Turn Around

By Ramese Long

As I continue to train client after client, a lot of my own personal issues of losing weight begin to resurface. At times, it can be a little painful but through the pain comes extremely useful advice I can provide to my clients so they don’t have to go through the same ups and downs I did.

One thing that proves extremely difficult is having enough patience to continue to stay on your plan long enough to see physical changes in your body. As I’ve said before, initially the changes start from the “inside-out.” First, you may begin to sleep better, wake up with more energy, stress levels decrease, etc. But that means very little when you want to see the numbers on the scale decrease (which I’d prefer you not use for now as a gauge because there are so many variables to consider with the scale), or want to fit into the wardrobe that is now collecting dust.

Here’s one of the top problems I see with my clients (myself included) when trying to lose weight: When you look in the mirror, there are two things you focus on; what you don’t like and what you see in front of you. How often do you turn around to see what’s going on behind you (with the exception of criticizing and looking at your behind!)?

When I was losing weight I constantly focused on what I wanted to get “rid of” versus what was changing. I focused solely on facing the mirror rather than turning around to see what was going on with my back, neck and my love handles. If I would have focused on what was actually changing with my body and not what I despised then I firmly believe my journey would have been much smoother and shorter…and this is why I’m telling you to turn around mentally and physically.

Again, the information I provide is not the solution to all of your issues but one of the many pieces to your puzzle which only you can solve. The purpose of turning around is not just physical, it’s more emotional. You must focus on the positive part of your routine because if you continue to beat yourself down, then how will you lift yourself up high enough to get your weight down?

Everything must turn around…what you say to yourself and what you focus on when you look in the mirror. The most important of the two of course is what you say to yourself. How often do you tell yourself “great job,” “I’m proud of you,” or “I love you?” I challenge you to say one of these three statements the next time you look in the mirror. I do it myself and believe me, it will feel awkward at first but a sense of empowerment and confidence will arise the more you implement this tool. Soon enough, you’ll make the connection that only you can give yourself what you need which starts from the inside out!

Finally, the physical changes I’ve noticed now more than ever with my clientele are them losing body fat on their backs/wings, love handles, glutes and necks much faster than the dreaded pooch most of us want to conquer. You have an entire body, not just a frontal view but a rear view as well. Turn around in the mirror more often and I assure you, you will see some positive changes in your body you may have overlooked.

Put your focus on what is happening, not solely on what you want to fix. The sooner you make that connection and feed it, the quicker you will reach your goal. If you’re feeling better and have more energy…keep your focus there. If your lower back does not hurt as much then keep your focus there. In other words, you must continue to feed the areas that are producing positive results rather than the areas that appear to be lagging behind. Keep moving forward…don’t rush and don’t ever stop! It’s worth it in the end…trust me!

Do someTHIN!