What does it take to make a difference? How long must you do something before it can result in tangible change?
These are questions that perplex many when on the precipice of change. Especially when it comes to our bodies. In a society of immediate gratification, with miracle pills and creams promising instant beauty and happiness, the thought of sustained and committed work can seem not worthwhile. But living your life in a best version of yourself, is something to strive for.
So how much time to make that change? After almost a decade of working with people trying to make that tangible change in their lives, I’ve decided on 4 weeks or if you’re willing to add on the extra 2 to 3 days, 1 month, to jump start a new body. To be honest, I’m still a little uncomfortable with the mass media packaging of the idea of 4 weeks to your Summer Body. My current physical state is the result of almost two decades of non-stop training. Despite injuries (including 4 surgeries over that time), I’ve probably taken no more than 3 or 4 weeks off from training/working out. Meaning I know it takes work and for me, I actually like the work.
But this post isn’t about me, per-say. It’s about the inspiration I’ve gained from my clients over the last decade. Clients who made the difficult first steps in coming to me for help and then committing to give me 2 to 3 hours of their time a week for a month, or sometimes longer. There is one client whose inspiring path I would like to share, especially since for the first time we’ve tracked our progress together through photos, and her name is Emily.
Emily’s interest in my services had been piqued through emails and friends, and so, heading into the summer of 2015, she decided it was time to “grab the bull by the horns”. She signed up for the summer body program.
As she told other prospective clients, working with John is worth it, though getting through the first couple of workouts, or weeks can be hard and painful. The important thing is to stick with it. Emily has stuck with it, continuing her program for over a year now. Starting with just 2 sessions a week she has scaled the program up and down to fit her busy schedule and budget. Once she had made working out a part of her weekly routine, she started fully incorporating healthy eating into her program.
From trying out nutrient rich salad recipes from me to using meal delivery companies, Emily found a way to eat that made her feel good and look good.
In terms of the workouts, Emily was apt to take full advantage of my varied training background. When grilled about what style of training I specialize in, Emily pondered and replied, it’s really a nice mix of a lot of things. From body weight exercises, to running, to machines, to TRX, to pilates, it’s a mix of exercises best designed to get her the results she wants. And the results have been great.
We’ve never focused too much on a weight number, it’s been more about what she’s capable of doing in the gym and how she feels. By training for performance, she’s benefited from the improvements necessary to allow her to run more, stretch further and lift heavier. All things that result in you having a pretty kick-ass body and feeling great about what you can accomplish with said body.
So why not give 4 weeks a try? There’s no reason your summer body can’t be your year round body.
