Diet Q & A Session 1

Why Haven't You Talked About Diet Yet And What I Should Be Eating?
The term 'diet' is pretty misleading nowadays.  If you're looking to get in better shape, lose weight, feel better, etc it takes far more than just changing what you eat.  I don't care what the latest diet pill ads, super foods or 'weight loss guru' are trying to tell you, there isn't any one thing that's going to make a huge difference for you.  It's actually many little things that add up and synergistically make a huge difference for you. 
We're going to talk about nutritional needs A LOT and very soon.  If you follow along, you'll end up knowing more about what you're putting into your body than you probably ever have.  We'll look at macro nutrient breakdowns, caloric needs, quality of foods, portion sizing, proper energy sources, meal timing, and more. 
Right now we're taking it easy.  We're going to take little steps at first and implement easy changes.  Before you know it, some of those little steps will be big steps away from where you started. 

I Can't Even Come Close To Doing The Initial Workout You Outlined - Will I Ever Be Able To Do This?
Don't worry about it if you can't get through it all.  Just do the best you can!  If it takes you 10 minutes to do one set and you're beat afterwards - stop there.  Just try to do a little more next time.  Don't kill yourself trying to do everything all at once if you don't have it in you yet.  It takes time and sometimes we have to start from the very beginning.  The biggest thing to keep in mind is to not quit.  Sure it may be hard but it does get easier - I promise!  If you can only do a little now, then do a little consistently.  We've got time.  Progression and consistency is the key - even if it's just one more rep or one more minute more than the last time. 

Can You Please Just Get On To The Meaningful Stuff?  I'm Not Interested In All These Details!
I hear you, but as they say, 'the Devil's in the details'!  Quick fixes just don't work with diet and exercise.  It takes time and your body needs time to adapt, adjust, repair and improve.  Plus, there are a lot of meaningful details you really need to understand so that you can continue to make the correct decisions going forward so you have lasting results.  Stick around and it'll all become more clear in the days/weeks ahead.  You'll know why you're doing what you're doing and the results will start to manifest themselves.

Why Have You Only Talked About Exercises And Activity So Far?
Exercising and/or greater activity is a major component to improving your health, well being, shape, fitness and body.  You can't just diet pounds away and transform your body - if only it were that simple!  Your body needs to go through a literal transformation so that it becomes more effecient.  It will respond better to exercise and nutrition and you'll be able to do more.  All while feeling fantastic.  These changes take time and slow progression to take hold.  Have you heard the story of Milo of Croton?  He is said to have carried a newborn ox every day for years.  As the ox grew, Milo grew stronger and his body adapted to the heavier weight of the growing bull.  He was doing progressively more work on a minute level every day he carried the bull.  While not lugging a bull around with us, this is what we're doing as well every time we add another repetition or minute or two to our exercise sessions. 
As our bodies adapt to the slow progression of greater work, we'll be feeding it the necessary nutrition required to repair, grow and adapt.  Our exercises and nutrition combined will ultimately yield the end results we're looking for. 

You Said I 'No Gym Membership Needed' - Is That For Real?
I  haven't had a gym membership in about 14 years.  I have however, purchased a lot of equipment over the years and put aside a section of my basement so I can workout.  I like to find and buy things cheap.  Craigslist is always a great source if you don't mind used equipment.  Over the years I've been able to get 100's of pounds of free weights, a nice treadmill, a stepper, an elliptical machine and a very effective wall mounted weight machine.  With these pieces, I can do almost any exercise you can do in a gym.  At the very most, this may have cost me the same amount I would've paid over the past 14 years in gym memberships at $9.99/month.  But, it's all conveniently located just steps away. 
So, no, a gym membership isn't necessarily required - especially in the beginning.  If you're living situation doesn't allow for you to use progressively heavier weights and/or cardio equipment, you may have to look into local facilities.  I'll tell you though, my wife and I lived in a small two bedroom apartment for years and our spare bedroom had several hundred pounds of freeweights, a bench and squat stands.  We had the stepper in the corner of the living room.  It wasn't everything we could've wanted or needed, but we certainly made it work.  It really came down to a matter of scheduling workout times around the attached neighbors schedules so they didn't get angry if heavy weights shook the floor. 
If you're got a gym membership, don't cancel it.  If you've got equipment at home, great!  Either way, you just need something to get started.  Your motivation derived from seeing results will guide you as to what you should do next with regard to purchasing equipment or getting a gym membership. 

What's Up With The Name?  I Don't Get It...
Honestly, I wanted to try and find a way that I could share my knowledge in the realm of diet and exercise with many people and give them the opportunity to determine how much they wanted to know, how much they wanted to try and when they wanted to attempt it.  I thought that by breaking it all down into modules and selling them a la carte would be a great idea.  Only buy what you want to try and go from there.  The concept didn't quite come together that way but the domain name stuck.  The site may evolve over time to encompass some of the earlier concept but for now, we're diving in with all the details and throwing them right out there in the open for anybody who cares to follow along! 

What's Next?
Next, we're going to go through the next couple of weeks and continue with our activity.  We'll begin discussing dietary changes in greater detail and what to expect once those changes are implemented.  We'll discuss how to accurately and effectively use the Body Fat Calipers and get a baseline reading.  We'll talk about the importance of taking an initial photo (ugh!) so you can look back in time and see how far you've come.  We'll continue to look at the timeline and changes we may begin to see. 

There's lots more to come!  

Stay tuned and get excited - your 'better than average you' is right around the corner! Sphere: Related Content