3 Steps to Start Your Body Transformation Journey

Often the hardest part to a body transformation is the start. We are inundated with diets and training programs, all competing to be the best. With all the options, it’s no wonder that we don’t know where to start. Here are three steps that you can take to begin your body transformation journey.
 

1. Start a Food Diary

• What you eat
  • Writing down as much detail as you can about the food. Was it a bowl of oats or 50g of oats? 
• What you eat
• When you eat
• Give it a rating on how good you think it is
  • Some strategies involve rating it out of 10, or recording a :) if it’s good or a :( if it’s not so good
  • It’s not too important if it’s actually good or not, it’s about your perception of what’s good at this stage

Try writing down everything you eat over a 2 week period. Once you’ve collected this data, you might be able to start seeing trends or begin to make small changes. Some reflections to make include:

• Are you having the same amount of meals per day?
• Are you eating at the same time each day?
• Are you eating more on certain days? Why do you think that is?

Take it a step further

You now have a better understanding of the food that you’re eating day-to-day. If your goal is weight loss, you can eat the same types of food that you’re eating now, but just a smaller serving. Try reducing your serving sizes by 10% and watch the weight slowly come off. 
 

2. Track your steps

Taking a similar approach to our Food Diary in step 1, start recording how many steps you complete each day. The best way to track your steps is to use a pedometer (such as a Smart Watch) or using an app on your phone. Each method of tracking your steps has its own error rates, and for consistency, it’s best to use the same method to track your steps. 

Record your daily steps for 2 weeks (even better if you record it in your food diary). Tally your 2 week total and divide it by 2 to create a weekly total average and divide it by 14 to determine your daily total average

Take it a step further

Once you have your weekly and daily averages, set a goal to beat it. Look for ways to increase your daily step count by parking your car further from the doors to a supermarket or work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and going for a short walk around the block at lunch time or after dinner. 

The best strategy is to beat your average weekly steps to cater for those days where we are less active (it happens to all of us!).

 

3. Build a supportive environment

 

 

Body transformations rarely occur on our own. It takes the support of our friends and family to build a supportive environment for change. Tell your friends and family about your goal to transform your body. You may find that they become your biggest fans, keep you accountable and even join you along the way.

Take it a step further

Get your friends and family to start a food diary and track their steps. Invite them to go for a walk with you at lunch time or after dinner. Look for ways that you can modify your environment to support smaller portion sizes and increase your step count. 

A body transformation does not need to involve eating boring food and going to the gym for 3 hours a day. Simple steps such as starting a food diary, tracking your steps and telling others about your goals can be all you need to start your body transformation journey. 

To take your body transformation journey to the next level, join us for the next Max and Maxine Challenge. 

Article written by Head Coach Steven Eskaf for Max and Maxine Challenge.