I believe it is human nature to look for simple and easy. But, unfortunately, simple and easy rarely go hand in hand.
For example, at the studio, we have a meal plan “so simple a kindergarten student could do it.” This is true, it is easy. But transforming your eating habits is a lot more difficult than following an easy meal plan. The idea is simple, yes… easy, not so much.
Personally, Lily is still in a crib. It is simple to quickly convert the crib to a toddler bed. However, training her to stay in bed and not get out in the middle of the night is not easy. Yes, again the principle is simple… yet, execution is not so easy.
You can even look at the simplicity of following the 10 Commandments. The idea of them is simple. Living according to the commandments… can be at times very difficult.
One of the big reasons why I believe simple and easy don’t often go hand in hand is because humans are creatures of habit, and building new habits is difficult. Often time we don’t know where to begin to make those changes. Therefore we look for the newest trend or fad. In the fitness world, this typically takes the form of the newest diet trend– KETO, South Beach, Whole 30, Adkins, Carb Cycling, etc. Each one of them promises to give someone a simple solution to their weight problem.
The thing is, people already know the basics of losing weight. The formula is simple. Eat healthy food and move your body. Obviously, however, the solution is not easy. That is why there is a billion-dollar industry filled with hundreds of “experts” claiming to offer the easy solution. Too many experts tend to cloud the “easy” part. We all have our opinions, knowledge, tools, and tricks to help get the end results. It leaves many people confused and jumping from one plan to the other. Ultimately, then what is simple becomes much more difficult and, for some, impossible.
So here is my proposal. In order to get the result (no matter the outlet), do these simple things.
1.) Make a commitment and understand that upholding your end of a commitment won’t always be easy. But the commitment will be worth it. Many people want to only make a commitment for a short period of time and expect a big result. We are talking about your life. Short-term commitments get short-term results. Quit fighting for the short-term and commit to long-lasting results.
2.) Understand the simplicity of consistency. Results are not magic and don’t happen overnight, but compound consistency each day, and amazing things happen.
3.) Hire a coach that has your best interests in mind and will work with you where you currently are in order to get you out of your current comfort zone. This coach will keep you accountable for making the new changes and consistent even when you want to quit and jump onto the next fad.
4.) Quit being addicted to comfort and allergic to sacrifice. That is right, change takes some sacrifice and trying things you have never done before. There will be times of surprise and moments of failure. But most importantly, you will learn and have new knowledge to help you make things easier in the future.
You want simple and easy… all humans do. But the two rarely go hand in hand. Therefore, take a deep breath and don’t be afraid of doing a little work and putting in a little sacrifice in order to make the change. It will be worth it in the end.
