5 Little Things That Make A Big Difference
by Krista Schaus

When it comes to fitness, it’s hard for our brains (and often our egos) to accept that sometimes it’s the little things that hold us back. I recently had experiences with a friend that brought these forgotten lessons to the surface and provided inspiration for this article.

After six months of being “on task” she just wasn’t happy with what she saw in the mirror. She’d dropped only a few pounds and about 2% body fat. She’d been following the perfect strength training principles for her goals, using good supplements, meditating, doing her energy systems work, and improving her eating habits. Still, her results after all those months was hardly noticeable.

As we later figured out, she was taking care of the big things, but missing the little things… and those little things made a big difference.

Are you making those same mistakes? Let’s find out!

5 Little Things that Make a Big Difference

1. The Picking and Nibbling Habit

The first thing I asked her to do is track her food intake. After just a few days of paying closer attention to what went into her mouth, she came to this realization:

“I eat a lot of stuff throughout the day that’s not mine to eat. It’s almost subconscious — a cube of cheese here, a handful of ‘fishies’ there, my son’s leftover ice cream… ”

The next day, we aimed for 100% compliance — no fishies, cheese strings, or Ritz peanut butter crackers. Anything the kids didn’t eat went into the garbage with no worries of wasting food. Because whether it’s in the trash or in your tummy, it’s still garbage.

The results? A noticeable difference, particularly around the mid-section, and a drop of four pounds on the scale. And that was after just one day of not being a human garbage disposal or “daddy taste-tester.”

Just because no one sees you eat it or you don’t even realize you’re eating it, it all counts. Just because it’s not an official sit-down “meal” doesn’t mean the calories don’t add up! Avoid the picking and nibbling!

2. Getting Sucked in by Labeling: Processed is Still Processed

Fat-free
Whole grain
Low-carb
100% juice
No sugar added
Reduced calorie
No trans fats

Put these words on a food label and many people will gobble them up. The problem is, a lot of this stuff is still not real food!

A yogurt and fruit bar made with “only yogurt and fruit” is still inferior to a bowl of organic yogurt topped with fresh mixed berries. I guarantee you there’s stuff in there that may be contributing to your problems rather than helping you overcome them.

“But there’s only 10 grams of sugar and it’s only from the berries!”

Sorry, it’s still processed! This tip is particularly important for the people who say, “I’m doing everything right, but nothing is happening.” If that’s true, then examine the kinds of foods you’re eating. Just because it has “fat free” or “no sugar added” on the label doesn’t mean it’s healthy or good for your diet plan!

3. Tap Water is For Toilets

Chlorine, bacteria, lead, chemicals, asbestos, parasites — all the reasons why tap water should be for flushing toilets and washing hands only. For drinking water, use mostly filtered reverse osmosis or ionized water.

If you’re looking for peak performance, health, and positive body composition, you shouldn’t be mixing all those carefully chosen supplements and premium quality protein powders with potentially carcinogen-filled tap water.

4. Quality and Quantity of Sleep

From the many BioSignature assessments and related consultations I’ve done, sleep is a huge issue — both quality and quantity. It’s simple, sleep more and better and you’ll start attaining your goals quicker. Not only will you look different, you’ll feel, act, think, and perform different.

If you think you’re the exception and can run on five or six hours of interrupted, shallow sleep and still perform at your best, then keep dreaming! Don’t kid yourself; you’re not a superhero. If you get an average of six hours sleep for just a week or two, you’re chronically sleep deprived and operating at far less than optimal on all levels.

Improve sleep by choosing any or all of the following:

• No TV or computer within one hour of sleeping

• Bye-bye caffeine, at least after 5PM

• Develop an evening ritual to assist with sleep (low lights, ambient music, reading, sex, Epsom salt bath, yoga, meditation, etc.).

• Find a mud bath product (Golden Moore makes a great pine one). Soak for 20 minutes making small bodily movements, drain the water while lying in it, get into bed and you’ll be out!

• Supplement with zinc and magnesium by taking Biotest’s ZMA before bed. Both of these minerals, which more than 90% of the population is deficient in, have a natural sedative effect.

• The herb ashwaganda can assist with those frequent nighttime awakenings.

• Consider a Reiki session.

• If you have a hard time emptying your head at night, lie down in bed and envision the top of your head opening up and all your thoughts emptying out. Then go through a deep breathing cycle and fill your head with positive, peaceful thoughts. If a pesky thought tries to cram itself back in, just acknowledge it and let it fly out the top of your head.

Besides the obvious, how do you know if your sleep is improving? By your dreams. Many clients report having more frequent, more vivid dreams after following sleep improvement recommendations, particularly after supplementing with zinc and magnesium for the first time.

5. You Don’t Know What Hard Work Is!

It’s human nature to find the road most traveled. As a survival mechanism, we’re designed to find the easiest, least taxing way to do everything.

However, when it comes to the reasons why people fail to attain their goals, not working hard enough ranks high on the list. It’s not their fault; truly, they think they’re working very hard. But it’s much like knowledge — you only know what you know. You often come to the realization of your knowledge, or more specifically your lack thereof, by getting out of your little knowledge circle and learning more.

The same is true for our perception of hard work. Your definition of hard work is based on how hard you’ve worked to date. Until someone takes you out of your comfort zone and expands what you consider hard work, only then do you realize that you were previously quite lazy. It’s all relative.

So the solution is to strive to find people who will kick your ass and redefine hard work. Once you find yourself plateauing, bored, and wondering if you’re working hard enough, go find a quality, hardcore training professional to bring you to the next level.

For now, take the hard training questionnaire:

1. When was the last time you cried for Mommy while training?

2. When was the last time you had to crawl on the floor or lay in the fetal position after a set or workout?

3. When was the last time you had an anxiety attack while en route to train?

4. When was the last time you thought you may vomit during or after a training session?

5. When was the last time you couldn’t or didn’t want to speak or look at anyone while training?

6. When was the last time you couldn’t physically form words to speak while training?

7. When was the last time you were actually afraid of the person training you or questioned their mental sanity?

8. When was the last time you had a “fight or flight” response while training?

9. When was the last time you said “I’m the laziest person on the planet” after a training session?

10. When was the last time you told someone how hard you worked in the gym? (Hint: If you find yourself having to talk about it, you didn’t really work that hard. Those that work hard, truly hard, don’t talk about it. It’s like style — if you have to talk about your style, you don’t have it.)

If you were readily able to recall instances to the above questions, then you fall into the “Hard Training” category. If you couldn’t conjure up any immediate images to those questions, then you fall into the “Lazy Ass” category.

The reason you’re not attaining your goals isn’t your hormones, blood type, genetics, or crappy program. It’s that you have forgotten that you’re human and humans are inherently lazy. Now, go do some real work!

Wrap-Up

We like to believe it’s the big, complex, scientific stuff that’s holding us back because they provide excuses that allow us to sleep at night. When it’s the little, simple stuff, we have to face the music and admit that perhaps it was our own weaknesses (mental and physical) holding us back.

So, regardless of what anyone tells you or what you try and talk yourself into, little things domake a big difference, and we all have little things that we can change or improve!

About the Author

Krista Schaus is a level II Poliquin Certified strength coach. She’s also a Canadian IPF Powerlifting Champion and currently competes in the 60 kg open female division. Krista is an adult educator, former police officer, and college professor who now specializes in functional strength training for women. You can find her at www.definingedge.ca.