Embracing Hard Work for Sustainable Results

Kristina 0:04

What's harder Putting in the work to help us achieve our goals or like constantly trying to re-figure out our lives and like pull ourselves out of a hole right , Like both things are actually probably really hard . It's more of just like which harder are we going to choose ?

Cori 0:19

Hey guys , this is Cori from Redefining Strength . Welcome to this episode of the Fitness Hacks podcast . So I want to talk about my favorite tips for helping you get lean and strong , but taking a more no BS approach And I bring this up because I think it's really key that we embrace that results mean hard work . Simple , sustainable does not mean easy in any way , shape or form , and if we try and seek out the easy , we're ultimately going to sabotage our long-term success . It's what's kept us stuck in the cycle . Even things we think , oh , it worked in the past And , yeah , maybe you did lose weight on the scale . Think about where you're at right now now wanting to lose weight again , right , or feeling like you're worse off than where you were . That seeking out of the easy , of the very very , you know , like fad diet results , the quick fix , is what kept you stuck . It didn't work . Okay , as much as it felt like it did in the moment . It didn't work , and so I really want to encourage you to oversell the negative And I want to talk about what hard work really means , how we can create that progression or workouts , how we can really move from getting faster results to more sustainable results and what all of this really means to the lifestyle changes that we need . And I'm super excited to dive into some of the mindset side as well with one of my amazing coaches , christina , because I think it's important , as stinky as it is , to embrace the hard and recognize what it's going to take to work hard enough to see the results that we deserve , over trying to convince ourselves it's going to be easy when it isn't . I do just also want to say a big thank you to everyone who has left a review . This helps me keep the podcast sponsorship free , So if you haven't , please go leave a review . Anyway , let's jump right into all the amazing tips so that you can get to be your Lena's strongest self .

Cori 2:00

Success means sacrifice , and sustainable doesn't mean easy . I want to bring this up because I think so often when we're trying to jump into a new plan , we try and tell ourselves that things are going to be really easy and that they're just going to work out well , and there's always going to be challenges and roadblocks that pop up . And the more we recognize these ahead of time versus telling ourselves , oh , this is the thing , that's the lifestyle forever , you know , that deceives us And I almost think it makes us feel a little broken when we then do encounter challenges . So the more you can oversell the negative to start , the better off you're going to be , and the more you recognize this is going to be hard and take hard work , the better off you're going to be And the faster you're going to ultimately see results . So , in thinking about this , i did just want to talk about what I think makes things feel even harder than they need to be when we're making changes , and I think it's recognizing our comfort zone .

Cori 2:47

So when was the last time you really assessed your lifestyle , what you're doing right now ? Where are you comfortable ? Because , ultimately , you are comfortable with the habits and routines you have right now . You might want a different result , but you are comfortable with all those things and repeat so many of your daily habits , even unconsciously , right , you know , even the eating out of emotion , like if we have a stressful day and we go to the cabinet and we grab something that is a fix to a problem that we have conditioned ourself to do almost unconsciously . And so , in the process of making changes towards a new and better result , towards the success we want to have , we're going to have to make some of those unconscious things conscious , and this is going to be challenging .

Cori 3:22

And so often when we look for a new program or jump into a new plan , we make all these changes at once and we don't recognize where we're starting from , and so sometimes we don't realize how far outside our comfort zone those changes really are . And if we're not comfortable being uncomfortable in that way , we're going to really struggle to ingrain those things , especially long term . And this is where it can feel like we're exerting so much willpower and so much self-control and then we just run out of it , right , because that thing is so far outside of what we know that we just can't as easily maintain it . Versus if we built up to a little bit more , we might find it a little bit easier . And if we make ourselves be more uncomfortable in so many different ways , we get a lot more comfortable being uncomfortable in a lot of different ways . So I want you to assess where you are right now and how you've always approached changes in the past .

Cori 4:10

What are you actually uncomfortable or comfortable being uncomfortable with ? when it comes to our workouts often are a lot more comfortable being uncomfortable in a lot of different ways . I even have clients all the time come in saying , hey , throw at me what you want , i can do anything with workouts , like we're got all day if I need right . We are comfortable being uncomfortable in that way . When it comes to dietary changes , not so much , and that's where we see a lot more resistance . So we might have to be a little bit less dramatic in the changes we make and meet ourselves more where we're at with those dietary changes , versus we might be able to throw a lot more at ourselves when it comes to our workouts .

Cori 4:42

And so I want you to think about where is your comfort zone right now ? What are some of the habits you do ? and try and bring some of those unconscious habits and routines even delight by just thinking through and , like writing down your day , write down a log What do you eat , how do you get up , what are your routines and habits , what are the things that you do throughout the day to recognize where your comfort zone is ? Because the more you know that , the more you can meet yourself where you're at , especially with areas you're less comfortable making changes . And the way to diagnose or assess where you're less comfortable making changes is where do you tend to put up walls . So when clients like I want to do that macro breakdown or high protein , i can't do this Or the second they make a change are also in their fighting against it .

Cori 5:18

Right , recognize where you want to put up those instant walls against something without even really trying it , and recognize that that might mean that the pain of making that change is too much for the pain that you're in right now . And so then how can you break that down to better meet yourself where you're at ? So if you're thinking nutritional changes , you're not comfortable with them . You're comfortable all day in the gym . Okay , make a whole bunch of gym changes , but then , with your nutrition , break things down instead of trying to do everything all at once .

Cori 5:42

If you're not tracking macros currently , you're not tracking your food currently . Instead of trying to jump into this extreme ratio even if you've heard it's ideal start by just tracking what you're currently doing . And maybe you don't even use a food tracker because that's too intimidating . You just write it down or you take pictures , right , but think about how you can break down those changes to make it so that you're not putting up that initial defense against it . But realize the more you do , the more you do too , and you're going to get more comfortable being uncomfortable in new ways the more you push yourself to sort of expand those boundaries .

Cori 6:09

But instead of going from your little bubble here and jumping all the way over here and that's why hard work can feel even harder And we can feel like we run out of willpower and self control Think about how you can slowly expand yourself comfort or your comfort bubble out , instead of just trying to jump into outer space . But remember it is going to be hard , sustainable . It doesn't mean easy . Success comes from pushing yourself and making some sacrifices . So embrace that hard work , but also understand you don't have to make it harder than you need on yourself to make the changes that you actually want to see .

Cori 6:40

I'm super excited to have Christina , one of my fabulous coaches , on my show today to talk about the minds that we really need to embrace the hard work that leads the results that we want . She shares her own amazing story of how she really transformed her life , transformed her healthy habits and embraced that hard work ethic , which I now see that she's dedicating to all of her clients as well . So let's jump into the tips that help make her clients successful so you can see the results that you want . So I'm super excited to have one of my fabulous coaches on today to talk about working hard to see results , because simple simply doesn't mean easy . So welcome , christina . I'm super excited to dive into what it really takes to see the results that we would deserve .

Kristina 7:20

Yeah , thank you for having me on the podcast . I'm super excited to be here .

Sustainable Habits

Cori 7:24

So , in terms of working hard , right , just because we want to build something sustainable , just because something might even seem easy , thinking for it to be actually easy often holds us back . So when you have a client come in , what do you talk to them about in terms of helping them embrace working hard and what that really means ?

Kristina 7:44

Yeah , so there's definitely an interesting balance between the sustainability of habits we're trying to create or changes we're trying to make in our life , and then also the fact that we need to work hard and we need to stay committed and pay attention to the details . In all of those things There's this interesting balance . So , when I'm talking to a client , and something that we stress in this program a lot , is that we want to create sustainable habits , right ? So I definitely don't want to talk past that , because that is huge and it's so important , right , there's a lot of I won't throw any other programs under the bus or any other diets under the bus , but there's a lot of fad diets and a lot of other programs and type of things in our society that are looking for a quick fix . And the reality is , if someone does those things , it might actually get them the quick fix And there might be this feeling of accomplishment , but a lot of times what happens is they aren't creating those sustainable habits and then all of a sudden , that person is just going to resort back to old habits and end up right where they started , right . So that isn't really beneficial to anyone And a lot of times they don't end up having the knowledge to really know where to go from there , and we have a lot of clients come in who are in that exact point Point in their life . So so creating sustainable habits is super important .

Kristina 9:06

I don't want to look past that , but what I think sometimes clients here , when we say this and I've fallen into this trap myself at times to is that Because we're creating sustainable habits , things are going to be easy , right , like hey , okay , well , you know my , you know Christina saying that I should create a routine that feels sustainable , that feels like something I can maintain , and so that means it should feel easy . No , right , that is not what we're saying . Anytime we're trying to make changes in our life , especially when it comes to our health , anytime we're trying to prioritize our self , eat healthier , create a workout routine , it requires a lot of hard work . I mean a lot of times it requires saying no to a lot of things that people are asking of us . A lot of times it requires saying no to The tricks that are mine is playing on us constantly .

Kristina 10:01

Right , and Yeah , that requires hard work and dedication . So I think what I like to do with my clients is definitely have this conversation from the get go like , hey , i want to make this . Do you want to make sure we can take it step by step ? but in no way shape or form of my promising it's gonna be easy because , like I said , anytime we're making those changes in our life , you know it .

Cori 10:25

Just it isn't easy it's often why we do look back and we think , like , why didn't I do this sooner ? and it's because Sustainable doesn't mean easy . It does mean making yourself uncomfortable , going against what you've always done , building a new self awareness , building even a new identity . It's that acting as if you're the person you want to be to see that new result . And in seeking the fad diets , we do often keep ourselves stuck because we're seeking easy right now , which never truly teaches us to like make the changes . And changes are hard , they are uncomfortable , they go against what you've always done . But I think it is like making that mental switch of like you know , hey , i don't want to be looking back and say I wish I'd done this sooner when I can do it right now .

Kristina 11:07

For sure . And there's this meme that keeps going around and it keeps popping up on my social media for some reason , but it's something . I'll probably butcher it a little bit , but it's something on the lines of , like What's harder , putting in the work to help us achieve our goals , or like constantly trying to re figure out our lives and like pull ourselves out of a hole , right , like both things are actually probably really hard . It's more just like which harder we're going to choose , right , and yeah , i just .

Kristina 11:35

That meme always kind of gives me a chuckle because I feel like it's so real and again I've been in that position too right , like there's definitely times where , you know , i let my mind play tricks on me and all of a sudden say , hey , okay , we can start loosening the reins here , and start loosening the reins here , like Let's make this a little bit easier on myself , and then I end up somewhere where I don't necessarily really want to be or where I wasn't planning , and then I go back to Okay , actually , if I want to do these things , it is going to be a little uncomfortable and it is going to be hard .

Cori 12:03

And I think it's even like having that personal experience , because often people don't think you're like , oh , it was easier for you . It's like , no , it wasn't . We've gone through the same struggles . We just have learned more and more about ourselves in order to move forward a little bit faster . And that's really what is that 1% improvement that you can always make , but realizing that maintenance , that success is never like linear progress , right , like we hear the all time , progress is never linear . But it is these like constant evolutions and just creating those like more finite boundaries to keep ourselves more and more in line , versus like the deviations being way far different , right ? And I know that you even mentioned , when we were going to talk about working hard , that you had like a lot of experiences really changing your mindset around this . Can you speak to that a little bit ?

Kristina 12:46

Yeah , definitely .

My Journey to Health and Fitness

Kristina 12:48

So . I mean , my journey with my health has , you know , been a long one , like like most people , and mine really goes back to my high school years . So you know I grew up playing lots of sports . I was always a really active kid so it was never like an issue of me not being active enough . Especially when I got to high school I was playing competitive basketball and that was pretty much year round , so I was always out doing something . But and I actually don't talk about this very often I haven't even really talked about it on my own podcast very much , but it is an interesting part of my own journey .

Kristina 13:21

So When I was 15 years old , i weighed 208 pounds , i think was the heaviest that I ever weighed , and that is significant more weight than I weigh now as an adult or really ever have weighed as an adult . And it was one of these interesting things that I don't even think . I even realize , as it was happening that I was becoming so overweight because , like I said , i was very Sporty and athletic and I was actually like one of the best players on my basketball team all the time and I always got Praise for that and all that . But it was like this moment that clicked . I think it was during the summer between my sophomore and junior year , where we would do some like conditioning workouts for summer basketball , and the lady who ran those conditioning workouts kind of started to in a very actually I'll give it to her like a . It worked . It was a good way to approach this like started to kind of come at me a little bit like hey are like , are you pushing yourself as much as you can ? like hey , you know , like , are you focusing on your Nutrition or your nutrition ? she started talking to me about that a little bit more and at the time , because of my weight , i was , i was slow , i think I was running we would do like a mild time test and I was running like a 1030 mile like pretty , pretty slow and And so I think because of her and a few other things , like something really started to click , like okay , i want to start to make a change .

Kristina 14:44

And so this Click for me happened at a young age and I started really focusing on my nutrition a little bit more and focusing on my fitness , but outside of basketball a little bit more . And I'll give it to my parents . Actually they let they . Let me kind of do it on my own like there was never any shame involved . There was never . Sometimes I wish they would have taught me a little bit of better eating habits . I wouldn't have maybe gotten into into that position in the first place , but I do think having to figure that out on my own has really Helped me into my adult life and taught me this work ethic piece .

Kristina 15:19

So couple things I started doing was I would go . So I had this mile time , this 1030 mile time , and I was like I want to , i want to get a better time . So I started going to the gym and literally just jumping on the treadmill and running one mile , like I didn't over complicated , i just got on the treadmill , ran one mile and every time I go to the gym and I was pretty much going like Five days a week , i think at the time I would try and increase my speed on the treadmill by just like one point , right , so it might be starting at six , and then it would be 6.1 and then 6.2 . And then I also started . I don't think I knew what my fitness pal was back then or if that was even a thing back then , but I started logging my food like in a journal , and I create these like little goals for myself in my journal , like , okay , i'm going to eliminate chips and eliminate cookies , you know like little things . I was probably eating and just not thinking about it , but you know I had the general knowledge to know those things weren't the best for me . So I started doing that and in a matter of about a year I got that mile time down to 730 and I lost like about 25 to 30 pounds And yeah , i was just like kind of a completely different person from then and I it obviously made me a better basketball player .

Kristina 16:36

I was way healthier and those lessons I learned in those couple of years transferred over in a big way , not only to my college basketball career , where I would , you know I don't think anyone will disagree with me on this but I think I was like one of the hardest workers on the team where I then ended up earning all American honors , and I don't think it was because of my natural basketball talent , i think it was because of the work that I put in . And then I think it transfers over to my adult life too . You know , like I was saying before , i struggle sometimes with figuring out the balance between work ethic and sustainability and the balance of life and social events and all of those things Right . But I always come back to like , hey , if I want to achieve something , it's going to be hard , like no one's handing it to me . I'm going to have to put in the work . I've done it before , so I know how to do it . It's just choosing , like whether or not I want to at the time or not .

Cori 17:32

There are so many things that you just mentioned and like examples that you gave , that like hit on so many key things that someone wants to make a change A the pain of staying stuck has to outweigh the pain of change . Right , your pain of staying where you were was enough that it incentivized you to want to take action , but then you also broke down the actions in a way that allowed you to take those steps forward . And I think that sometimes what we overlook in actually trying to make changes , right , we , we do make it too hard , almost where we say , oh , i want to do this idea without assessing who and what we are and where we are right now . And sometimes , breaking down those changes , they're still going to feel hard , but we can put them like closer to our comfort zone so that we're like slowly expanding that bubble versus like something way off and outer space where we're like , holy moly , i have to like take a rocket ship to get there . Right , so you , you hit on that , which is , like I think , so key , but also the fact that I think we're waiting for some ideal or we're seeking out some ideal , or we think there has to be a perfect plan , and you simply took action .

Cori 18:34

You didn't fully know if what you were doing was right . Right , you're like , okay , i know , these foods probably aren't the best for me , okay , i want to get a mile time down , so I'm going to go run on the treadmill . Probably now you'd be adding in all the activation work that we do and all the other things , but you simply took action And I think we don't often recognize how much the change in mindset over even the habits that we're doing really pays off , which is why I love how much you really talk about mindset , like with all of your clients as well .

Kristina 19:01

Yeah , and I think something I didn't really get into there was like the fact that in the beginning stages in my high school years , right , it was just kind of taking those small steps that were that I think at the time I didn't realize were small steps , but it , i think it led to success , but it it felt hard and uncomfortable And am I even doing the right thing and and whatnot right ? But then once I got into my college years , it's not that things . So I played college basketball . I think I kind of made that clear . But it's not that things necessarily got easier . Like I worked my tail off in college , you know , pretty much all year , all year long , to get the achievements that I did with college basketball . But it was part of my routine And I think that's where the sustainability piece comes in . It's not that it gets easier .

Kristina 19:54

I was still in the gym early mornings sweating my butt off , whatever right , but it was . It became what I wanted to do . It was what I was used to . It was almost like if I wasn't in the gym , i felt like something was off right . Like all of a sudden my family would be like Hey , we're going on this vacation , which , very lucky to say my family goes on vacations and and we would my mom would want to take us on these week long trips and it'd be awesome . But like there'd be a piece of me that's like , well , what am I going to do , right ? Like I'm not going to be in the gym , like it . That felt weird to me to be out of that routine . I think that's where the sustainability piece comes in and the balance between sustainable and hard .

Cori 20:34

Sustainability is really developing comfort , being uncomfortable in specific ways And I think we see it a lot of times with clients coming in they're even potentially comfortable making themselves uncomfortable in the gym , but not so much when it comes to that nutritional component . So sustainable and things becoming more routine is developing a comfort with what was once uncomfortable . But it's also like embracing that . I think it's like overselling the negative a little bit , to yourself too as well , like when you were doing these things you weren't like , oh , this is going to be so easy , i'm going to do these fat , this fat diet and drop 10 pounds overnight . There was none of that , which I think we now sort of delude ourselves a little bit with seeing those bad diet results . But you did oversell that negative in a weird way to yourself to create sustainable habits . And I think that's also like a key thing you do with your clients is like when you talk to them up front you're like This is going to be hard .

Kristina 21:26

Yeah , you set the expectation And I think that I think that's what you were just talking about . there is a skill that we learn just like anything else . Like the first time we challenge ourselves and we put ourselves through something hard , it's going to be unknown , we're not going to know how it feels like , both physically and mentally . And then I think , once you do it , you learn and it almost becomes I don't really like using this word , but like a little bit addictive . you're like Okay , well , how's the next way I can challenge myself , like what's the next hard thing or way that I can push myself or make myself better ?

Cori 22:01

It is kind of addicting , right The new habits , like the new things you're doing . You do want to see improvements And I always think it's also interesting , like talking about obsessive and addictive . Like there's obviously a dark side to all these different things , but there is a quality of success having these things right . And so I'd like to get into , with these characteristics , what you've seen clients that really do embrace the negative of the hard , embrace the challenges that come with change , and like what makes you sort of see clients that run with it and succeed and they embrace that discomfort , and those that tend to shy away . Like what do you think is the difference between those two ?

Kristina 22:37

Yeah , so there are definitely are some like common different traits right , with these clients who do really embrace it and who do end up seeing success . And I think a few of them

Keys to Successful Coaching

Kristina 22:48

like . One would be that someone is coming in looking not looking for a quick fix right , and a lot of times kind of unfortunately that comes with the history of at some point they were looking for a quick fix right , like they had maybe tried some of the fad diets and because that's kind of what our society like pushes on us , right , so it's , i don't really ever blame anyone for that , i kind of get it , but they tried it and it just didn't work . Or again , like I was saying , at the very beginning it worked and then now they're right back in the same spot . So now that they've had that experience , they're coming to us saying like hey , i tried that , it didn't work . So I kind of now believe you that we there is just no quick fix and I'm in this for the long haul So like let's give it a go , right . So that would be one thing that I think is really common with my clients who come in and end up seeing success .

Kristina 23:38

I would say another thing is my clients who are coachable right , we don't talk about this a lot actually in this program , but a lot of my clients who come in maybe have never even had a coach . Some have , right , We work with some clients who are triathletes and stuff like that and they have their tri coach , or maybe they've worked with a nutrition coach before . But some clients come in and they have never had a coach before . They've probably had a boss before , right , but they've never had a coach before . And so my clients who are coachable , i find really do see success , and what I mean by that is they are . They're trusting of the process . And when I say trusting of the process , that doesn't necessarily mean they're blindly trusting . Like , i have clients who are super successful who ask me tons of questions every single day , right , and they're kind of pushing me to be like , hey , explain this to me , explain that to me , and that's their way of trusting . But then , yeah , trusting me in what I'm telling them to do . But then they go out and do it , right , or they send lots of videos of their exercises for feedback . And then , guess what , when I give them feedback , they respond and say okay , and then they send another video to say , hey , is this , you know what you were talking about ? Let's , let's , you know ? check in on it again . And especially when it comes to , like , the nutrition side , because that's a lot of where , like , the habits in the hard part comes into play . Like you mentioned before , they hear me out when I give them feedback , right , like when I'm giving them feedback regarding their food logs or adding more veggies in , or like , hey , i want to try this higher protein macaration , let's give it a go . And they're like okay , i'm here , let's give it a go . So , not looking for a quick fix that coachability , i would say .

Kristina 25:27

Another big thing is that my clients who see success over over a longer period of time , they may get frustrated during plateaus or during some sort of failure , but they communicate that and we talk it through and they find a way , or we find a way together to keep moving forward . They don't shut down during that failure or during that plateau , which is a very common response that a lot of us have to failures in plateaus . It's common . So if you're someone who's out there like , listen to this and you're like I shut down when that happens , like it is very common . But being able to communicate that to someone . So my so , when my clients communicate that to me and we're able to talk through it and find a way to to just take one more step forward , to kind of like move past that , then that person can go on and like see so much more success , versus basically getting stopped in their tracks right in that moment and and then starting to move backwards . A lot of times is what happens . So I would say , yeah , those are three big , three big things that you know , clients who see success working with us show .

Cori 26:38

I think you hit on so many like really important points that like whether you're working with us and other coach on your own and considering a coach like , or even just considering how you're going to move forward .

Cori 26:48

You hit on so many key things that we have to shift our mindset with . One is that we so often do doom ourselves with doubt . Right , we come into a program being like skeptical and we think this is like a good thing , like , oh , you're not going to pull it over on me , or oh , this program isn't going to convince me . It's all this like so great . And it's like in that we're doing ourselves with doubt because we're not fully embracing or trusting the process . It's not that we shouldn't question , but we have to give our all to it , right . And then we have to be open to that other perspective And I think you hit on that with like embracing the plateaus and talking about them , but also asking questions .

Cori 27:20

Right , we don't know what we don't know and we can't look at anything outside of our own lens , like .

Cori 27:26

I was even thinking about this the other day when I was like , oh , i love looking at things that contradict my opinion And like , but even in finding those things that contradict my opinion to look at them .

Cori 27:35

I'm still searching them out from my own lens , which I think is like the nice thing about having like a team is like you guys will present different things where I'm like , wow , i've never like worded in that way or thought about in that way , because you don't know what you don't know and you can't look at something outside of your own lens . So , having that coach , having that like outside perspective , when you do hit a plateau to even be like Hey , like , what is your consistency really like , like are there deviations going on ? Because we all have those 1% deviations occur . Is it that this is always the time you give up ? Is it simply that you need to keep going ? Because often we look for more stuff when we just need more time ? right , but it is like it is that coach ability which I think is not doing yourself a doubt , having that outside perspective , because , again , you can only look at life through your own lens , no matter how much you try and be open to it .

Kristina 28:22

I think an example of that , too , is the fact that we get clients . I've had many clients , you know , working with redefining strength , who are also like in the fitness industry , like either personal trainers themselves or maybe even in the online space of some sort . You know , just in some way they're in the fitness industry And so theoretically they could be putting together their own workout progressions . They could probably theoretically know enough to put together their own nutrition plans , but yet that person is still reaching out for help And I've had many of those clients again see a ton of success with us . And I think that is because exactly what you just said , right , like sometimes it is so hard to see what our own journey is in reality , you know , and it's so nice to have someone else kind of be able to pick it apart a bit and be like , oh , actually have you thought about this , or or what do you think about this , or like I would actually suggest this , this to you .

Personal Stories and Data for Goals

Kristina 29:21

I was actually just recently having a conversation with a life coach here and Ben I had around my podcast and we were talking about the stories that we tell ourselves versus the actual data of what is actually happening and how , like those two things can conflict so much . And as humans and again , just like a lot of what society has done , done , done to us A lot of times we rely on the stories that we tell ourselves . We like tell ourselves these stories over and over and over again , like one , for example , might be I've been working so hard and I'm just like not reaching my goals , right . But then when you like actually find whatever data it may be that you can get your hands on and you look at that , you actually start to realize , oh shoot , maybe I haven't been as consistent as I thought .

Kristina 30:12

I have been right , like I've had all these weekends where I like I haven't been hitting my nutrition goals , or I've missed all of these workouts , or I actually haven't been like pushing myself in the weight room , or or maybe it's something that was kind of out of your control . Like maybe you got injured right And you like had to take a step back and and before you move forward or whatever . But when you look at that data , you're like , okay , there's actually some things here that it makes sense why I haven't reached my goals yet . So , anyways , that little tangent . But I kind of love that , that balance between the stories we tell ourselves and the data and just making sure that we're looking at both of those things .

Cori 30:49

I love that line . I think that really summarizes like if you want to embark on a new journey and see a new and better result , you really have to stop and pause and assess what you were telling yourself and what you're actually doing and then see how those two things align Like . thank you so much , christina , for joining me today . Can you tell everybody where they can also find your podcasts and your information as well , so they can continue working on their mindset as they're working towards their goals ?

Kristina 31:12

Yeah , of course . So yeah , I'm excited to tell you guys about my podcast . It's called Making Changes , breaking Barriers , and you can find that on pretty much any podcast platform , including , you know , apple Podcasts and Spotify . You can also follow me on Instagram at changewithcoachk . I post a lot of , you know . I try and be inspirational on there a little bit about my life as well , and I also share some of you know , the results from my clients and stuff like that on there . If you want to give me a follow , Awesome .

Cori 31:41

Thank you so much , Christina .

Kristina 31:42

Thank you for having me .

Cori 31:44

I want to talk about the fast to sustainable continuum . So I see macro tracking , i see creating workaround progressions as the fundamentals . But I think we can use these fundamentals to move towards our goals a little bit faster or to create slightly more sustainable habits And it's not really either or We can move along this spectrum whenever we want , based on how motivated we are , based on what our life is throwing at us . And I think it's key we remember this , because I think often when we embrace like a challenge , it's either we think it's fast or it's sustainable . It's not that we can move between , but if we dial in those fundamentals , we can really achieve goals at different rates based on what life is throwing at us . Because there are going to be times , guys , that you have to embrace doing the minimum , that even maintaining your previous results is going to be all that you can handle , and you need to embrace that . But there's going to be other times a year , like around the new year , where we're more motivated , maybe because we were a little bit more relaxed with our habits or just because that time of year lends itself to that And our lifestyle isn't as busy . Right , we have a more perfect time of life to do a little bit more towards the goals we want . So it's key we recognize that this is a continuum we can use to our advantage . But it's also key that if we say we want faster results or we say we want more sustainable habits , that we recognize what that really means . So I wanted to break down sort of both ends of this so that you can decide what do I actually want right now And then what habits am I going to have to implement to get there ?

Sustainable vs. Intense Fitness Habits

Cori 33:04

So in terms of if you want faster results , you've got to think about no days on logs . If you tell me you want to lose weight , you want that body recomp to happen overnight , i'm going to tell you , okay , we'll log every single day . You can't have any days on log because you don't want your macroshows to be more than 1 to 2% off , especially if you are trying to achieve six pack abs or get to a new level of leanness , or especially if you've had the weight on for longer and you're trying to bust through that plateau . That means that your weekly average is arch-insistent . And it's not just that you ended at your 40 , 30 , 30 ratio and you're 1500 calories at the end of the week . It means that every day looks pretty spot on . Okay . Your daily calorie totals , your daily macro averages are all right there too , as well as the weekly average being in line . It means that you're within 100 calories plus or minus of your actual daily intake and goal .

Cori 33:47

It's not all over the place . You're getting that consistency . If you're seeing Coma Trenn , it's consistency for the faster results . Right , it is more precision . You can't be having foods out as much where you can't log as consistently or know that you're getting exactly what you need .

Cori 34:01

And again , these aren't bad things to have more deviations , but if you're telling yourself or me or your coach that you want as fast results as possible , these are all sacrifices you're going to have to make , and the more we can embrace this , the more we can meet ourselves where we're at to actually move along this continuum and use it to our advantage at different times of year , okay . And if you want fast results and you're even trying to seek to get as lean as possible and reach a leanest level you've never had , you're probably going to want to cut out alcohol for a bit , okay , and you're going to want to have a bigger emphasis on food quality , on making stuff at home because it gives you more control . Again , what you even do to achieve a result might not be what you do to maintain it , which is why I think it's key that we understand that this continuum is based on dialing in those basics . It's based on understanding our portions of our food , understanding food quality , understanding progression , so that we can do a more intense map or breakdown but then also steer back towards sustainable . Or , if we've been sustaining for a while , we want a specific result and we want to look at a little extra fabulous for a vacation . We know how to move towards that fast end with a mini cut right . But these are some of the things that are required of us to get faster results .

Cori 35:02

If we're looking for those most more sustainable habits and if you're just starting out , guys , i know it can be really tempting to be like I want results now and jump in . But again , that goes back to our comfort zone and knowing where we're comfortable , you might say hey , in order to get this ball rolling and actually maintain these results for longer , i need to start more sustainable and then go faster as I get comfortable . That's great as well , but on that more sustainable side of the continuum , there's more ability to include cheat days and refeed days and maybe , once you've achieved a goal and you're transitioning into maintenance , this is where you also develop some of these sustainable habits . You've cut out alcohol for maybe a little bit , you haven't had macro cheat days or cheat days , and now you start to add those things in as you transition to maintenance . Because , guys , once you've broken that set point , achieved a goal , it becomes a lot easier to maintain it the longer and longer we've now been at that goal as well , but maybe you go to more focusing on minimums .

Cori 35:50

You set that 30% protein minimum and a calorie cap , but there's variation in your carbs and fat instead of hitting exact macro breakdowns every single day . One day you might be higher carb because you did more cardio , one day you might be higher fat just because you went out to eat . But you have that ability to vary things up a little bit more while hitting minimums . There is going to be more variety over the course of the days , but you're still sort of getting close on those weekly averages . Maybe you have 90 days or 90% of the days that are logged and you have 10% where you're not logging on that cheat day Or whatever else , and you know that that could be throwing you a little bit out of your calorie deficit But you're not as concerned about it .

Cori 36:22

And that is one reason why , if you want faster results , you need to log every day because , especially if you're trying to create a smaller calorie deficit through the week , to not be hungry , to make Sure that you're focusing on body recomp . A very small calorie surplus from a cheat day , which is very easy to do if you eat out or have any alcohol , that can throw you out of the calorie deficit and really impact your results . So when you get those on log days it's gonna be more towards that sustainable side and it might be your lifestyle balance , but you also have to know that that could slow results because you don't know exactly what you've consumed on those days . And then with the more sustainable , it's working in more of the things you love . I like to see this as what can I get away with right into my macros ? Can I map in different things , like the hot dog when I go to a baseball game ? Can I map in you know some candy ? because I want these different things ? and that's where you find that balance , where you don't feel as restricted .

Cori 37:06

Note , one isn't better than the other , it's just being aware of the sacrifices that come with each aspect right . Sustainable means you're gonna be able to have a little bit more things . It's more of that lifestyle balance , but results might not happen as fast versus if you do go a little bit more intense and make a few more sacrifices , results might happen faster . But you can use this whole continuum to your advantage and Shift gears between these different habits because you're focused on the fundamentals with both of them and you know You can move along it based on what you need at the time to meet yourself or your app , knowing that there's gonna be different times Of years where you need different things . And the more we can embrace that versus trying to out self-control What's actually going on in our life the better overall results We're gonna get and the more lasting they're going to be .

Cori 37:50

Results happen in our workouts because we push ourselves to do a little bit more and Often we do think about creating progression through heavier loads . But I want to discuss a few different ways that we can actually see better results from our training and create that progression , because if it challenges you , it will change you , but you need to challenge yourself . It's really easy to get into a routine where it says 12 to 15 reps and we do 15 reps and it kind of burns . So we stay right there and we don't say , hey , well , what if I can do 16 or 17 with this weight ? or hey , i can do 15 . So now I need to force myself to go heavier and work down towards the 12 . So I want to talk about progression a little bit in our workouts and when it comes to weights , right . So before doing that straight leg deadlift and we're working at one weight , we might be like , okay , i can do the 15 reps with this weight , so you're doing your 15 reps . Right . And if you want to see demos of any of these moves even though they're not necessarily specific moves , you have to do . You can watch the YouTube video if you are listening to it .

Cori 38:46

But if you're doing 15 reps with , like , a straight leg deadlift and you're like , okay , i can eke out a 16th rep , do it . Okay . If you're like , hey , i can do 16 reps and my top is 15 , then you want to not only do that extra rep that you can do , but go up in weight , even if you go up to the next weight and you're like , holy moly , i have 12 to 15 reps and I can't even do 12 . You might stay there , okay . So then you write down , hey , i did 11 . And then the next time you do it you try and get 12 And if you can do 12 , maybe do 13 and then once you hit 15 , again That's your sign to go up .

Cori 39:18

But when you have those rep ranges that say 12 to 15 , 8 to 12 , 6 to 12 , whatever it is , always think if you can hit the cap a , don't just stop there with the weight , but B say , okay , this means that I need to go heavier . And especially if you are really working on muscle hypertrophy , you're a more advanced lifter . You want to build that maximal strength air on the side of barely being able to hit in that first week that bottom rep range . So if it's 6 to 12 and you hit 6 , maybe you stay there for the next week and try and get up to Towards 8 , 10 , 12 , and then , if you do , you go back up and wait to go back down and reps . But that way you're creating progression in two different ways Not only loads by but also doing that extra rep .

Cori 39:57

But there's a point at which you're going to find you can't necessarily add weights all the time , or you can't necessarily add Another rep , or you're even finding ego is getting in the way , which I find happens Unfortunately a lot to me where I'll be like , okay , i'm going up and wait , just to go up and wait . I'm not actually able to feel the correct muscles working any longer . And that's where you can use progression in so many other ways , whether it's slowing down tempos , extending the range of motion , using different types of tools , even okay , so you might be using a kettlebell and you might go to a cable instead , or use a Resistance band instead of getting married to one piece of equipment . We have to realize that each of these apply tension in different ways . If you're doing a step up , holding dumbbells and then you anchor cable down low , that's going to apply tension in a different way . That will actually emphasize different muscles as well .

Cori 40:44

Or you might even find that , with creating progression right , you're doing more reps off the bench . You're like oh Okay , i'm doing all these reps off the bench , but you're only getting better at doing reps off the bench because you're going more for more reps , over-progressing the movement , and this is where you have to think okay , if I want to get down towards that first full push-up , i've got to lower the incline , so maybe you could do 10 reps there . And it says 8 to 12 reps for push-ups and whatever workout you're doing . But maybe you come down to the ground You're like , well , i can only do you know my , my 5 , and so then you do 5 and you rest to even get out your 8 , but that's better to do lower reps of the harder variation to create that progression . So just realize you can create progression in so many different ways , but you need to challenge your body if you want to create that change .

Cori 41:28

If you're always staying with what feels comfortable , if you're feeling just worked and not actually tracking your progress , to do a little bit more , one more rep , change up the tempo , some in some way vary the movement You're not going to see the results you want . This doesn't mean , though , string things randomly together , because that's where you can't see any progression at all , because you don't know what you're actually Changing , what's adding up and what isn't , or how you're building . So you want that weekly schedule that you repeat for at least three to four weeks , you know , two weeks at minimum , probably six weeks at max , because I think that's where you go starts to get in the way . We start to get a little burned out , but then after that you want to change it up and it doesn't have to be dramatic changes , it can be just slightly changing postures , positions , equipment , tempos , but a small change to create that constant progression driving you forward if you want to see results . Hope

Creating Progression in Workouts

Cori 42:15

those tips helped .

Cori 42:15

I'd love to hear how you create progression in your workouts and even what movement variations you started to implement To use the same but different principle to create progression and really drive growth . Well , that's a wrap for this episode of the fitness acts podcast . I hope this encourages you to work hard , but more than even just working hard , work hard with a purpose , while you make sure that you're meeting yourself where you're at so that you're not doing unnecessary things that you don't need , especially right now to start . Remember It's about expanding our comfort zone and meeting ourselves where we're at to see the results that we deserve , while going in knowing that there's going to be some challenges along the way , some mistakes , that there are going to be some sacrifices to get the ultimate goal that we want .