conversation, they're looking they really didn't have a clear vision or outcome of what they wanted. How much is some weight? What is some weight? It was just this vague necklace thing. And even when I dove into it, and it was 20 lbs, it was sort of maybe 20 lbs. It was maybe 20 lbs. Okay? And it was based on how jeans used to fit her. So it's not a really emotional deep thing. It's just, she's, you know, she needs to lose maybe 20 lbs. But here's the thing, she's already lost and regained that same 20 lbs, and she's probably been doing that for much, if not all of her life. Okay. The next thing that's pretty clear here is she really doesn't have clear actions. She's going to eat healthier.

Well, what does that mean to you? Because it probably means something very different to me than it might mean to you, than it might mean to her. So what is healthier? And so she's got this nebulous idea that she's gonna eat healthier, and she's gonna do some walking with her sister. I don't know how far her sister can walk, how fast. So maybe this is a good idea. Maybe it's not, but it's not clear. And then the final bit is this is this is just not sustainable. Another November is coming right around the corner, so she just gonna quit when it gets cold, and then everything else that can go on. So, you know, there's these high level things that you see, but there's there's more in there that might not be quite apparent.

So the first thing is her goals are not specific. She doesn't have a specific idea of what she wants, and so her goals are a little bit soft. How will she really know that she's moving toward it? Because she doesn't really have a solid thing. She also these goals aren't necessarily measurable. Sure. She can step on the scale and see that she's lost a couple pounds over the last few weeks, but then she could easily step on the scale tomorrow and see that she's gained one of those pounds back. And so by not being something that she can act on, then it's really hard to measure this because these things are generally out of our control. Now, this goal of losing 20 lbs might be sustainable, in the short run. So she might lose the weight, but what happens in November? What happens if her sister stops walking with her? You know, will she stop? Will she keep going? Will she get there? So it might be attainable. I'm just not sure. And then the next bit is her goals are not necessarily relevant because losing weight doesn't really mean a whole lot to her.

It's just about wearing a certain pair of jeans. And unless there's something big coming up, what's it relevant to? Does she want to be able to wear those jeans to a class reunion? Is it something else going on? But the way she said this so far, it's just arbitrary or sort of arbitrary. Her goals are not time bound. So she hasn't said she needs to lose wants to lose the £20 over the next 2 months, or does she wanna lose it over the next 2 years? We really don't know, and some people may even think lose it over the next 2 weeks, which probably isn't attainable. So she she doesn't have really a time bound on what she needs to do or wants to do. And then while she has some vague idea of actions that she's going to do to get there, this outcome is really outside of her control. And, therefore, there's no real way to tell if these actions are gonna be significant enough or sufficient enough to really help her do what she wants to do. And so, you know, again, there's all these different things.

But really, there's one core thing that I think is also very, very important here. Her goals are probably not written down. Now, science shows us that if we write down our goal, we are way more likely, like, 6 times more likely to get it done than if we just keep it stuck in our head. And so it's very, very important when you decide you do want to accomplish something to write it down. And it's even better when you take the time to share that with someone who holds you accountable, like a coach. Feeling stuck? Do you struggle with discipline and willpower? Imagine waking up each morning feeling energized and ready. Ready to conquer your fitness goals? Ready to take on the day with unstoppable energy? How? With a coach and a team by your side. At 40 Plus Fitness, we understand the challenges of losing weight and keeping fit as you age.

That's why we've designed a unique hybrid program just for you. This isn't just any fitness plan. It's a blend of 1 on 1 coaching and group sessions, creating a powerful mix of personalization and community support. Accountability is your secret weapon. With your own online coach to guide you, there's no falling off the wagon. I'll be with you every step of the way, pushing you forward and ensuring you stick to your goals. Plus, you'll be part of a vibrant community, a group all on the same journey, all supporting one another. You're not just joining a program, you're joining a family.

Ready to transform your life? This exclusive coaching program is limited to 12 committed people over 40. The first cohort starts the 1st week of June and is designed for people just like you, people who want real change. They just need a little help. Don't miss out. Get on the waiting list at 40plusfitness.comforward/lazertoday. Motivation comes to those who do things. It's time to do this. 40plusfitness.comforward/laser and join the waiting list now.

Now there's more to a plan than just written goals, obviously. But at the very least, you need written goals so that you know whether you're on track or not. Now to help you write your goals, I'd like to share a free resource with you. If you'll go to 40plusfitness.com/goal, that's 40plusfitness.com/goal,

I have a free worksheet there that will walk you through setting goals. I call it the 40+ Ditness, A SMART Goals Worksheet. You just go in there. You just put in your email address, and and it's yours. It'll get emailed right to you as a link. So go to 40plusfitness.com/goal. But I wanna talk about this this worksheet a little bit so you kinda know what we're talking here. And this is all the things that we're missing effectively from her plan.

Okay. And a smart goal is basically the a stands for the first a starts for action. So action action based, meaning we are going to measure action. So if she said, okay. I want to have a healthier diet, which means I need more vegetables. And so she comes to the conclusion that she needs she wants to have 2 or 3 she wants to have 3 servings of vegetables every day. So basically at least one serving of vegetables with each meal. So she can say that she can say in her goal, okay, my action goal is to eat vegetables.

She can say specifically because she wants to eat at least x number of servings per day. Okay.

She can make it measurable. So if she has, though, that number, so be it 3 or 5 or whatever goal she sets, that's measurable. She can sit down during the day and little tick marks on a thing or write it down somewhere, and she can literally see that she's had that many servings today. Now it's attainable if she has access to vegetables, which most of us do, and she's willing to eat them. You know, again, say saying you're going to eat something and then not liking it, you're really asking for fail there. But it could be attainable because she can say, okay. I'm gonna eat 5 servings of vegetables every day, and then she has plenty of vegetables, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, and fresh vegetables in her house. And so she can easily prepare those and have those.

And it's relevant because we know if we change our diet and we eat more whole food, we're very likely to lose some weight. We get away from the junk. We start eating whole food. That is a healthier diet, and therefore, yes. It's relevant to the weight loss. It's relevant to health goals, anything else we want. We know if we eat more vegetables, we're gonna look and feel better. And then it's time bound, every day.

Now she could say every day for a month. She could say every day. However, she's doing it's generally time bound. I have I have I have 24 hours in my day. I need to have 5 servings of vegetables. There. Measurable. So if you go to 40plusfitness.com/goal, you'll be able to get that worksheet and work through your goals together.

And then what you can do then is use that those that worksheet to come through and formulate. Okay. What do I want? I wanna lose weight. I wanna I wanna look and feel better. I wanna be stronger. And then you can just make copies of that worksheet, and you can say, okay. To lose weight, what do I need to do? I need to eat whole food. I need to move more.

So that's 2 goals. Okay. So the eat whole food, like I just did with the vegetables. You could say I wanna move more, and that can be, I'm going to walk at least 30 minutes, 4 days a week. And so, yeah, if your sister doesn't show up, you still can do 4 days a week. You're just doing some of them on your own or with someone else. But you can say, I'm gonna walk at least 30 minutes, 4 days per week. And that's a very good smart goal, a smart goal, because the action is walking, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. All right there. Okay? And then once you've got those goals right now, because also said you want to get stronger, so you're probably gonna have to do some resistance training. So saying you're gonna do resistance training twice a week, that's a goal. And so now you have these three goals that you just set for yourself that are a part of your overall plan.

Now, doing your own plan can be difficult, particularly the first time you do it. So, again, if this is something you need help for, I spoke about it earlier, but, yes, I am launching a new program that's predominantly built around accountability. You should check it out, 40plusfitness.com forward slash list, and you can get on the waiting list for that. I'll message you. I'll get in touch with you. We'll have we'll have a conversation about see if it's the right fit for you, but it is out there, and it will be the probably the most affordable way you could train with me ever. So, and particularly since it has a 1 on 1 component. So if you'll reach out to me there, 40plusfitness.comforward/list, you can find out some details about that.

But that covers the first one of these, why we fail at our health and fitness goals. I hope you'll tune in next week and hear the second one. If you enjoyed today's show, take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss the next one. And if you would, please leave us a rating and review on your podcast player of choice. Thank you.

Music by Dave Gerhart

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Thank you!

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On episode 638 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, we meet Daniella Forrest and discuss her book, Own You Wellness: Giving You the Tools to Break Through Your Health Plateaus.

The Importance of Nutrition and Meal Planning

– Allan's experience with overeating and potential prediabetes

– Impact of food quality on hunger

– Affordability of high-quality food

– Challenges faced by families unable to buy organic or grass-fed food

Elements of a Movement Practice

– Getting the heart rate up

– Staying strong

– Maintaining balance

– Importance of movement for people with a stationary lifestyle or physical limitations

Focus on Overall Wellness

– Departing from a sole emphasis on weight loss

– Tying weight loss to a bigger purpose

– The role of self-talk and mental well-being in achieving wellness and weight loss goals

Strategies for Navigating Wellness Practices

– Encouraging individuals to apply information to their own lives

– Making hypotheses and testing them with personal experience

– Testing one thing at a time to assess effectiveness

– Adapting health and fitness approaches as one ages

Understanding the Causes of Obesity

– The concept of undernourishment due to a lack of nutrients in modern food supply

– Paying attention to hunger cues and avoiding overeating in response to psychological fears around hunger

– Challenging conventional diet mantras such as eating multiple meals throughout the day

Daily Aches and Pains, and Achieving Wellness

– Daniella's experiences with daily aches and pains

– Factors contributing to aches and pains, including sleeping positions, physical activity, diet, and age

– The importance of movement in achieving wellness and recommendations for eliminating unhealthy foods and undergoing health tests

– Addressing potential health issues to achieve and maintain wellness

Importance of Balance, Flexibility, and Rest

– The crucial role of balance and flexibility in aging to prevent issues

– The significance of rest and recovery for muscle growth and overall well-being

– The necessity of stimulation, feeding, and rest for muscle strength and stamina

– The risks of overdoing the same exercise without rest and potential pain or injury

– Chronic pain not being a normal part of aging and needing to be addressed

Conclusion and Resources

– Highlighting Daniella Forrest's book, Own Your Wellness: Giving You the Tools to Break Through Your Health Plateaus.

– Daniella's website and where to purchase her book

Music by Dave Gerhart

Patreons

The following listeners have sponsored this show by pledging on our Patreon Page:

Thank you!

Another episode you may enjoy

On episode 636 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, we discuss how to get and stay fit over 40.

On episode 634 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, we bring back Brian Gryn and discuss his book, The Stepladder System.

On episode 631 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, we bring back Lyn Lindbergh to discuss setbacks and obstacles. 

On episode 627 of the 40+ Fitness Podcast, we have the sixth part a 6 episode series on Building the Best You. This episode is recorded to stand alone, however you’ll get more value if you listen to the previous episodes (622, 623, 624, 625 & 626) first.