"Transformation Tuesday Is More Than Just A Before And After Photo"

 

 "Transformation starts with believing in yourself"

-Brandon Dupont

      When you see before and after pictures on the Internet you're not seeing the whole story.  You're not seeing the sacrifices made by that individual, you're not seeing the mental change that person has made for themselves, and you're not seeing all the ups and downs that one person has endured over there transformation.  You're seeing the end result of those challenges one had to endure to make a huge change to their lifestyle.  The countless promises broken to one's self, the personal failures that amounted, and the many "Ill start Monday moments". 

     I like to use my transformation picture to inspire and motivate others so they understand that anyone can set a goal and accomplish it as long as they follow a few steps.  Growing up I struggled with being overweight, I was active but I ate as much as I wanted.  I never liked how this made me feel.  Being made fun of, not being able to do things as well as other kids, and just the way I looked.  When you are younger you want to change that but not quite sure how to do it.  It wasn't until about junior year in high school that I started to slim down a bit, thanks to growing a bit taller and playing hockey 7 days per week.  It wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I started to lift some weights and focus on nutrition a bit more. I always had a grand vision for myself, that I would be in great shape, that I would be good at sport, and most of all I would be happy with myself.   You're probably saying to yourself, " Diet and exercise, we all know that".   Although diet and exercise play a part in a person's transformation, it is much more than that.  First, like I have said over and over and even though it sounds corny and cliche its a must have in order to make a transformation successful.  No matter how small or large a transformation you must believe in yourself.  If you do not believe that you can transform your lifestyle then you are already beat.  

 "Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you're right" 

- Henry Ford

  This sums up how you accomplish your goals.  If you don't believe that you can do something, then you are stopping your self from even starting.  Believe in yourself that you will start on Monday or believe in yourself that you will go to the gym in the morning before work. 

     Promises, we make em, we break em and we try again.  We have all made promises and broke them at one point of our lives and we will more than likely do it again.  I want to explain how breaking our promises to ourselves can directly affect the outcome of your transformation.  Anyone that has successfully achieved a goal has made a promise to one's self and kept it.  The promise could have been something as small as doing ten minutes on the treadmill.  Although that sounds small to some, its a huge promise to others.  When they made that promise to themselves they did the whole ten minutes, not nine minutes and fifty five seconds.  Even if they did nine minutes and fifty five seconds they broke a promise to themselves and that can set someone up for failure.  One thing I stress to all my clients and athletes is fulfilling the promises you made to yourself and never stopping short of those promises.  Fulfilling those promises made are what is going to separate the ones that reach their goals and the ones that don't.  I know that it sounds minuscule but it is not, its huge! Every time you make a promise to yourself you don't fulfill that is one step closer to telling yourself that you can not do it and ultimately giving up on the dream.   So it is best to start off small with the promises you make to yourself.  I like to tell my new clients lets focus on setting small goals and promises at first.  Although they are full of enthusiasm and vigor to start, I do not want to set themselves up for failure.  So an example of a promise you may make to yourself could range from; drink water before each meal to take a walk during your lunch break at work.  These are small promises that are obtainable and that will get the ball rolling in the transformation of your confidence.  Like I said earlier we break promises all the time, does that mean that we are doomed?  Absolutely not,  I want you to refer back to belief,  believing in yourself.  As long as you still have the belief and continue to try you're still in the fight.  Make that promise to yourself again this time make it your bitch. When you fulfill that promise make another one, fulfill that, and make another.  That is what transformation success is all about, making a bunch of small goals and promises and fulfilling them.  That is where so many transformation attempts fail.  People try to go to big on their goals and making them impossible to fulfill, setting themselves up for failure. 

     Anyone that has made a drastic transformation did not do it alone.  They either had friends and family supporting them, motivation coming from other outlets like a specific fitness inspiration or life experience, or the use of a nutrition coach and personal trainer. 

"Unity is strength..when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved"

-Unknown

     You must seek out sources of motivation and professional advice.  Health and fitness is bigger now more than ever, there are countless motivational websites out there as well as books and magazines to keep you motivated.  One of my biggest motivators was the picture that you see on the top left of this page.  I printed this picture out and put it on my refrigerator, my dashboard in my car, and in my wallet.  I put it on my refrigerator so every time I went into it I was reminded to make sure I picked the right food.  I put it in my wallet to remind me of my goals every time I reached into my pocket to pay for something I shouldn't be eating. I put it in my car because I spent so much time driving, I wanted to constantly be reminded of how unhappy I am in that picture (even though I look happy).  I also hired the help of a nutrition coach, even though I designed my own nutrition plan and had a great understanding of nutrition, I obviously needed some accountability.  Everyone needs to be held accountable when making some major life changes, its what keeps the fire fueled and burning red hot!

 So to recap:

1. Believe in yourself
2. Keep promises to yourself
3. Don't be afraid to fall down, get back up!
4. Seek professional help, motivation, and accountability 

These are the steps I use for my clients and these are the steps I used personally 5 years ago when I started my journey, and I am now happier since I have done it.

As Always, 

Go HAM!