Every man has an image in his head about how getting fit for the summer will increase his quality of life. And it’s true. Women love a man who is muscular and fit (ignore what you hear about dad bods). Clothes look better on a man with strong wide shoulders and a narrow waist (see pics below). And increased strength and physical capability does wonders for overall confidence.
Most men, however, take a short-term approach to getting in shape. They’ll set a vague goal, like “get fit for the summer.” They’ll workout and diet like crazy for a couple of months to put on muscle and lose fat. Then they’ll quit when they don’t get the results they want. Most of the time they don’t even end up fit for the summer. I wouldn’t want to continue on this path either!
It takes years of work and dedication to look like Daniel Craig in the picture above. But don’t worry, it is possible to get closer to this type of physique with consistent effort. And you do have a long time horizon to get in better shape – you don’t have to go in the other direction as you get older.
So what’s the solution? Chill out on these over the top “get fit in X amount of time” routines and diets, and go for a longer-term, more sustainable approach. Working out 3 times a week for the whole year and maintaining a consistently healthy diet will yield much better results than working out 5-6 times a week and suffering through a crash diet for three months out of the year.
I get that habits are hard to break. Below are the best ways to create a sustainable, long-term approach to your fitness that will yield results for your entire life.
- 80/20 rule for diet is the key to success
- Be a man – work through some pain/discomfort
- Find something you can enjoy year around
- Get professional help
80/20 rule for diet is the key to success
You’ve probably heard some version of this before – diet is more important than working out in terms of reaching weight/fat loss goals. In fact, many experts have suggested that your diet accounts for about 80% of the success in any workout program. Simply put, you cannot outwork a bad diet.
For some perspective, the average person burns about 450 calories running 3 miles. This equates to 2-3 donuts. You see how easily you can sabotage a good workout?
So how do you keep your diet in check? Again, we rely on the 80/20 rule. 80% of your meals should be healthy. I know “healthy” can be tricky to define (this post is a good intro if you’ve never really looked into nutrition).
Basically, 80% of your food intake should consist of healthy whole foods with minimal processing or calorie-added preparation (like frying or searing with lots of butter). Think poultry, meat, eggs, low-fat dairy, legumes, fruits, vegetables, healthy carbs (rice/quinoa), and some nuts.
If 80% of your intake comes from these whole food sources, then you have a 20% buffer to indulge.
This 20% is what helps keep the diet sustainable for the long-term. It’s not like you can never eat pizza or burritos, or drink alcohol ever again. But if you keep these indulgences at a 20% max of your total intake (so at 21 meals a week, this is 4 total meals), you’ll still be able to see progress without giving up the food you love. And honestly, a gentleman shouldn’t be indulging in donuts every single morning.
Improving your diet will improve how you look, feel, sleep, and perform in all aspects of your life.
Yes, you may have to start cooking some of your own meals. It’s much easier than it sounds, and if you don’t know where to start, check out this link. It can be as easy as cooking up a protein, roasting some veggies in the oven, and making some rice or baking a potato.
Be a man – work through some pain/discomfort
Part of being a gentleman is knowing when you have to be a man.
If you truly want to create a healthy lifestyle and improve your physique, you will have to endure some discomfort and pain. Working out consistently can be hard, but overcoming this challenge is rewarding. You’re not going to love every workout or every healthy meal. But deep down you know what it takes to reach your goal, and you’ll have to make some sacrifices.
It’s really up to you to decide if you want to improve your health and physique and attain all the associated benefits. Nothing in life that’s worthwhile comes easy, and there will be days where you have to gut it out. Be a man and get through it.
If you’re just getting started again, then check out this post for some helpful advice.
Find something you can enjoy year around
While you may have to grind out some workouts, you can still create an enjoyable experience during this process.
The best hack for getting healthy is to find an active pursuit you truly enjoy. You could play a sport recreationally (soccer, basketball, tennis), find solace in the challenge of endurance sports (running, biking), learn and train a combat sport (boxing, jiu-jitsu), learn a challenging and fun skill (surfing, rock climbing) or take up something more conventionally focused on fitness (weight-lifting, calisthenics).
If you’re not sure what you’ll like, try some stuff. It’s always a great idea to have a hobby that doubles as a way to get in shape.
Ideally, you find a hobby that requires you to cross-train to improve at the activity. For example, if you take up boxing and really enjoy it, it will be easier to add secondary activities like running and weight-lifting to improve your main pursuit.
Also, make sure you get some sort of movement in every day. Moving more often (taking walks, using a standing desk, keeping your home clean) will burn some extra calories and help you feel better. Who doesn’t benefit from a nice walk in the sun? If you have a sedentary job, get up from your desk every so often and take a walk, or stretch, or do a couple household chores.
Get professional help
You can expedite getting fit for the summer and beyond with a little bit of help. If you’ve tried everything but still can’t quite find a routine you can stick with year around, then you should seek professional assistance.
Hiring a personal trainer can be a great investment. Since we all have our individual strengths, weaknesses, injury-history, and likes/dislikes, a good personal trainer can tailor a program specifically to your needs.
You do need to make this investment decision just like any other – do your research. Make sure your trainer has worked with clients who have similar goals and history to yours. If you are skinny and want to put on muscle, for instance, make sure they have helped clients achieve this goal (and ask for a testimonial). Same goes for losing weight, or achieving a strength goal, or any other goal for that matter.
Specific programs focused on different goals can help too if a personal trainer is not within your budget. If you have a physique or diet goal, you can check out these guides. I have personally used a few and can attest to their effectiveness. They’re very affordable and can be a game-changer in terms of getting on the right track.