The Action Plan you need to transform your life.
That's me, as you may have guessed. If you're just seeing a skinny boy v/s a relatively ripped guy in this picture, I would urge you to dig a little deeper. This is not just a body transformation, it is a lifestyle transformation.
I'll be sharing my experience, plus helping you out to kickstart your journey. At the end of this article, you'll have plenty of ways to transform yourself, holistically. Let's go!
My Experience
Phase 1
So this was me! Back in 2014. I look malnourished, which I kind of was to be honest! I had no focus on nutrition, proper rest etc. Back then I used to play badminton at state level. Believe it or not, I used to play for almost 4-6 hours daily after school/college! Wow! What a life!
Phase 2
When I was super skinny, people used to call me names, and assume that I was very weak. Just to prove them wrong, I started eating like a monster. My daily food intake was a whopping 6000 calories for around 8 months, and this was the result. I gained some muscle but, it was mostly fat! But hey, I was transforming myself! This was mid 2015.
Phase 3
This phase was the most crucial point in my whole transformation. I started educating with respect to fitness and nutrition. Did my first certification during this time, which taught me a lot. I had no idea that I was making mistakes, which I thought were not mistakes at all, but in reality, they were massive blunders. This was around 2018.
My takeaway
I focused too much on being "healthy", during this transformation. This might sound like a good thing, but obsessing about "health" is an illness! That's the irony. In a practical sense I really didn't know what health was. I had it all wrong.
To accelerate my transformation, I did everything I could. Not all of it came in a positive manner. This thought of pushing and doing "anything" possible, just for a good looking physique played with my mental health and actually injured me for 8 straight months.
As I studied more and more, I realised that this transformation journey is not just about the way you look. It's about the way you feel. A true lifestyle transformation was needed.
My transformation wasn't really a perfect one. And by any means, if you think a transformation finishes in 6 months or so, you're wrong. A lifestyle transformation is an ongoing process. I mean, why would you stop learning about new aspects of life which can evolve you both mentally and physically?
How can you start?
Ask yourself, "Why do I really want to transform your life? What difference will it really make?"
"The man who has a why behind his life, can survive almost any how" - Viktor E Frankl
Yes, I mean we are not talking about survival here, but I'm sure you get the point!
For any transformation to be successful, you need to figure out a why behind it. This will help you set a goal, which is realistic and achievable. To introspect further, I would urge you to use the set of questions below -
Action Step - What needs to be done?
Responsible person - Who should take action to complete this step?
Deadline - When should this step be completed?
Necessary Resources - What do you need to complete this step?
Potential Challenges - Are there any potential challenges that may impede achievement of this task? If yes, how will you overcome them?
Result - Was this step completed? Were there any new steps identified in this process?
All steps are super important when it comes to setting goals to transform your lifestyle. But there is one step, which in particular needs a little more attention. You guessed it, it's the Action Step.
When it comes to a lifestyle transformation, many people want to transform their body as well. They want to look good, because why not?
Here's what many people have in mind - "Ummm, I think to shed off this belly fat, I need to shed off 10kgs."
Is this bad? Hell no!
But it is certainly not an Action Step. And that's where things go wrong!
Look for behaviors, actions and practices that will lead you to lose that fat!
When we are filling out these questions, we are looking for actions and behaviours. We are looking for tasks which can be done even when you think, "Ah! This is the worst day ever!"
A common example for the Action Step can be - Take out 10 mins daily for my workout
This way, you have broken down your Vision, which was to lose 10kg in n number of days, into a realistic action.
Does this guarantee my transformation?
Absolutely not. But it guarantees one thing, Data. Whenever we start out with a lifestyle transformation, there are going to several barriers throughout our journey. Like -
Time Management
Stress
Finances
Improper Guidance
Availability of resources
What this little brainstorming exercise does, is basically provides you with data.
You can exactly see what went wrong or awesome with your transformation etc...
Take your first step!
Taking our first step can be like ripping a band-aid off. However, it isn't supposed to be that extreme. I have this simple logic while training my clients. I ask them to take BABY STEPS.
Sounds pretty simple right? Well, here's how many people get it wrong.
Example 1
Incorrect approach -
"I need to take baby steps, so let me just start out by going to the gym today. This will definitely make me feel better."
Correct Approach -
"I need to take baby steps, so let me start out by going to the gym once this week and exercise for 10-15 mins/4 times this month and exercise for a total of 60 minutes in a month"
By any means, this approach might not help everyone transform their life. Some people are hustlers, and I would not recommend them to change their personality because they read some article.
But for the people who are not, this approach is better than sitting around at home all day. The probability of success is much higher.