Looking to make a transformation? If so, you may have been quick to seek out transformation-based programs and check out all the other transformation pictures other people have posted before you.
But, before you dive head-first into the first quick-fix transformation approach, it’s important that you give yourself a bit of a reality check. Most people who complete a transformation find themselves back in their original starting place in as little as 2-6 months.
Why? What’s the reason their results don’t stick? Often, it’s because they haven’t really address all the necessary components to creating a true transformation. A transformation isn’t just about looking better, it’s about feeling better and getting to a state of health where you are untouchable.
Let me share with you what I consider to be the three ‘fundamental must-have’s’ for a successful transformation program.
Health: The Core Element Driving It All
Without your health, you’re nothing. It doesn’t really matter how great you look, if you are sick and always tired, you aren’t going to be enjoying that new hot body anyway.
Good health is getting to a state where you can function to your full potential, physically, mentally, as well as spiritually. If you aren’t healthy, you will never become the best possible version of yourself.
When your body isn’t healthy, it’s in a sense broken and it’s hard to move forward in a broken machine. You need to first fix your health and then change can occur.
Remember, you only get one body. Once it’s gone, you can’t buy a new one. It’s critical that you focus on treating it as best as possible. Health above all else.
Strength: Your Secret Weapon For A Thriving Existence
The next element in a true transformation is gaining a sense of strength from a proper strength training exercise routine. If you are not making strength training a part of your transformation, you are missing out.
Here’s what strength training can do for you.
Proper strength training boosts your resting metabolic rate, which means you utilize nutrients better in the body. A better utilization of nutrients means higher energy and superior physical performance.
Those who strength train regularly have higher quality sleep and sleep is critical for everything. It keeps you looking younger, feeling healthier, and helps to keep you lean as well. Those who don’t sleep enough have a slower resting metabolic rate and typically store more fat in their midsection.
In addition to being able to say you lift a lot of weight in the gym (and getting the nice ego boost that goes with it!), you’ll also gain functional strength from strength training that will help you out in every single activity you do in your life. This makes day to day living easier and helps reduce fatigue further as well.
Research now shows there is a strong correlation between performing a good resistance training program and conditions such as hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, hypertension, as well as endocrine based conditions. Strength training is one of the best preventative methods out there.
Using good posture not only makes you instantly look slimmer and more confident, but it also prevents lower back pain as well as even hip and knee issues down the road.
With better posture, you’ll also notice your connective tissues get stronger, meaning they are more capable of handling the stress and strain caused by your environment and daily activities.
Which nicely ties in with our next benefit – lower risk of injury. The stronger your muscles are, the more capable you’ll be to fend off injury before it happens.
This is particularly beneficial to those who are very active on a regular basis and participating in sports that can lead to a higher risk of injuries.
While you may not think much about bone strength now while you are still relatively young, as you grow older, it’s something that will be on your mind. If you are riddled with joint pain because you didn’t take care to build strong joints, it’ll come back to haunt you.
Stress fractures and osteoporosis are two very common issues that those in their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s deal with. A good weight baring strength training program can help prevent this.
As you can see, you simply can’t go wrong including strength training in your transformation program. It isn’t enough to just diet to get slimmer. While nutrition is important, you must be also building your body stronger to really create that full transformation effect.
Aesthetics: Sculpt Your Body Into A Work Of Art
Finally, you have the one thing that everyone goes after when doing a transformation – looking better naked. While I fully do believe this element needs to be mentioned as it’s a huge motivational factor, I also do believe that it falls last in the list of priorities.
The reason?
First, because if you take care of the two things above, chances are, aesthetics will just fall right into place – no effort needed.
And second, because while it feels great to be proud of how you look, your transformation needs to go deeper than that. When it’s just a change in looks that you get, you aren’t really changing your soul and approach to life. As such, it’s unlikely the transformation will stick.
When you focus on changing what’s deeper than surface level looks, you’ll be more likely to build good habits that will last a lifetime.
So take pride in working to look your best, but know that it’s not the only element of your transformation that matters.
Treat your body like a piece of art, constantly sculpting it to perfection, both inside and out. That is the true meaning of the term transformation.
If you go after each of these three fundamentals, I promise you that you will have an amazing transformation on your hands in no time.