Just let me know where to send it and I'll get it right over.
Let’s imagine you have only one car
You spend a majority of your time on the highway commuting to and from work, but every once in awhile you like to get on it a bit to pass a slower car. Since you spend most of your time cruising along at a steady 75 mph, you’re probably most worried about cabin comfort and gas mileage. But occasionally you like to get down and dirty and tear it up at the local track night.
Now, let’s shift gears real quick.
Let's imagine you have only one body
You spend a majority of your time going through your normal daily routine but every once in awhile you tag along with a group of friends that are going out. Since you spend most of your time at work, you’re probably most worried about not getting sick, energy levels, and your overall health. But occasionally you like to challenge yourself and get super shredded for your next tropical vacation.
Back to the car
You wanted cabin comfort so you ordered the leather seat package, which cost you an extra grand. You decide you want to make some of that money back in the long run, so you decided to do whatever is easiest to achieve better gas mileage.
An expert on fuel economy suggests that you begin shifting between a certain rpm range, set the cruise control once you reach highway speed, and replace your air filter.
None of these suggestions seem unreasonable or even affect your normal driving style. You’re still in the same car driving down the same highway, just like you do every day. These are minor changes.
A random picture of me in my car.
You ease up a bit on the third-gear highway pulls and suppress the urge to bang the rev limiter at the top of the on-ramp. But you also know an occasional romp down the road won’t hurt your average MPG too much.
Related: A few supplements to get more mileage out of you.
A few months have gone by and you achieved your goal. You’re now averaging an additional six miles per gallon. If you drive 350 miles per week and gas is $2.20 per gallon, that’s a savings of $460 in the first year (assuming 20 vs. 26 mpg). You’ve paid back half of your leather seat package in the first year and you weren’t required to buy a Prius.
It took very few changes, a small monetary investment for the air filter and a minor adjustment to your driving style. Nothing to write home about.
Now back to you and your health
You became consumed with life, got comfortable eating fast-food in your daily routine and put some extra pounds around the midsection. You don’t like the added weight, the lack of energy, or the frequency you wake up feeling like garbage. So you decide to do whatever is easiest to improve your overall health.
An expert on health and fitness suggests that you substitute a few of your food choices on occasion and work towards getting a consistent sleep schedule.
None of these suggestions seem unreasonable or have a large effect on your normal daily life. You are still eating food and sleeping in the same bed, just like you do every day. These are minor changes.
You swap out a soda/beer or two each day for a bottled water and set an alarm for 10:00pm every night to remind you it’s almost time for bed. But you also know an occasional late night movie and buttered popcorn won’t destroy the progress you’ve made.
Just swap out one a day? It's that easy to start? Yup.
After a few months, you achieved your desired results. You’re down seven pounds, beginning to feel more energized, and realize you don’t feel like garbage upon waking up every day. You’ve already started your journey towards improving your health and you didn’t even have to drink a single kale smoothie.
It took very minor changes, becoming more conscious of what you were consuming and adjusting your late night TV schedule. Nothing to write home about.
Related: Building Muscle and Losing Fat: The 3 Most Important Tips
Let's kick that car up a notch
At the dealership you opted for the comfort package, but you refused to roll off the showroom floor without a big boy under the hood, the one with the turbo. You knew you’d eventually end up at a track day or two, and with a little TLC and some bolt-ons you could win it all.
If I give credit to Car and Driver I can steal the picture, right?
You picked the date of your next Saturday Night Lights and as it approaches you realize you need to focus, buckle down, and get the whip ready. You cancel a few social events because racing is important to you and you know your most productive work happens at night.
You set the DVR to record your favorite shows so you can dedicate more time to removing the leather wrapped back seat and various trim panels that only weigh you down.
You recruit a few friends to help you throw on the new front mount, a boost controller, and to program a new tune. But they’re also there keep you motivated when swapping the cat-back is delayed by a rusty bolt.
Without that cat-back, you can only turn the boost up a fraction of the way. We can throw all the forced induction in the world at the engine, but you’re limited on power until you can get that air moving out as well. Your friends help you prevail.
I've been known to build a few things that go vroom.
To take full advantage of these bolt-ons, you picked up a drum of VP C16. Now you can run some serious boost and advance the timing to squeeze out every last pony.
Race Day
You made it to race day and tore up the competition. It required some social sacrifice and time management but with the help and motivation of friends the process didn’t seem all that bad, and it was definitely worth it.
You decided you really liked the way the car felt with the new set up. You wouldn’t mind having some extra power on tap all the time, so you kept the bolt-ons installed. With a proper re-tune on pump gas, you can have plenty of power and still get pretty good gas mileage. Since comfort was always a top concern, you decide to throw the seats and trim panels back in. A little extra weight won’t affect the added horsepower during your everyday drive to and from work.
Apparently eBay has a blog. Thanks for the picture, eBay blog.
Of course, if you lose self control and romp on it everywhere, you’re going to destroy your average MPG and end up right back where you started. Maybe even in a worse position.
Now, you have a daily driver that gets you to and from work comfortably and still gets pretty good gas mileage. You also still have all the parts on that you worked really hard to install. Just because race day is over doesn’t mean you need to go back to stock. Now you have a little extra umph when you need it and it’ll be easier to prep for your next track day.
Bring the big guns to race day: 5-Minute Bicep Pumper
Now let’s get that body on point
You’ve decided you need a vacation, a tropical getaway. You also know that you’ll be spending a majority of your time on the beach in board shorts next to some ladies that you’ll try to impress. As the date approaches, you realize you need to buckle down and focus on leaning up a little bit and bringing that buried six-pack back to life. You cancel a few social events, because getting some attention and finding your future wife is important. Staying on track is easier without the added temptation of happy hour.
So I got a little jolly for a bit.
You put taco Tuesday, waffle Wednesday, and thirsty Thursday on hold for now so that you can dedicate a little more time towards getting in a good workout session with some heavy lifting.
Of all the guys going on the trip, you recruit a few for workout partners and put together the perfect 6-week program. You also brought them aboard to keep you on track and motivated when the temptation for ordering a pizza gets real.
You know that without staying dedicated to your diet, you would only see a small percentage of the results. You could lift every single weight in the gym 200 times, but without the proper nutrition to support it, your visual progress would be minimal. The information you gained at the Flexible Dieting University has set you up for certain nutritional success.
To take full advantage of your top notch program, you cook food in bulk and plan your meals at the beginning of each week. Now you can avoid the fast food trap at lunch and optimize your fat burning potential.
Vacation time
You made it to the sandy beaches and showed the world your six-pack. It required some social sacrifice and dedicated time in the gym, but with the help and motivation of some friends the process didn’t seem all that bad, and since you met the love of your life it was definitely worth it.
You decide you really like the way you look after the transformation. You wouldn’t mind having the boost in self confidence all the time, and by keeping minor changes to your diet you can stay pretty lean while getting back into your normal routine. Since quality of life was always a top concern, you decide to revamp your social life. Gaining back a little bit of the weight won’t really affect your new found self confidence, especially now since you aren’t spending any time on the beach.
Hawaiian vacation with white sandy beaches.
Of course if you go wild at the buffet, tear up every happy hour special, and cancel your gym membership, you’re going to reverse everything you worked for, and probably end up in a worse position.
Now you have a physique that increases your self confidence and allows you to enjoy a social life. You still have a pretty solid six-pack that you worked really hard to develop. Just because the vacation is over doesn’t mean you need to go back into winter hibernation mode. Now you have a boost in self confidence and preparing for your next big event won’t be nearly as difficult.
Related: {DUP} 1 Way to Make Sure Progress Never Stops
Takeaways
There are many things we can take away from the two examples above.
First, to succeed at long term goals, start by making minor adjustments to the things that you already normally do. Drastic lifestyle changes from the very beginning will ensure that you fail. Changes in your health will occur simply by making minor adjustments. Use the motivation from these changes to make additional adjustments in other areas of your life. A long term goal is long term for a reason. It shouldn’t happen over night.
Second, big-time transformations and short term goals require greater sacrifice and dedication. This usually means lifestyle changes: lots of lifestyle changes. It’s important to have reasonable expectations and attainable goals, otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure. Not even the best garage in town can make a Cavalier run 10’s in a day.
Third, the hard part is the journey from point A to point B. If you can stick it out through a calorie deficit and sacrifice social outings, you’ve made it. Once you achieve your shredded physique, simply go back to maintenance calories and lift heavy weights a few times per week to maintain the results. Just like keeping all the bolt-ons on the car, the hard part was installing them. After you’ve put in the work of getting the car where you want it to be, all you have to do is normal maintenance to keep it running up to par.
Don't forget to sign up for the next Flexible Dieting University course.
And pick up your 22-page Back to the Basics to get well on your way to making incredible changes, NOW!
Suggested Reads:
- 5 Minute Deltoid Dominator
- Everyday is Arm Day: 5-Minute Biceps and Forearms
- Horseshoes and Goat Balls: Triceps Explosion