I read a story this week about a bloke who spent thousands on therapy before someone finally asked him what he was eating for breakfast.
Sounds ridiculous.
But stick with me.
For two years he’d been trying to sort his temper out.
Therapy.
Counselling.
Anger management.
The works.
He was snapping at his kids.
Arguing with his wife.
Losing his rag over things that shouldn’t really matter.
Then someone looked at what was happening outside the therapist’s office.
Coffee for breakfast.
Not much lunch.
Long gaps without eating.
Poor sleep.
Too much stress.
Not much exercise.
Within a few weeks of sorting those things out, things improved massively.
Now, I don’t know the bloke.
I wasn’t there.
I can’t tell you exactly what was going on.
But it reminded me of a conversation I had with a member not long ago.
He walked into the gym looking absolutely shattered.
You know the look.
Eyes half open.
Bit grumpy.
Running purely on caffeine and determination.
I asked how things were going.
His answer was something like:
“Busy. Not trained much. Food’s been all over the place. Sleeping terribly.”
Fair enough.
Life happens.
But then came the interesting bit.
He couldn’t understand why he felt rubbish.
And that’s the trap loads of people fall into.
They think feeling tired, stressed, sluggish, short tempered and unmotivated is something that’s happening to them.
Often it’s something they’re accidentally creating.
Because they’re busy.
The average person I speak to isn’t struggling because they need a better workout.
They’re struggling because they’ve stopped doing the boring stuff.
The stuff that actually works.
Three decent meals.
A bit of protein with each one.
A couple of litres of water.
Three gym sessions each week.
A walk most days.
Getting to bed before midnight.
Nothing revolutionary there.
That’s probably because revolutionary doesn’t work very well.
The fitness industry loves selling complexity.
Morning routines.
Biohacking.
Supplements with names that sound like characters from Star Wars.
Meanwhile someone is eating cereal bars for breakfast, sitting down all day, missing training sessions and wondering why they feel awful.
The answer is usually right in front of them.
I see it all the time.
Someone misses a few weeks of training.
Work gets busy.
The sessions drop from three per week to one.
The walks disappear.
The food becomes whatever’s easiest.
Then they start feeling flat.
Their energy drops.
Their confidence drops.
Their motivation disappears.
And they think they need a new plan.
They don’t.
They need to go back to doing what worked.
That’s why I always tell people the same thing.
When life gets busy, don’t abandon the basics.
Protect them.
If you normally train three times a week, keep training three times a week.
If you normally walk daily, keep walking daily.
If you’ve got ten things to do today, do the things that keep you healthy first.
Because here’s what I’ve learned after years of coaching.
Most people don’t need a better fat loss plan.
Most people need fewer days where they’re surviving on coffee, meal deals, and wishful thinking.
The people who get the best results rarely do anything spectacular.
They just keep turning up.
Three sessions this week.
Three sessions next week.
Three sessions the week after that.
Not perfect.
Just consistent.
And boring as that sounds, consistency fixes a lot more problems than motivation ever will.
So here’s your challenge.
Don’t worry about next month.
Don’t worry about the next stone.
Don’t worry about finding the perfect plan.
Just focus on this week.
Book your three sessions.
Get a decent breakfast in.
Drink your water.
Go for a walk.
Get to bed a bit earlier.
Do that for a few weeks and see what happens.
You might find that some of the things you thought were big problems were actually just the result of running yourself into the ground.
-Ryan
P.S
If you’re reading this and thinking, “That sounds a bit like me,” then that’s exactly why we created our 6 Week Meltdown.
No complicated diets. No living in the gym. No surviving on coffee and good intentions.
Just a simple plan, three coached sessions each week, a straightforward meal planner, weekly check ins, and a structure that helps you get back on track.
If you’ve been feeling stuck, tired, inconsistent, or like you know what to do but can’t seem to do it consistently, hit the button below and find out more about the next intake.