The power of 30 days...

This won't be some ploy to get readers to buy some gimmicky 30-day fat loss guide. It is however insight to the power that 30 days of commitment can bring.

We've all seen or heard of so-and-so's 30 day weight loss transformation that has shook the mere fabric of space and time, going from flab to fab in what seems like an impossible amount of time. How did they do it? What program did they do? What did they eat? Did they eat?...

For the vast majority of folks a drastic 30 day weight loss is not attainable...more so, unsustainable. Given a high enough caloric restriction, losing 20-30lbs in a month is possible. but very dangerous. For men, whom carry on average more body mass, a severe caloric restriction most often leads to massive re-feeds and binging habits = loss of progress and unsustainable weight loss. For women, a sudden shift in weight can lead to serious hormone imbalances, loss of menstruation, severe fatigue, and/or loss of bone mass density. All calls for concern. This sudden and highly restrictive approach are often brought on by fad dieting; Keto, Intermittent Fasting, juice cleanses, and other under feeding diets. And the result of glamorization via social media influencers and athlete association. End of the day, a 30 day change shouldn't be a temporary fix nor shall it be a one-and-done situation. It has to be a jumping off point, the first 30 days of the rest of your life.

The mind is a tricky deal. It's similar to that of the Instagram algorithm. Designed to manage our emotional and cognitive loads via thoughts and actions dictated by said emotional and cognitive motives. On Instagram, what you see is a direct reflection of what you like. Thus creating this feedback loop of posts and stories that fit the description of what you enjoy. If we apply this to when you're sad, your body reacts by initiating thoughts and actions that bring joy. For most people this is a treat of some sort, usually sweet and associated with happiness. Change takes time (no sh!t), but it's vital to understand that in order to go through significant sustainable change, the body must be under the right conditions for a proper amount of time (for example, 3-6 months). In this same time it is equally important to build healthy personal protocols that will allow you to maintain you achievements once they've been reached. The fight is losing/gaining weight, the battle is keeping it on/off.

Effectively this is where the power of 30 days stems from. It has been documented that it takes 30 days to build a routine and 60 to build a habit. When a friend of mine and I discussed my journey of 365 days of consecutive exercise I couldn't stress enough the importance of adhering to those initial 30 days. Once you break that barrier everything becomes fluid, your mind becomes accustomed to its new inputs and outputs, and what you had once been emotionally attached to you no longer act on due to your new found routine. The following 30 days becomes a breeze and bye day 60 you've developed a habit, and a habit is for life.

What I teach all my clients from day 1 is the importance of small steps. It's important to have one big goal, but you can't get there without achieving the many smaller goals along the way. So I urge you to take the next month to work on yourself. Find something you want to learn, improve, or gain in your life and focus on it. Do it no matter what, day in and day out, and see where it leads you. I can guarantee that one way or another you'll come out of it with a better understanding of yourself and gratitude for the journey.

"Progression is built through consistency and tested by passion"

JB