What doesn’t catch your eye like a nice set of abs? It’s true, the primary focus of any fitness program to lose fat and get in better shape is often visual. People gauge success by dramatic results, changes in their measurements, and seeing how much better they look. But what about how you feel? One of the most overlooked things about an effective fitness program is how good it makes you feel to eat right and get in better shape.
Not long before I started the Get Fit, Lean program, I went in to see my doctor because I was feeling lethargic, unmotivated, and just felt crappy most of the time. I even was having these periods where my heart would just pound and I’d have labored breathing. I was worried I might be having heart trouble. I’d been gaining weight, and after some introspection I realized I hadn’t exactly been killing it at the gym, nor had I been eating very healthy. Too many business dinners with free flowing booze, lunches of sandwiches and potato chips from quick-delivery sub joints, and unhealthy snacking had added up. Fortunately, my heart was fine. The problem was I was about 30-35 pounds overweight, eating poorly, and it was taking its toll on my body – and my soul. I just didn’t feel like myself.
That was about the time JD contacted me about his book as I described in my inaugural blog post (you can read it here), and I decided to do his Get Fit, Lean program. In the book he talks a lot about having a steady, constant energy level all day long due to eating right and being in better shape. I just kind of breezed over that when I read it, you know, maybe it was a little hyperbole, and besides I was focused on wanting to lose my gut and get abs. Yet, once I started following the clean nutrition plan, cut out the junk and simple sugars and starches, and began exercising with intensity and purpose, a change began. I felt better. I had more energy. I stopped having those post-lunch comas at work. Just like JD wrote about. It was dramatic and noticeable.
Here’s the thing: when you are eating a lot of processed foods made with sugar and highly processed flour, your body is constantly in a battle to keep your blood sugar levels stable. This battle ends up giving you lots of energy highs and lows. It’s like being on an energy roller coaster. But once I moved to the high-protein, low carb, healthy fat macros outlined in the program, it was like a switch had been turned on.
In addition, over the course of the 12-week transformation program, I lost more than 25 pounds. That might not seem like a lot to some people, but I was 180 (at 5 foot 6 inches tall) and a lot of that weight had accumulated around my middle. So 25 pounds was almost 15% of my total body weight. I literally feel like I have a weight off my shoulders now – I feel lighter on my feet, and doing things require so much less effort. To put it in perspective, pick up a 25-pound dumbbell and start carrying it around. After a few minutes you’ll get pretty tired. Well I had been doing that 24-7 without realizing it. And that’s the equivalent of what I lost on the program. So on top of getting into better cardiovascular shape and being more fit and lean, I’m no longer carrying around all that extra weight.
I can only describe it as life-changing. I didn’t realize how much my lifestyle was bogging me down until I changed it. I feel incredible now every day – I have a high level of energy, I don’t get tired mid-way through the day, and I just plain feel good. It’s impacted my workday and even coworkers have noticed it and commented to me about it. It’s kind of hard to describe, but I’d say it’s as positive or even moreso than the visual physical changes I experienced. So, my message is this: get on a good plan like Get Fit, Lean and Keep Your Day Job – clean up your nutrition, do cardio and resistance training regularly, and start feeling great!
About the author:
Steve Welch is a medical publishing professional who Got Fit, Lean and Kept His Day Job at the ripe old age of 50. If he can do it, so can you.
Not long before I started the Get Fit, Lean program, I went in to see my doctor because I was feeling lethargic, unmotivated, and just felt crappy most of the time. I even was having these periods where my heart would just pound and I’d have labored breathing. I was worried I might be having heart trouble. I’d been gaining weight, and after some introspection I realized I hadn’t exactly been killing it at the gym, nor had I been eating very healthy. Too many business dinners with free flowing booze, lunches of sandwiches and potato chips from quick-delivery sub joints, and unhealthy snacking had added up. Fortunately, my heart was fine. The problem was I was about 30-35 pounds overweight, eating poorly, and it was taking its toll on my body – and my soul. I just didn’t feel like myself.
That was about the time JD contacted me about his book as I described in my inaugural blog post (you can read it here), and I decided to do his Get Fit, Lean program. In the book he talks a lot about having a steady, constant energy level all day long due to eating right and being in better shape. I just kind of breezed over that when I read it, you know, maybe it was a little hyperbole, and besides I was focused on wanting to lose my gut and get abs. Yet, once I started following the clean nutrition plan, cut out the junk and simple sugars and starches, and began exercising with intensity and purpose, a change began. I felt better. I had more energy. I stopped having those post-lunch comas at work. Just like JD wrote about. It was dramatic and noticeable.
Here’s the thing: when you are eating a lot of processed foods made with sugar and highly processed flour, your body is constantly in a battle to keep your blood sugar levels stable. This battle ends up giving you lots of energy highs and lows. It’s like being on an energy roller coaster. But once I moved to the high-protein, low carb, healthy fat macros outlined in the program, it was like a switch had been turned on.
In addition, over the course of the 12-week transformation program, I lost more than 25 pounds. That might not seem like a lot to some people, but I was 180 (at 5 foot 6 inches tall) and a lot of that weight had accumulated around my middle. So 25 pounds was almost 15% of my total body weight. I literally feel like I have a weight off my shoulders now – I feel lighter on my feet, and doing things require so much less effort. To put it in perspective, pick up a 25-pound dumbbell and start carrying it around. After a few minutes you’ll get pretty tired. Well I had been doing that 24-7 without realizing it. And that’s the equivalent of what I lost on the program. So on top of getting into better cardiovascular shape and being more fit and lean, I’m no longer carrying around all that extra weight.
I can only describe it as life-changing. I didn’t realize how much my lifestyle was bogging me down until I changed it. I feel incredible now every day – I have a high level of energy, I don’t get tired mid-way through the day, and I just plain feel good. It’s impacted my workday and even coworkers have noticed it and commented to me about it. It’s kind of hard to describe, but I’d say it’s as positive or even moreso than the visual physical changes I experienced. So, my message is this: get on a good plan like Get Fit, Lean and Keep Your Day Job – clean up your nutrition, do cardio and resistance training regularly, and start feeling great!
About the author:
Steve Welch is a medical publishing professional who Got Fit, Lean and Kept His Day Job at the ripe old age of 50. If he can do it, so can you.
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