I ran into a friend Monday night at the gym that I hadn’t seen in 6 months. And when I say ran, I literally mean “ran into him” because I almost didn’t recognize him. He had lost 42 pounds (or 62lbs, I can’t remember because I was still in a state of surprise.) since I last saw him. Of course, after telling him how great he looks, I immediately tried to find out how he did it……..
We’ve been in business now for around 7 years. We’ve seen some amazing transformations. Members have dropped 10, 20, 60, and even 100lbs. Some were women. Some were men. Some were young. Some were old. Some were former athletes. Some never participated in sports at all. Some lost enough weight that the doctor stopped some of their medications. Others lost enough that their joint pain seemed to disappear and energy levels seemed to reappear. No matter the end result, one thing was for sure. Happiness always replaced the weight that was lost.
Every time I hear about a transformation, I try to pick the brain of the member to see the “how” and the “why” they did it. Much like business and sports, success leaves clues. I hypothesized if I had enough notes on successful weight loss transformations, patterns would emerge that we can then use to help others. After sharing my notes with a few other gym owners that do the same thing, by golly, a few patterns did emerge. In fact, my friend who lost 42 pounds used almost the exact template that we found in our notes.
Before I expose the “secret sauce,” I first want to admit something… I was wrong. When we first opened up the gym, I wanted everyone to exercise my way. I’m a fitness/health nerd. I read every book I can get my hands on. I read 20+ blogs weekly. I attend seminars and jump at the chance for a new certification. I e-mail other fitness coaches. I even peruse Pubmed on a weekly basis to see if there are any new fitness or health-related studies published. Here is a picture of my inbox. I just might be the only person in Macoupin county that has 70+ alerts set in Pubmed that are automatically sent to their inbox monthly.
The Ultimate Weight Loss Template
Before I get into the specifics, you must understand the foundation that this template is built upon – compliance. Much like diets, there are hundreds of fitness programs. And also like diets, the research is pretty muddy on which one works the best. In fact, the only thing researchers and trainers can agree on is that the diet and/or training program that works the best primarily depends on how compliant the person is doing it. So the question of all questions is…. Can you do this daily? Exercise is medicine. In fact, it’s the most effective medicine on this planet. If you didn’t take your blood pressure medication daily, would your blood pressure be controlled? Fitness and nutrition work much the same way,.
So now for the specifics.
Step 1 – Cardio done DAILY, even if it’s for only 10 minutes per day, at your home
- It’s easy to learn. Almost anyone can learn how to use the treadmill, elliptical, or bike within 5 minutes. Need to increase the intensity? Run faster or run longer. Unlike resistance training, you don’t have to learn the the technique, proper repetition ranges, and correct number of sets for 10 different exercises, and then learn how to properly program it so you don’t injure yourself.
- It’s easy to do. It doesn’t matter if you have an injury, health condition, or are completely new to fitness, you can almost always find some form of cardio you can do.
- It can be done daily without much residual fatigue. 4 sets of deadlifts are exhausting. Plus, almost every new lifter will experience some kind of soreness in the hamstrings and glutes for 2-3 days after a deadlift workout. However, a 30 minute run on a treadmill, even at 8mph, won’t produce much soreness or residual fatigue. So by the time you’re ready for your next workout 24 hours later, you have loads of energy.
- It’s fun. You can watch TV, listen to your favorite podcast, or talk to your buddy next to you.
- It can be done anywhere. You can do it at home, outside, in the gym, and even do it on vacation.
Easy + Convenience + Fun = Great compliance.
Best of all, you don’t have to join a gym to do it (Yes, I know that’s probably a horrible business decision to utter that statement, but it’s true). Do you know how often we hear, “I’m not ready to join Ageless because I’m not in good enough shape yet. As soon as I lose 10lbs, I will”? My friend from above made that exact same statement. He actually did some at-home workouts from a DVD until he was comfortable enough to join our gym.
At first that excuse doesn’t make much sense. But if you really think about, you honestly can’t tell me you wouldn’t do the exact same thing. I would love to learn how to play the guitar. I am a complete newbie and have no idea how to even play one chord. Even though I know guitar lessons would help me reach my goal faster with much less hassle, there is no way I’d join a class with other guitar players, even if some of my classmates were also beginners. I’d be too embarrassed.
We’ve tried to make Ageless as friendly as possible for beginners, but we completely understand that some people just need to see a little success in the privacy of their own homes before they join the gym. If it get you closer to your goal, we’re all for it.
