by David Minishian | Mar 5, 2023 | Mary's Small Group Boot Camp Journey
Last week was tough for Mary.
Tossing and turning, coughs, shivers and sweats kept her from getting the good nights sleep she needed on Monday.
“This can’t be happening.” She thought to herself, “I can’t be getting sick.”
Mary unreserved her spot in class, called in sick to work, and slept in to rest and recover. Later that morning she woke up to a message from her Coach:
“Hey Mary, it is not like you to miss a workout – is everything ok?”
She texted back that she felt under the weather and would be back soon.
Prioritize Recovering
On Wednesday Mary started feeling better, but she still wasn’t 100%. Anxious to workout again and worried about losing progress, she asked her Coach what she could do at home.
When we are sick, the priority must be to get better.
Missing a few days or even a couple weeks at the gym isn’t going to undo all our progress.
In fact, jumping back into an exercise routine too quickly can worsen the illness by causing a relapse and further delay getting better.
When it feels good, movement can aid in the recovery process as a light exercise routine, but only when we’re 100% better is it safe to return to exercising at our full capacity.
Using Self Care for Recovery
Coach gave Mary these gentle reminders, pointed her towards the Members Success Portal, and suggested she start with the FulI Body Warm-Up. If she felt up to doing more, she could continue with the 30 min Full Body Workout 1, a bodyweight workout to keep her moving without overexerting herself.
By listening to her body, eating nutritious foods, staying hydrated, and getting plenty of sleep, Mary will likely be ready to get back in the gym next week.
Sometimes less is better.
by David Minishian | Feb 26, 2023 | Mary's Small Group Boot Camp Journey
Last Sunday, Mary received her Slack Channel reminder that weigh-ins and measurements were scheduled for Monday.
Mary was excited and a little nervous.
She came to class early Monday morning and stepped on the InBody Scanner.
The results…👇
Down 7.4lbs and 4.2% body fat 💪
Mary was very happy with the outcome, but her Coach at class still encouraged Mary to book an Accountability Check-in with Coach David to review her overall progress later in the week.
Accountability Done Right
Accountability Check-ins are valuable opportunities to verify the right changes are happening at the right time.
In these sessions, we review what’s working, what’s not and how to stop plateaus before they happen.
While the weigh-ins and measurements track the physical outcomes from the program, Accountability Check-ins are about addressing the whole person, not only the numbers.
At Mary’s Accountability Check-in, we reviewed her…
- Attendance which has steadily remained 4x a week
- Nutritional habits of eating breakfast and high protein snacks
- Sleeping patterns that have consistently stayed above 7 hours a night
- Environmental changes at home including more physical activity with the family
- Progress with the main movements including squats, deadlifts, chest press, back row, and split stance squats and gave her new target weights and repetitions to aim for during class
Due to training history, progressions of weights, and maintenance of lean body mass from last weigh-in, we gave Mary the new training targets to ensure she continues to build muscle and targets fat loss…aka prevent plateauing before it happens.
Checking In on How We’re Feeling
Most importantly, we asked Mary,
“How are you feeling about the process?”
It’s easy to review everything you’re doing right and provide further direction, but if you don’t enjoy the process it won’t last.
As Mary reflected on her new lifestyle changes, she expressed how they’ve provided a flexible structure to her new way of living. She described feeling in control of the process and not restricted by unsustainable rigid rules.
It was encouraging to hear how Mary was feeling about the process.
This is how making change should feel and by regularly reflecting on these changes we can make adjustments when needed.
The main goal of the Small Group Boot Camp is to “Create a Sustainable Lifestyle to Build the Body You Want.”
Because without sustainable change, there won’t be sustainable results.
And we want to make sure you enjoy the process, so your results last.
by David Minishian | Feb 19, 2023 | Mary's Small Group Boot Camp Journey
Mary’s dedication to the process is paying off.
Waking up early is becoming a routine and not a hassle.
Her fridge stays full of ready-to-eat options.
And after a conversation with her family they started spending Saturday mornings outside together.
In just 7 weeks, Mary is slowly creating a healthier home environment and the changes she’s making feel less like a phase and more like a lifestyle she can sustain.
Passing the Weight Loss Travel Test
Mary left the gym Friday morning feeling accomplished, but when she got home she had mixed emotions at her mailbox. In the mail there was a “Save the Date” invitation for her friend’s destination wedding 4 months away.
The next day at the gym, she told her Coach that she’s excited for her friend but also concerned for how she’ll stay consistent with her new lifestyle while traveling.
“How am I going to fit this into my schedule?”
“Will this hurt the progress I’ve made in the gym?”
“How will I continue with my workouts if I am away?”
“Wedding sweets, wedding travel, wedding preparation…”
Events outside the typical day to day put your routine through the fire. They test the sustainability of your lifestyle and challenge your ability to stay the course.
This wedding is the perfect opportunity to prove the way Mary’s new lifestyle is sustainable.
Planning Ahead
Here are the tips Coach gave Mary to help her seamlessly integrate her lifestyle choices and attend her friend’s destination wedding:
- Find a hotel with a fitness facility and a suite that has a kitchenette. This creates an environment that supports her workout routine and allows her to cook her own meals when not at the wedding.
- Open the Members Success Portal to use the On-Demand Workout videos and exercise routines that follow the same structure as the Small Group Training.
- Discuss the game plan with Coach closer to the date to see if there are any additional traveling tips that could be useful.
- Most importantly…Have fun! Unless you’re traveling every weekend, these life events may not happen often. Enjoy the moment and eat a slice of wedding cake if you want. Don’t be so restrictive that you’re miserable. Practice balance.
In her discussion with Coach, Mary is further reminded that progress is made by taking consistent action over time. One trip will not destroy months of effort.
In fact, taking an extended break for rest and recovery can also help.
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off you goal” – Henry Ford
by David Minishian | Feb 12, 2023 | Mary's Small Group Boot Camp Journey
Mary wakes up early, throws on her workout clothes, and heads to the gym.
It’s a cold February morning at 4:50am.
There are only a couple cars on the road. Most people are snuggled up sleeping in a warm bed, waiting until they have to get up.
That was Mary before she joined the Small Group Program 6 weeks ago in January. Now she’s beginning to live differently and experience the positive impact lifestyle changes have on how she looks and feels.
Building a Supportive Environment
Aside from the physical changes she can see in the mirror and feel in her clothes, she’s motivated by the uplifting community of coaches and Sculpt Fitness members. It’s exactly what she needed to jump start her journey.
However, some people in Mary’s life don’t extend her supportive environment at the gym.
Friends poke at her nutrition decisions and how she’s “no fun” anymore and her family, especially the kids, don’t want to eat the same meals.
The lifestyle changes she’s made have highlighted how the people in her circle promote her previous habits, the old Mary.
Creating a supportive environment can be difficult, because we cannot force others to think, act or want the same as us. But, what we can do is explain how important our health and wellness is so that friends and family will be more aware of the work we’re putting in to better ourselves.
Those who truly care about us will support us.
Support can be a simple “You’re doing great” from a loved one or a bigger commitment like being an accountability partner.
Mary is the first person in her circle to make lifestyle changes that prioritize her health.
Being first is hard, because she is forging the way.
Her decision to be different is being noticed and with time her circle will see her transformation…and maybe be a little jealous too.
As Mary stays the course, she’ll either motivate those around her or push them away.
But we hope her circle decides to pull closer to her and experiences the positive impacts of exercise and nutrition
Creating a supportive environment starts within first — giving yourself the credit, encouragement and praise you deserve.
“If you build it, they will come.” – Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams
You have power over your environment, and more importantly, yourself!
by David Minishian | Feb 5, 2023 | Mary's Small Group Boot Camp Journey
Last month Mary lost 3.4lbs or 2.2% body fat.
It was a fantastic outcome for her hard work and dedication in the Small Group Program.
For her 2nd month Mary wants to see more fat loss and asked her coach,
“What should I change?”
More change, more results….right?
Wrong.
It’s tempting to do more. More sounds better.
But too many changes hinder progress from happening, resulting in a plateau.
In Mary’s case she’s just beginning to create a sustainable lifestyle by mastering the most important habits for her:
- Exercise 4x a week
- Gradually increase the weights used with coach’s guidance
- Eat breakfast and high protein snacks
- Sleep at least 7 hours a night
That’s a lot of change in 5 weeks.
Yet 5 weeks is not enough time to see how much fat loss will happen from these changes alone.
If she changes too much too soon, she will put these habits at risk of not becoming part of her lifestyle and weaken her foundation.
Coach’s advice for Mary: Stick With It
It seems like boring advice, but it’s the best advice for Mary.
Slow change allows us to see what works and what doesn’t.
Slow change results in sustainable progress.
Slow change provides the fastest results.
It seems counterintuitive, but it’s true.
Let’s hope Mary takes Coach’s advice and makes Month 2 the best month yet!
by David Minishian | Jan 29, 2023 | Mary's Small Group Boot Camp Journey
Mary completed 1 month in the Small Group Program!
During this time, she practiced a consistent exercise routine, gradually increased the weights used, made a few nutritional changes to her diet, and began getting better quality sleep.
The First Weigh In
Now it was time for her weigh-in, and she was excited to review her results.
At the beginning of the program, we told her that she could expect to lose 1-2lbs a week – or 4-8lbs over the course of a month if she did everything right. While this is the truth, Mary, like many clients, want to lose the maximum 8lbs the first month.
Mary stepped on the scale.
The number kept changing – up, down, up, down. The result read ‘down 2 lbs.’ She let out a disappointing sigh. It was not the 8lbs she hoped for.
As she kept reading the results it also read ‘down 2.2% in body fat.’
The number 2 was haunting her. It didn’t seem like a big number and Mary started to doubt her progress. Before the negative thoughts started clouding her brain:
“It is not working”
“What is the point?”
“You can’t lose weight.”
Her coach interrupted: “Mary, that is fantastic!”
Mary was a little confused on why she felt so defeated and her coach so ecstatic.
The difference in their responses was because they understood the numbers on the scale differently.
Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss
While Mary only saw 2lbs of weight loss, her coach saw 4.6lbs of fat loss. That is over a pound a week. She also gained 2.6lbs of lean body mass (muscle and bone) – which is why the scale only reads at a loss of 2lbs.
Mary’s big win was a change in body composition.
She toned up significantly.
Next, they took tape measurements, which revealed a 2 inch loss at the waistline.
Mary was much happier to see a “2” this time.
This 2 inch loss confirmed her improvement in body composition.
Understanding how the body changes is critical to see progress. Progress isn’t always linear with a weight loss goal. There are body composition changes that should be kept in mind.
It’s also important to remember that the value of success is NOT only determined by the number on the scale. There are many ways to evaluate a person’s success such as successfully implementing process goals you’ve practiced throughout the month and making positive lifestyle changes.