REACH YOUR WEIGHT GOALS BY FOCUSSING ON PERFORMANCE

One can become so obsessed with losing weight, that logic and tried and tested principles give way to quick fixes and extreme measures. In desperation we resort to starving ourselves and simultaneously increasing our exercise in pursuit of shedding those unwanted kilo’s. This often only results in muscle breakdown, the slowing of your metabolism, possible fat gain, exhaustion, illness and frustration.

If this is you, it’s time to throw away the scale, and change your focus from weight loss, to PERFORMANCE.

Every health and fitness goal has a performance component (the means by which to achieve your goals), and there is a strong correlation between the way our bodies perform and the changes we can expect to see. Our bodies adapt according to the performance demands placed on them. For example: If I want to lose fat weight, in a way that is healthy and sustainable, I need to exercise for an optimal duration and intensity, and I need to progressively increase my duration and or intensity over time at an optimal rate to continue to see results. If I am unable to do this, through for example inadequate nutrition, it stands to reason that I won’t achieve the desired goals.

When you focus on performance there is a shift in mindset. Rather than focusing on doing whatever it takes to lose weight, no matter how illogical or unhealthy, your focus shifts to what you need to do to perform optimally and meet the progressive demands placed on your body over time. Consistently applying an over load, and consistently performing optimally will inevitably produce results.

So, instead of starving yourself and over exercising, when your focus is on performance, you approach your training and lifestyle with the following logic:-

• If I under-eat, I will lack energy, feel anxious, sore and generally ill. I will not be able to recover or perform optimally, and won’t therefore achieve my goals.
• If I skip my scheduled exercise sessions, I will not be able to apply a progressive overload, to achieve my goals.
• If I progress too quickly and do substantially more during my workouts than I am conditioned for, my performance will decline over time and I run the risk of injury, illness and burnout, affecting my performance and therefore my goals.
• If I don’t get enough rest, I won’t recover adequately, I will be too tired to perform and I will create a hormonal environment in my body that will hinder my performance and I therefore won’t achieve my goals.

So rather than focusing on weight loss, and placing unreasonable expectations on your body, driving yourself mad in the process, focus on performance and given time, your body will deliver!

Ashley Galliard August 2015