Liam is 28 years old and very well accomplished in his field of a network engineering. However, he wanted to translate the same success into his physique.
Before working with Neil Rennie, Liam found himself following home training plans. He would be able to manage some consistency for around 6 weeks before he fell off the wagon.
We asked Liam for 5 tips which he would like to share with anyone who has found themselves where he was:
1. Never compare yourself to others
Remember this is your body, your life, and your personal journey. Allow others to inspire you, but understand we all walk different paths and that nothing worth being proud of comes without hard work, dedication and sacrifice. Whether they be people in the gym, people on TV or even friends and family, you won’t get far at all if you allow the success of others to dissuade you from achieving your own. It’s never too late for you to make something amazing of yourself too.
2. Keep track of your progress
Hard work does pay off, but sometimes it can feel like it’s taking forever to get there. Record your progress regularly. Keep track of your body weight and lifting/gym stats, and be sure to take progress photos so that you can remind yourself exactly how far you have come and also benchmark in future.
3. Keep it simple in the kitchen
When I first started focusing on nutrition, I was convinced I’d get nowhere unless every meal I cooked was of Michelin Star standard. I soon found this is simply not the case. I am not Jamie Oliver, never will be, and that’s ok. By all means, have fun cooking, but don’t feel like every meal has to be something to shout about.
For example, one of my go to breakfasts (and sometimes tea) is bacon, sausage, and egg sandwiches with ketchup – that’s not so complicated, is it?
4. Calories are king
If you’re trying to lose weight, burning more calories than you’re putting into your body is what you’ll need to do to achieve that. Yes that protein shake, avocado salad or fruit juice may be healthy, but too much of even a good thing will simply put you into a caloric surplus and ultimately lead to you gaining weight.
Get to grips with the concept of “If It Fits Your Macros” and come up with a few staple meals which fit in with your goals. This will enable you to work pretty much any food (within reason) into your diet… exactly how I get away with those delicious sandwiches!
5. We all have bad days
Maybe you strayed from the path… you just couldn’t hold back when your colleague brought doughnuts into work, a couple of beers turned into a night on the town, maybe you slept in and missed your training session (Heaven forbid). If you fall off the wagon, get-yourself-back- on. We all slip up from time to time, and it’s so easy to allow a minor bump in the road turn into an all-out pileup and cause us to lose all hope when it simply doesn’t need to. You’re a human being – learn to forgive yourself and keep moving forward if you stumble. Start fresh tomorrow (never ‘Monday’… unless of course today is Sunday).
