Getting Through the Hard Bit...

Here comes the tough bit! After Christmas and New Year, or at the beginning of any fat loss programme, we are really dissatisfied with how we look and feel and this gives us momentum to start the programme and make the changes we need to make...

But, it doesn't take much to make us feel fantastic again!

And this is what makes the programme get even harder...

I know that it has hit me this week - I put a few pounds on over Christmas and New Year (well, really its been staedily accumulating since my birthday in Nov as I had almost weekly parties and nights out, and guess what, it all adds up somewhere!)

But, a few weeks of clean eating, making sure I'm eating at least 500 cals below maintenance, and ramping up the exercise intensity (I actually took a full training break for 3 weeks in December - highly scary but did me the world of good - everyone should take a week at regular intervals, depending on your exercise intensity, frequency and goals... Most do this naturally on vacation, I don't so had t0 force myself into it!)

So what's the problem, I hear you ask?

Well, sticking to a programme, or a deficit, when you are feeling good again makes it harder! The feeling that we have 'deserved' a treat or two creeps in (although you can of course fit regular treats into any fat loss programme). For me it is the deficit - I just want a day where I can not have to worry about what I am eating!

Luckily, kettlebell training means you can worry a bit less about the calories, as you will be burning loads in your training sessions, BUT you can obliterate any fat loss results without reducing your cals below maintenance - simple as that! The kettlebells / training just mean your maintenance level is higher....

You should also make sure you stay as active as possible throughout the day - it's not just the training that counts, its the daily caloric burn, so training for an hour then lounging around all day really won't do the trick!!!

But what you really need to do at this point, is refocus on your bigger goals!

Make sure you are really clear on what you want to achieve, and while you are pleased to have reached the first few stages of success and you really have to congratulate yourself for that, you also have to stay laser focused on that end result!

For those of you on the 6 Week Love Your Body Transformation Challenge, we are just over 2 weeks into it, a third of the way in! You are already doing so well, but now you need to keep reminding yourself how great it will feel to be a finalist or a winner!

You can ask Nikki via Mission Slim-Possible forum if you like - she has loved the result so much she's going to re-train as a Personal Trainer, so its really had a huge impact on her!

So, reward yourself with a little pampering, and enjoy the fruits of your labours so far...

But also remember that you need to keep pushing on! Persistence, perseverance, consistency and committment will get you the results you have always wanted - and you really can do it!