This time of year, there are (at least) billions of dollars at work to advertise weight loss programs. New year, new me – minus forty pounds. It has become a part of our culture to begin each year with the intention of getting back in shape, taking better care of our selves, or just losing weight.
Be forewarned, by trying to lose weight, don’t lose your time.
Incredibly Popular. Incredible Wastes of Time.
1. Ab exercises
Sit ups/crunches, planks, dynamic ab exercises like mountain climbers.
There is nothing about ab exercises that inherently “burns” fat or helps you lose weight. However, people are often using up a notable portion of their workout performing these exercises in hopes that, belly fat will melt away.
2. Cardio
Running, stationary cycling, HIIT.
Running is not necessarily recommended for overweight individuals, at least not in high volume due to the impact on the musculoskeletal system. Stationary biking is light impact, but it is unlikely to provide high enough intensity to promote weight loss. HIIT, such as burpees, are definitely a profitable activity when weighing both time and efficacy, but due to the nature of high intensity exercises, the volume must be low.
So isolation exercises of the abs are not going to do the job alone. And cardiovascular conditioning is only one hour of the day. Your diet is going to have a greater impact on your weight loss goals.
3. Dieting
“…you should never “go on a diet” – your diet consists of all that you ingest. To go on a diet would mean that you are doing something different, and you’re not. “
– We Interrupt Your
Regularly Scheduled Programming
You should include in your diet – meaning, your daily nutritional intake – foods that you love to eat, foods that you want to eat, and foods that you don’t mind eating. If your favorite food is cheesecake, you should add that to your diet. Not on a cheat day! Just add it where appropriate, both in quantity and frequency.
If green things make you squirm, pick a fibrous fruit or vegetable that you don’t mind eating, and get creative!
4. Weight Lifting
I also call weight lifting, “adaptations to an unexpected load using technical positioning”.
Weight lifting is very technical. The position of your feet, the angle of your hips, the position of your spine and head – even your gaze is an aspect of proper lifting technique. Furthermore, the practice of lifting heavier and heavier weights begins to cause your body to adapt. Are you prepared for those adaptations?
I’m not talking about the increase in muscle mass. What about the tight muscles that will ache and scream at you? Will you have the discipline to properly recover from your time below the iron? Be assured, most people do not.
Most weight lifters are tyrants (original False Flags post), wicked and egotistical rulers over their body. They demand results regardless of how the results are obtained.
Enjoy this video from Jeff Cavaliere (the inspiration for this post), and listen to his thoughts on mindset.
You must become a wise and nurturing Commander of your body. If your muscles are your soldiers, you cannot send them into the breach again and again to be slaughtered. If you behave that way, you will ascend your throne of bones and look over your hard-won territory with only regret.
“Victory is the prize, but not the goal. You must have many goals, all of them accomplished by the time you reach the last enemy stronghold. Behind you, there will either be a scorched path full of vengeful children, or those children will be praising your name, and Victory will be achieved.”
– Victory
Warcloud Elite Fitness 