And, just so there\u2019s no confusion, I must reiterate that this is a fitness article. Here are some of the New Year\u2019s Resolutions I won\u2019t be addressing:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Fixing your moral compass: I lost mine years ago<\/li>\n
- How to be a good person when Mercury is in retrograde: There\u2019s nothing any of us can do about that. We\u2019re nothing but unwitting victims to the moods of the moon.\u00a0<\/li>\n
- Getting that promotion: No idea. I just work and hope for the best.<\/li>\n
- Expanding your mind: Actually, I can help here. Go read a book. (I\u2019m sure I have a few good recommendations, like this funny satire book written by yours truly, Logan Atlas.)<\/li>\n
- Breaking free of debt: It\u2019s tax return season still, right? Spend all that money and for a while, I promise you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re out of debt.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Energy Levels and Adjusting Routines<\/b><\/h3>\n
One of the biggest problems I\u2019ve heard of other people\u2019s clients running into is a general lack of energy when it comes to their diet plan and workout routine or fitness goals. This should not happen on an optimized diet\/workout plan. Yes, even in a caloric deficit.<\/p>\n
Excluding hormonal anomalies, usually, lack of energy and exhaustion is caused by one of these factors:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog-new.buckedup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/overweight-guy-working-out-300x169.jpg\")
Keep it up. Stay strong. Goals take time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n - \n
- Adrenal Fatigue<\/li>\n
- Overtaxing your system<\/li>\n
- Lack of sleep<\/li>\n
- Not enough nutrients<\/li>\n
- All of the above.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
More often than not, it\u2019s “all of the above” (or at least a mixture of a few). If it was just one thing, most of us could grit our teeth and keep grinding through, but when the problems compound, it\u2019s like mining for gainz and suddenly the tunnel caves in all around us. Sure, you\u2019re not dead, but you gotta remove the boulders one by one and even that can be daunting in order to achieve your fitness goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Parable time: Alex fell off the fitness bandwagon a few years ago, during their freshman year of college. Come New Year\u2019s, Alex decides it\u2019s time to return to physical glory. They do some research, purchase a 12-week workout and diet program from their favorite Instagram model (because said IG celeb claims it’s what he\/she does), then Alex commits to their goal. And, of course, Alex also bought the supplements from that model, since every IG celeb has a supplement line now.<\/p>\n
Statistically speaking, it\u2019s highly likely that this \u201cprogram\u201d consists of:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 5-6 workouts a week<\/li>\n
- High-Intensity Interval Training after each workout\u00a0<\/li>\n
- A nutrient deficient diet that cuts into the following budgets\n
- \n
- Financial budget<\/li>\n
- Energy budget<\/li>\n
- Time budget<\/li>\n
- But hey, it has a cheat day!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Sound familiar? Maybe all of this feels familiar, maybe only a little of it does, but in one way or another (and at one time or another), we\u2019ve all experienced a similar experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The body requires nutrients, it\u2019s as simple as that. Cutting out nutrients can cause lethargy in itself. Now add in extra work and arduous training sessions on top of that? It\u2019s a recipe for disaster. We need balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It makes sense to want to jump all in, and I respect the enthusiasm, but it\u2019s just not maintainable. If you\u2019ve fallen off, more likely than not, it wasn\u2019t that you failed or that you\u2019re a slacker. It\u2019s the opposite. You came in so determined that you burnt yourself out. When it comes to fitness goals\/health, maintainability is EVERYTHING.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adjust Your Routine to Fit Reality<\/b><\/h3>\n
You have to do something you can commit to. That\u2019s abstract, I know. Let\u2019s return to Alex for a second. What if, instead of going into the new year at an all-out sprint, they simply stepped into it, with intention, vision, and a realistic plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
- \n
- 3-4 days a week in the gym, maybe some light cardio on the days off<\/li>\n
- Eating consciously and doing minimal research about foods to limit (not cut out, just limit)<\/li>\n
- Maybe tracking macros two days a week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Be realistic with where you\u2019re at, and what you can accomplish with what energy and time you have. If you can only make it to the gym 3 days a week, that\u2019s fine. Go in and own those workouts. (Just don\u2019t forget your pre-workout<\/a>.)<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t afford to eat organic chicken four times a day or work 60 hours a week so lack the time necessary to cook all that meat, it\u2019s fine. You just have to adjust and adapt you fitness goals. And that might include some…heaven forbid, eating out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eat Fast Food AND Stay On Track<\/b><\/h2>\n
I\u2019m not talking cheat meals. I\u2019m talking every day of the week. It is absolutely possible to make fast food part of your diet and accomplish your goals. No, not just for bulking. For fat loss too. Whatever your fitness goal may be.<\/p>\n
There, I said it. I\u2019m a blaspheming heretic, I know. But guess what, I\u2019m also right (come at me, bro).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unless you\u2019re prepping for a competition or a photoshoot then fast food won\u2019t kill your fitness goals. The idea that we all need to be as strict as someone whose livelihood depends on their abs is absurd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the caveat; you have to be smart about what you order. I\u2019ve provided some common examples as well as their macronutrient profiles in the table below. These are selected from the biggest fast-food chains in America, and I\u2019ve tried to include a wide variety of foods for all fitness goals. The ones I\u2019ve left out are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Pizza: the holy grail of cheat foods, keep it where it belongs<\/li>\n
- Baked goods: Come on. You must know there\u2019s no utility in a muffin by now (unless maybe as a post legs day treat)<\/li>\n
- Ice cream: It should go without saying that Baskin Robbins is not a meal<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"fit](\"http:\/\/blog-new.buckedup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/couple-fit-min-300x200.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"healthy](\"http:\/\/blog-new.buckedup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/nuts-backdrop-300x99.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"fit](\"http:\/\/blog-new.buckedup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/thor-me2-min-220x300.jpg\")