Too much 'good food' will make you fat

Diet books are a perennial feature on the best seller list, right now if you look at Waterstone's non-fiction best-sellers list about half of the books are to do with diets.

The diet book is endlessly appealing, ‘finally a solution to my problem’ people say, ‘something which will just tell me what I need to do’.

At the top of the list is a book called, ‘I quit sugar’. It’s entirely representative of the trend of diet books at the moment. Everyone is blaming carbohydrates for their weight problems.

Low carb diets are not new, but they have never been more popular because they offer a quick and simple solution to most people’s problems.  The science stacks up, but there is a dark side to low carb diets.

Incorrect use of a low carb diet could make it impossible to return to a normal diet ever again. Ultimately just cutting carbs could make your problem worse.

 

 

Firstly, here’s the reason why low-carb diets work for most of us.

Take your average overweight person:

High levels of body fat impair the function on insulin by impairing its ability to transport nutrients (particularly carbs and sugars) into cells to be used for energy.

The more fat this person gains, the more that they are unable to properly manage their blood sugar. 

 

     Their body's sensitivty to insulin becomes more and more reduced, until they have to excrete a very large amount of insulin to control even small consumption of carbohydrates

The more impaired their ability to manage blood sugar becomes, the more their body has to store what they eat as fat.

When the insulin doesn't shift any more nutrients out of the blood, the body has to protect itself from damage by converting it to relatively safe fat stores.

The even better news is that because their insulin level is so high, their body is very reluctant in using fats for energy.  So as long as the carbs keep going in, the fat’s not going anywhere.

So they can’t get energy from carbs, and they can’t get energy from fats. The result is that they have no energy, which is why they feel lethargic. It isn't laziness, it’s just physiology.

When you reduce carb intake, you effectively stop the motor running this vicious cycle and everything can begin to return to balance.

 

Secondly here is a list of some of the metabolic effects of a low carb plan:

Insulin sensitivity increase

This means that cells can get hold of the energy they need to function correctly. Particularly muscle cells increase in their capability to use energy activity.

Insulin production decreases

Abnormally high levels of insulin are no longer required to keep blood sugar levels at safe levels. This means that the body will reduce its capacity to produce insulin.

Body fat will become more available for fuel

When carb intake is reduced the body alters fuel sources. After a while the shift becomes more to using fats rather than carbs. You will always use both, but the chains are off the fence surrounding your body fat. If your body needs to use it, it can.

Lastly here’s why a low carb plan shouldn't be done long term without consideration

Carbohydrate tolerance is a term used to describe how much carbohydrate absorb and utilise productively.

 

Limiting factors include the amount of insulin produced and the sensitivity of cells to insulin.

 

When someone eats more carbohydrate than they can handle they cannot absorb carbs because their insulin sensitivity becomes too low. This is what everyone hears,

 

But when someone goes too low carb for too long, they don't need to produce much insulin any more. Our bodies are efficient, we don't waste energy and so their body down-regulates the amount of insulin produced.

This means that each day they operate on a low carb level they lose the ability to produce insulin a little more. Until one day in a few years, they get to the point where they are producing so little insulin, that something like a bit of sweet potato will be too much carb and they will gain fat. 

What we need when on a low carb plan is intermittent re-feeding points.We need to periodically stimulate insulin production so that we can eat carbs. 

So next time you hear someone saying, 'Oh I don't handle carbs well so I tend to avoid them' give them a slap from me. All they're doing is creating a self fulfilling prophecy.

 The rock eats pancakes

How do I lose the fat around on my stomach, thighs and arms?

Great question from RWL member Jeanette Rogers in her one 2 one yesterday:

"Joe, I have a wedding coming up in July and would really like to fit in to a dress for it but I have one problem... over the next few month's I'd like to reduce the fat from around my stomach, thighs and arms. Can we do this?"

I then went on to show her the plan to achieve this, and actually, to achieve this will be well and truly done before July.

It's just a few simple things

That I have also decided to share with you

Well, what woman doesn't want to lose more fat on their stomach, thighs and arms?

This won't be your traditional advice. We are going to set you straight on what to do for YOU.

 I'm not going to do this through email though because even though it's simple once you know how I writing it through email wont do it justice

There is more to it than just telling you what to eat and how to exercise

So both I and my partner in crime Sam (Personal trainer of the year 2013 and person responsible for designing our 

members programs) will be presenting a 'live' online seminar in a few weeks time.

We will dive into information based around your 'female' hormones (yes, you know which ones I mean. I just hope we don't catch you on a bad week :))

How your metabolic type will influence your changes

What to do if you are on certain medications (the pill, pain killers, anti depressants, thyroxine)

Plus much more...

This will leave you knowing what to do and how to do it... and wait for it... never have to worry about your problems areas again.

(that's if you put what we tell you in to action...)

That's all I have time for today as I'm just about to interview members for our pod cast show which is coming up in a few 

weeks time.

Joe '23 days without coffiene' Hanney

Ps- you'll have to sit tight and wait anxiously whilst I create the registeration link to the 'lose fat on your stomach, thighs 

and arms' online seminar 

Pps- by the way, it will be FREE to the first 20 people. keep an eye out for the email that will have the registration link

Stroking our own ego

It's Monday and I'm in the mood for some ego stroking

Why?

Well, for one you better get used to it because from what the RWL members had to share on their podcast interview this weekend you are in for a treat of a show every Monday when we'll be letting loose a member in the spotlight each week.

And of course, it just seems right before we open up places for a membership at RWL in a few week's time

There are 4 people on the waiting list (not all will be successful) but what they have done is taken the time and 
first steps in their journey by filling out an Application form

There are 7 open spaces available for membership in total for February and that's all we can take on.

To apply head over to here

So enough of that, let's start...
(casually stroking my fingers through my hair, not a good thing though - it means I need a hair cut)

First up is 'RWL member' and friend Karen Preston (a gal that just 'gets it' - give her the plan and she'll run through a brick wall for you until she gets results, well there's proof in the pudding, shes gone from a size 16 to a small 8)

=====

"This has changed my life."

"I can do anything I can set my mind to now, which is great."

"I've lost about 3 stone."

"I've gone from a size 16 to a size 8."

"I found an inner strength and inner dedication that I just never knew I had."

=====

Ahh, yes

Aint nothing like a good ego strking, is there?

The next one is from yet another 'RWL member' and friend Kate Solomon's (we had blast at the Miss Great 
Britain after party. She also got down to serious business and lost a couple of sizes to fit in her wedding dress)

=====

"I have a new lifestyle and look at things completely differently."

"In 3 to 4 months I lost 2 dress sizes, which was fantastic!"

"I noticed after 3 months, I hadn't had the random headaches.  I'd wake up in the morning and I was so much fresher, and more energized. "

"My hair, my skin, my whole body physically and mentally is stronger and better."

"You come out of every session and feel amazing."

=====

You haven't heard nothing yet

I'm just getting started

=====

joe, unsubscribe me from your email list and I don't want to see the application process through.. I just want to join and you have so many steps that I should take, so no i'm not doing this

=====

WHHHHAAAAATTTT!

I knew all this ego stroking wouldn't last :)

Its all good though, because even feedback like this strokes my ego, and probably even more so.

Why, because it means they weren't going to be a good member.

More importantly they didn't want to STEP UP

They wanted the easiest route

Im sorry, if you are searching for an easy route to weight loss success, there aint one.

You have to answer to a few home truths first

And one of them is... why haven't you yet achieved your goals... no excuses... just the honest truth

This is where the lady that left the comment got to... couldn't answer it

Didn't want to accept any responsibility

.... Until she does I can categorically say that she will never lose weight

And this is no bitter twist because she decided not to use our services it's a hard fact.

Alright, enough ego stroking

Heres what to do next

1.      Click on the link (it'll take through to the application form)
              https://rwlgym.wufoo.com/forms/z88ywm606e3yra/

2.      Read the questions and answer VERY HONESTLY (there are no right answers)

3.      Hit complete if you think you've got what it takes to join our RWL Family and are not afraid of work

4.      Get accepted

5.      Implement your plan and what you learn

6.      Get plenty of compliments

7.      Then send me an ego stroking testimonial in approx. 12 weeks time when you've met your goals

Cool?


Joe 'fired up' Hanney

Hold my balls

It was a comment I made yesterday when I was training and I hadn't realised what I had said until after

Have you ever done that?

How embarrassing.... haha!

I'll tell you what I was actually referring too further down the email

But for now I'd like you to think about YOURSELF

What have you done this week that's taken you closer to your dream dress size?

And... don't be so harsh on yourself here

Even if you started well on Monday but then you went off the wagon as the week went on... we can still take a positive out of this

Referring to Jeff's article yesterday one small change is by far better than trying to change everything at once

So, using the example above I'd suggest that you do the same for the week coming (well, the Monday at the least)

BUT this time write exactly what you did this time i.e. what did you eat? what time did you go to bed? what time did you exercise? etc. etc.

Then Just take those notes and repeat for the Tuesday

Even if it goes awol again from thereon, you've still made PROGRESS and done two positive days instead of one

Then repeat..

Sooner than later you'll be at 7 days...

That's what I do when I implement a new habit or change something up in my plans.. like yesterday I held a Medicine "Ball in my hand" instead of a Dumbbell in an exercise I did.

That's where the phrase "hold my balls" came from...

Not Me - I'm Better Looking :)

You see what I did there :)

I was getting frustrated with myself which is why it came out wrongly....

This is the quote we have in our studio, as soon as you walk in

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu

Joe 'sorry about the title of this email' Hanney

ps- podcast interviews start tomorrow, remember to get your questions in.

Gym goers, how often should you be training?

January is almost over now and the will of the all of the new gym goers will have been tested to it's limits. If you're still hanging in there, assuming you started at the beginning of January, the habit of improving your health should have become ingrained in your life.

Psychologists say that's how long it takes to implement a habit, and to some extent I believe them. But from my experience it takes a lot longer than that.

It only takes a few weeks to fit it into your regular lifestyle but it takes far, far longer for a habit to become a habit of a lifetime.

Take this example:

Every day you brush your teeth, or at least I hope you do. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing you'll brush your teeth every day. This is a deeply ingrained habit which cannot be undone.

Think about going to the gym, if everything is going to plan you go on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays after work. but what happens if you stay late at work? Or you have something really urgent to do which gets in the way?

Do you plan to go before work, do you plan to get up early on Saturday morning to get your session in or do you just say, 'Well I'll just do two this week.'

If you go for option number 3 then it is not the habit of a lifetime, because skipping training wouldn't bother you that much if you had a good excuse.  



Back on topic;

Since you've made it this far, you'll be thinking about all of the classes you'll be doing and all of the sessions that you'll be having in the gym.

'I'll do Zumba on a Monday, cardio on a Tuesday, weights on a Wednesday etc.'

Then there's the diet that will go with it, usually this involves two interventions:

• Less alcohol 
• Less calorie dense and processed food.

Which, if you want to get into good shape are necessary to moderate (note moderate, not cut out completely)

If this is you or similar to what you are like, with all the good intention in the world what you have done is taken yourself from what is probably a roughly neutral calorie balance to a severely negative calorie balance in the period of a week,.

And how does your body respond?

Badly.



What will happen is your body will think that the world is coming to an end and that calories are suddenly severely limited, and as a result of that it will begin to shut your body down.

This will present itself as reduced energy, low mood and a compromised immune system.

So although you are doing everything that you have been told to do, you feel sadder, more tired and more sick than you did when you were eating healthily.

But isn't that how you lose weight? By reducing your intake and increasing your exercise?

Well yes, but it's not as simple as that, because the truth is that your body has a group of chemical messengers which control how your body functions. They control how much energy goes in and out in the long term.

After 6 months of doing what you may be doing now you'll find yourself plateauing. The reason for this is simple, your metabolism has adjusted to your intake and expenditure.

Basically you took on too much at once.

Time for some great news!

You can get a very similar result from changing one thing at a time, to the result you would get if you went from zero to perfect, with a lot less stress and much higher compliancy.

The problem is that everyone wants the quickest fix.

Let's give some perspective, After at least 20 or 30 years of bad eating you can reverse the whole process in only a year or two. That's how much your body wants you to be lean, that is a miraculously quick fix.

So what you should do to get as fit and healthy as possible is two things.

Firstly, focus on the intensity of your training.

• Start by training for one hour per week. Only one hour per week, and commit to training as hard as you possibly can. You should feel it for days afterwards.
• Also you need a programme. I never want to see anyone in the gym just going in for a 'work out'. If you go into the gym looking just to burn some calories then you will never succeed, period.

Secondly add good things into your diet:

• Don't take anything away from your diet, work by adding good things in, so your body begins to get healthier.
• This will leave you with a modest calorie deficit, and will kick start the fat loss.

From this point on, only add in more training sessions when your results stall. This will take you all the way to getting as lean and fit as you want to be. Do the same with your diet. Only look to eat more healthy food. You should never feel deprived, but the result of eating more healthy food is that you will naturally eat less of the food that you should be avoiding.

It's so simple, there is no quick fix, the vast majority of people cannot turn themselves around psychologically in a month. Implement the habits of a lifetime and reap the rewards.

Whiney members, typical gym bunnies and steroid sleaze bag men

You tend to find these at those typical commercial gyms like Nuffield Health, Banantynes, Pure Gym, The Gym and even 

David Lloyds Narborough.

Shocking isn't it?

Because if they were even the slightest considerate to your feelings they would do something about this, so that you 

would be more inclined to go there.

BUT they don't.

They just care about the £'s

The numbers

They actually hope you don't turn up.

It's NOT personalised it's GENERIC.

If you suffer from either anxiety or are even the slightest unhappy with yourself and you were to walk in to one of these 

gyms, I'd be surprised if it didn't MAKE YOU FEEL MORE WORSE OFF than when you arrived.

Complete JOKE.

Whiney members... I can't think of anything worse. They don't belong here at RWL, I soon ask them to leave and make it crystal clear that they are never welcome back!

Typical gym bunnies... you know the ones that have never been out of shape and when they feel that they are it's because they've GONE UP a clothes size to a massive size 6.... Nah, not for us! We like to achieve this goal with hard work, dedication and commitment.

Steroid sleaze bag men...you kidding me. I know I am a bloke but even so, I cannot stand the sight of men sleazing or perving over the women in the gym. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that makes you feel.

Frustrates me just thinking about this.

I told you that writing emails is quite therapeutic - it definitely helped in this situation.

BUT there is something else.

That's holding me back slightly.

And its our current name RWL 'GYM'....

Its been long time coming and is something I cannot hold back anymore...

I have decided to change it.

To something that is as far away from even the smallest concept of the word and place gym

It will be revealed shortly, I promise.

Our members will be proud too.

Well, I know they are already

As it will show on the Podcast Radio Show that we start this weekend.

First up we have members...

Karen Preston (size 16 -to 8), 

Simon and Katie Baines (a couple that got in shape for their wedding day and now Katie has trained all the way through pregnancy and is 2-3 weeks away from giving birth (hopefully wont happen on the interview), 

Rishi Thobhani (been through an emotional roller coaster but has still manage to reach sub 10% body fat levels, 

and finally Debbie Neath (fun loving, big heart and great results to date)

Will be all live this weekend.

Now my question to you is this...

If you just had just one question to ask the very people that have been in your shoes what one question would you ask?

Hit reply and get your question answered?

I will ensure that it gets asked for you.

As soon as it is live and ready to be aired I will let you know.

Joe 'DJ Silence' Hanney

Ps hit reply with your questions. It's a fantastic opportunity even if I say so myself..

Are you comfortable?

Daft question really isn't it.

Of course you are that’s why you haven’t stepped forward to APPLY to become a member

So I only assume that you are happy and content with the following things.

Your current weight.

Your current dress size.

You’re always high on confidence.

You enjoy your current regime.

You have no niggling injuries.

You enjoy going shopping for smaller clothes.

Is this right?

“NO”

What do you mean “no”?

I thought you had it all going on for you.

That’s why I haven’t heard from you.

If this isn't the case then may I ask you one important question?

“Why don’t you spend more time outside of your comfort zone?”

You’re probably thinking “well, Joe what is my comfort zone?”

Your comfort zone is what happens when you stay inside

Like for instance…

Routine

Security

Acceptance of the ‘norm’

Don’t break any rules

Short term fulfilment

“So, Joe what is outside my comfort zone?”

Embrace and drive change (funny that… this is one of our core values)

Try new things

Meet new people

Push your limits

Aim higher

Be and think different

Utilise your time – most valuable asset

--

You see, from my personal experience and those of our members when you decide because that’s all it is ‘A DECISION’ to push outside your comfort zone, the following things happen…

And it’s simply…

Achieve more long term happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment.

Personally and I know many of our members do, we find ourselves striving for more once we've experienced going outside our comfort zone even just the slightest  

Its quite addictive!

And that is asking ourselves questions like “if I know what going outside my comfort zone feels like, how can 

I have more of that?”

Where in your case, you don’t know what going outside your comfort zone feels like.

It’s just like my parents, who have lived on the same estate since they were born

Many of my past friends are still there also

It’s where we grew up

But it doesn't mean we have to follow suit

But in many peoples cases they think they have to.

Nah not me.

And this can be you also.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” Neale Donald Walsh

Joe ‘constantly raising the bar’ Hanney

Ps – talking about raising the bar, we are damn close to announcing a few BIG changes here at RWL. Stay tuned.

Pps- I know this might cause you to unsubscribe but to be honest that is what I want to happened because I am in this to tell you the hard facts and if you don’t like them then you won’t fit here at RWL

Two people naked together in the Sunbed Shower

Well, not quite.

But it nearly did happen to me today.

Close call should I say.

You're probably thinking "where on earth are you going with this Joe and how will this email benefit me?"

Just bear with me for one minute and I'll show you at the bottom of this email.

Going back to my story, as normal the lady at reception told me which sunbed to go in to

So off I went...

As I walked in to the room and to my complete surprise stood a lady half naked...

I quickly scampered out of the room, closed the door and hid almost in the sunbed room next door

Close call!!!!

So not quite naked on the sunbed together but who knows on a different day, feelings mutual anything could have 

happened... haha!

Just imagine if this happened to you, what would you do?

Talking about doing things in pairs.

Anyhow, this leads me on to one 2 one personal training.

I still cannot get my head around why you would do this or why your trainer would even recommend it.

You see, we call our coaching session's semi private because it is one coach and up to 3 people.

We haven't done one 2 one training for I don't know how many years now

It's just pointless

Think about it... have you ever seen a successful person whether that be in sports, business, you name it become successful on their own?

No, they usually have a team behind them

The cademarie of a team is great

It's a win win situation!

You get to feel part of something bigger than just yourself

A team to support you through the thick and thin

Friendly competition

Companions that you meet each week without fail - making life working out a whole lot more easier and motivating

Like minded individuals that you can have a chit chat too that you wouldn't normal be able to do whilst at work or at another gym

The list is endless

Here is a study that also shows that working in groups is a massive advantage

o          Wing et al.

Benefits of recruiting participants with friends and increasing social support for weight loss and maintenance.

J Consult Clin Psychol. 1999 Feb;67(1):132 -8

Not to mention that we currently host around 648 workouts a week.

So we have our own data.

So even though you are not quite getting naked together the moral of the story is to be working out in groups rather than on your own or in a one 2 one with a trainer (which is the traditional dated way of doing things).

Joe 'doesn't have a dirty mind' Hanney

Ps - if you don't like the gym, we're where you begin... especially if you are a married woman, living in Leicester, aged between 35 -45 years old and wants to lose weight and get your life back..

Then you must call me on 0116 276 3411 to see how we can help you.

Pps -I have a video to show you very shortly that will blow your mind of what can happen when you train with like-minded individuals and the impact it has on your life... stay tuned!

What things are important to you about your health and fitness?

I know you can't describe what is important to you because I feel you are less in touch with your values...

What does this mean to you then?

Well, this will explain why you find it hard to motivate yourself in the long run.

Just like many people that decide to join a gym or lose weight in January but then lose motivation for whatever reason (reason being values more than anything) not some old excuse "oh, I don't have any spare time now"

Does this make sense?

Values are what motivate you.

and the values below are very hard to elicit from people like you because you are less in touch with them (both can be 

negative and positive)

health (positive)

fitness (positive)

looking good (positive)

not getting ill (negative)

being healthy for my family

setting a good example for my children

strength

not be unfit (negative)

not being weak (negative)

nutrition (positive)

Now, just because you are less in touch with your values doesn't mean that we cannot elicit them for you.

We can, its just take a very good, on boarding process at the beginning of your journey with us...

That's why it is important that whoever you choose to help you lose weight understands this also

Otherwise, you will just end up doing what you've always done

And that is becoming de motivated later on down the line

Which means less results

And that downward spiral happens again

Joe 'has the answers' Hanney

Ps -my steak and sweet potato was delicious last night

The Fat Adviser

Grocery Shopping

Yes that's what I have done today.

But mind you it wasn't just any ordinary shopping trip I actually got to bump into a few members also.

Isn't that right Anne and Robert :)

Yes, I did have a sneaky look into their shopping basket...

And I can report that it was all good and healthy from where I was standing.

So I was pleased.

And I am sure they can say the same about mine also.

Interested in what was in my basket?

Well, here goes then...

Steak

Chicken

Mince

Spinach

Bananas

Almond milk

Coconut milk

Lemons for my water (still off the caffeine)

Sweet potato

Blueberries

All healthy right?

Now, what has this got to do with you?

Absolutely everything.

For one, what was your last visit to the supermarket like, what did you buy?

And two, if your personal trainer, dietician, doctor (that sometimes advises you to lose weight), diet leader, don't lead by
example, why then should you follow their advice.

I hear it all the time, "oh my gp asked me to lose weight and improve my health"

Though their GP is vastly overweight and un healthy...

Would you listen to this GP if they were yours?

What about the personal trainer that is overweight and tells you to follow thier training program because it works!!!!

Are you sure my friend?

I actually witnessed on several occasions a personal trainer at Greens now Nuffield, that after each morning training
session with their client they would go and more or less eat a full English breakfast and chug down a cup a coffee or two.

Why, oh why? I ask myself.

The worst though as got to be the people that teach these diets like weight watchers and lighter life.

Come on, can you really be that foolish to listen to their advice when they are evidently overweight and have been for the
time that you have known them?

Their sh#t doesn't work and I touched on why last night in my online seminar.

Half of these fruit cakes havent got a clue what it takes and are very misinformed about how to lose weight.

They've just experienced a little weight loss success themselves and got sold in to the old 'own your own business' side of things that these companies do...

Are you really going to put your life in the hands of these people?

Think about misses

However, if you would like the advice from a role model... including myself then you should put yourself on the early
notification list for our upcoming podcasts.

The podcasts will feature our current members, myself and also our coaches. Very similar to the daily emails, though these are FREE audio's, that'll be available 3 times per week.

You even get to provide the member in spotlight, with your most pressing questions and I promise they'll get answered.

Early Notification List for the Podcast

Joe 'Love's the new Sainsbury's' Hanney

Ps- gona be having steak, spinach and sweet potato tonight, cant wait!!!

Losing weight inside out

Obviously I understand this.

But do you?

Or more importantly do the mainstream diets and even health professionals?

I don't think so.

Not only have I witnessed this today but also at the time when my Nan was in hospital fighting for her life with cancer.

It's what you put in to your mouth.

Or what 'they' give you to put in to your mouth to feed you.

I might be slightly unorthodox when I say this (hey ho, that's not unusual of me :))

BUT why do the health professionals FEED you CRAP when it comes to nutrition?

Surely this is the optimum time when you should be eating nutritious food

To help the healing process...

Same goes for eating to lose weight.

If you eat heavily processed food that drives toxins in your body through the roof.

I am sorry you are only going to store more fat...

Yes you may lose a little to begin with.

But it creates this massive rebound effect.

The side of effect of eating healthy = weight loss

I'll be showing the people that are registered for  the Online the seminar tomorrow exactly what I mean about this.

Sorry if this seems a little bit of a rant.

But I just don't get it.

FREE online seminar

Joe 'sips on his lemon and hot water to calm himself down' Hanney

Ps - new website is in progress...

Modelling for beginners

How do you improve yourself?

In an article which wrote the other week I explained that if you wanted to master something then it needed to become your only focus. If you wanted to make yourself the best of the best, then nothing short of 100% commitment of your effort would be adequate. Why waste time on other things? The truth is, if you want to be a world beater then you have to leave no stone unturned. 

However if you just want to be better than most at something, better than 80% of the population then your method of learning should be very different. 

I hear a lot about the Pareto Principle, and you probably do too. The idea that with 20% of the work that is possible you can achieve 80% of the success. Or that 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your clients. I strongly believe in this principle, as I have seen both of these come true when the maths is worked out. 

For example, how much effort does it take for someone to go from 20% body fat to 10% body fat? For most that is relatively simple. All you need to do it to eat good food and train hard. But to go from 10% down to 8% is extremely difficult for most people.

20% of the world's population control 80% of the world's wealth 

The list goes on....

It's all about efficiency and using your best resources effectively whist not wasting time on things which offer you little return on investment. 

So how does this apply to personal development, and self improvement?

You can use the Pareto principle to get yourself 80% of the way there without putting in any more than 20% of the effort; and what you have to do is very simple. 

We are all machines when it comes down to it. We are a bunch of moving parts connected together by a series of nerves, all controlled by a central computer in our head. Just like a computer we have hardware (our brains) software (our learned actions) and are receptive to change. 

If you have a computer and you would like to change the background on your desktop what do you do? 

You look through your pictures and you decide there is nothing stored which is producing the idyllic back ground you crave. Want you really want is a picture of a beach paradise. So you search on-line and find the best picture you can, copy it and set it as your background. Now every time you open your desktop you're greeted with a pleasing picture:



Your brain works in exactly the same way.

If you want to achieve new results then you have to be prepared to learn a new set of behaviours (download a new picture). You have to be prepared to some degree to give up who you are in order to make way for what you would like to become. 

You have to find someone who has already done what you want to do and learn their behaviours. Instead of clicking a button on your screen you have to overwrite your habits in a different way. You have to repeatedly, consciously and deliberately behave differently until you have rewritten your programming. Soon afterwards you will start to produce these behaviours naturally and you will achieve the same level of success that the person you modelled has achieved. 

The alternative in both situations requires a lot more hard work for very littler extra benefit. 

If you want a beach paradise on your desktop, but you would like it to be perfect, then you'll have to go and take the picture yourself. 

You'll need to research the best beaches all over the world, invest in a high quality camera, travel the world and then spend weeks editing pictures to get the best possible picture. 

If you want to be the best ever, then you'll need to experiment continuously with what works and what doesn't so that your results are the best you could ever achieve. 

Do you see that with a huge amount more effort (80%) you're only really going to be a little better? If you want to win the Olympic final or become one of the richest people in the world then that is exactly the level of effort which needs to be applied. However to be better than most, you need only model those who have already achieved.

So what do people who are very successful in the gym do?

There are a few characteristics that I have noticed which are common of those who own the gym. We're no talking about diet or lifestyle, although these things tend to go hand in hand. We're just talking about those who train the most effectively.

Successful gym goers:

Turn up early

• This may seem like a pointless detail, and some of you reading this might regard this as over the top; but it's the truth. The people that do the best always turn up early, they arrive with between half and hour and 15 minutes to go before their session. 
• What they use this time for is meditation, not the sitting in a field thinking about inner peace meditation, but the type of meditation where they stretch, foam roll and focus on what they are about to do. 

Don't chat once training has begun

• Once their workout has begun, you don't want to distract them. Some people are more forgiving than others but generally once in 'the zone' their focus is 100% on the task at hand.
• I appreciate that some people like to have a social while at the gym and that's fine because we're all different, but if you are really serious about getting results leave the chat until afterwards. 

Believe there is nothing you can't do

• To be the best you can be you need to unshackle your mind from the chains of self doubt. You need to believe that you can do anything that you are challenged with. 
• "Belief in limits creates a limited individual "
• Why would you want to be realistic about what you can achieve? If you limit yourself to being realistic then you are limiting yourself to mediocrity. So what if you fall short? You don't fail until you stop giving 100%. There is no plan B. 

Be obsessive

• Every detail counts, the precise technique, the precise tempo, everything. 
• Set up your weights so you're ready to go from the off, ask why you're doing everything. 
• Never do anything just because you have been told to, trust no one implicitly. If they know why then they won't mid you asking

Do not allow yourself to be outworked

• One of my favourite quotes is from Will Smith:
• “The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I'm not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things you got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there's two things: You're getting off first, or I'm going to die. It's really that simple, right?

and he looks good: