With so many fitness and weight loss companies fighting for our attention to sell their products and ideas, it’s very easy to get distracted from what’s really important. So what is really important? The basics! The basics are responsible for getting us 90-100% of the way to our goals, yet people are still guilty of forgetting this and focusing on the fancy stuff that in the long run doesn’t really make that much difference.
A woman posted a question yesterday on a Facebook page, asking whether it’s best to work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Research seems to show that we don’t burn more fat on an empty stomach, but really, even if we did the difference is going to be tiny. If you burn 500-600 calories in your daily cardio session, what do you think will matter more, how many calories you burn, or what time of day it is? If you prefer a certain time of day for your cardio because you’re happier to do it then and it fits in with your lifestyle, then that’s the best time to do it, because you’ll be most likely to stick to it. That’s not the glamorous answer, but it’s the best answer.
Stick to the basics and stick to common sense, because that ALWAYS works. Once you’ve got the basics covered 100% – you’re doing an appropriate amount of cardio each week, you’re following a good resistance training program and working hard with good form, and your eating well and following great eating habits, then and only then should you start to consider some more fancy stuff, it you feel like you need to.
Why bother with some supplement that supposedly boosts your metabolism by 1.5% for example, when you’re eating rubbish? A change in your diet to clean foods and regular small meals would do 10 times more for your metabolism. Take care of the basics first.
Look at it this way. If you drive a Formula 1 car, is it worth spending $5,000 on a component that saves your car 50 grams of weight? Absolutely! At the pinnacle of performance, small differences mean a lot. But if you’re driving an old Model-T Ford, would it be worth spending $5,000 to save 50 grams of weight? No way!! You would never notice the difference. There would be no point!
The lesson here is that the fancy supplements and workout techniques and so on, are only ever going to make a difference for you if you’ve already got the basics covered and you’re still looking for that little extra edge. If you hate doing cardio, so instead you decide to start taking a fat burner supplement each day, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. A fat burner MIGHT help you burn maybe a few percent more fat while doing your cardio. Doesn’t sound so glamorous now does it? But that’s the reality.
The same goes for your workout, you just have to do it and work hard, that’s the basics and that’s common sense. That’s what works. It doesn’t matter if you’ve bought the latest 40GT-X Turbo Confusion Maximum Extreme Fire workout – it’s not magic. It’s not the program that will make you succeed, it’s you working hard. If you’re prepared to work hard then save your money and get a workout book from the library, believe me, it will work!
5 Comments
My problem is my diet and lack of motivation. I don’t have very much weight to lose but, it seems I use being busy in my day to day life as an excuse to not exercise. I’m trying to cut out all the bad stuff…darn it, why do they make all the bad stuff taste so good??!!! Jerks! Anyway, I hit bottom after my divorce and picked up a horrible habit I thought I laid to rest long ago…smoking 🙁 It’s time for me to get off of my can and get busy. I’m not getting any younger and smoking will definitely kill me soooo…end of excuses for me. I’ve got lots of work to do! Thanks for the inspirational stories…they DO help!
Stick with it Daryl, the good life will make you feel so much better about yourself and once you have some good habits set that you find really rewarding you won’t need the bad habits anymore!
Enjoying your blog very much!
Thanks very much Bee! 🙂
Thanks for the reminder! It’s easy to forget with all of the information out there! It can be confusing as one article or piece of information often contradicts another. Sticking with the basics makes sense! I sometimes get carried away trying to plan elaborate workouts with all the latest exercises that I see on fitness websites and in magazines, while good old push ups, pull ups and the basics would also get the job done… and with less time wasted on planning and more time and energy spent in the gym or actually working out! Great post!