See Spot Run.
Or Try Really Hard and Not Get Anywhere…
Spot awakens from a summer nap. Groggy and barely awake the furry canine notices a squirrel in the distance. Excitedly the dog darts towards the creature.
Suddenly he is pulled back and choked. He rabidly persists but stays right where he is despite his strongest efforts. He gives it all he’s got but eventually grows tired from struggling.
The squirrel dashes away and his goal escapes him yet again. He returns to his resting place and lays down under the shady tree waiting for something else to come along. Maybe next time he’ll get it.
Have you ever seen Spot? He’s energetic, fun, cute and loving; man’s best friend. Spot also wants something he never gets and doesn’t know what’s holding him back. But we do: it’s called a leash. Spot is tied up and stuck. Despite his best efforts he doesn’t know how to get free.
This is what limiting factors are like.
And this is what a limiting factor looks like!
A limiting factor is any obstacle that stands in between you and your goals.
People face many unique limiting factors. There can be many different obstacles that hold someone back from getting what they really want.
The leash analogy is great because while we may not be physically tied up it’s often easy to feel stuck and trapped in the same place. Our feelings tell us that our efforts could be better spent somewhere else, but we aren’t sure what the best actions are to take or where to start.
Some leashes (or limiting factors) are stronger, made of chains and may take more time to break.
Sometimes people think chopping down the tree the leash is attached to is a worthwhile effort. Some get free from the leash but are still stuck in the yard and don’t know how to get out. If they did, they’d still need a specific destination and a guide to get there.
Otherwise, it’s like taking a joy ride around town with no specific destination. It may be better than where you were but having specific goals and an action plan can make all the difference, least you return to where you started because it’s all you know.
When all you have is a hammer…
HAMMER TIME!
You don’t have to stay tied up and lost. If you have the right tools you can get free, get out and pursue anything you want. Knowing what these obstacles are and facing them head on leads to results. How can we get free and make the progress we long for?
This is where a good coach can help navigate and take you where you’ve never been. Sometimes we can’t go very far on our own because we may not know all the things holding us back, or more importantly: the best ways to remove them and what to focus on first.
Coaches find these limiting factors and remove them to produce results.
The best coaches find the simplest changes that have the greatest impact.
In Nutritional Mastery coaching we systematically help you overcome them.
We empower you with the necessary tools to create lasting change. We equip you to maintain those results and live a sustainable healthy lifestyle, for life.
Here is a brief overview of some limiting factors people face.
Download our free bundle package gift: “Limiting Factors: What’s Holding You Back” and The “Calorie Counting Debunked” Guide to get some great tools for overcoming your obstacles.
1. GENETICS
In health and fitness a lot gets blamed on genetics.
We have a saying: “Choose your parents wisely.”
The good news for those of us who aren’t the genetic elite is that humans can get leaner, stronger, and become healthier at any age.
You are probably nowhere near your true potential or “genetic ceiling.”
2. MINDSET
Take some time to look within and ask yourself some questions:
What is your story?
What’s the story you tell yourself?
How could you change the narrative?
Do you want to change?
Do you believe you can?
Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? 
Do you have a scarcity mindset or an abundance mindset?
Are you ready, willing and able to change?
What is your relationship with food like? Is it a friend? A love-hate relationship? Something else?
What superpowers do you possess?
What are you already awesome at?
Are there any reasons or excuses that are holding you back?
The mind is a powerful tool.
You can use it to change or rationalize (rational lies) to stay the same.
3. ACTIVITY LEVEL
If you are choosing to live a completely sedentary lifestyle then one of the best things you can do is start being active TODAY!
MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE
Three kinds of people exist in this world in regards to physicality and exercise:
1. Those who are training
2. Those who are maintaining
3. Those who are detraining
Instead of the dreaded decline choose a life in which you chase peak physicality.
This journey will enrich your life physically, mentally and emotionally. Get to know yourself. Physical exertion is good for the soul. (And brain chemistry, and depression and aging and the list goes on…)
When coaching clients some of the main limiting factors we work to improve are nutrition, activity, sleep, stress, recovery and so on.
These “big rocks” work together synergistically to provide compounding benefits both mentally and physically. Within the activity category there are three main boxes that everyone needs to check: Muscle, Movement and Mobility.
- Muscle – I would highly advocate resistance training for building and preserving strength and muscle mass. Pick up our DEFYING GRAVITY guide to learn more.
- Movement – The heart is a muscle and should be trained accordingly. Aerobic activity helps to improve your cardiovascular health and aerobic capacity. Higher intensity activities such as sprinting, biking, swimming, sled pulling or any type of interval training that is low impact on the joints can also be included. It is best to include sympathetic and parasympathetic activities.
- Mobility – This is a specialized type of training that we can provide. Read more about this in our STORE.
Some regular gym goers may only check one of these boxes if they’re lucky. It’s usually the Muscle or Movement box with too much of an emphasis on one while neglecting the others.
Our Bodies we’re made to move in a myriad of different ways.
Take ownership of your physical being.
Train the body and the brain will follow.
If you can only walk, start doing that daily and build up. (Remember small steps.)
Your health is an investment not a cost.
What does your account look like?
Are you making too many withdrawals from your account without enough deposits?
What investments can you make today to invest in the health and future you hope for?
Invest time into your health now, so you can have health in your time later.
4. AWARENESS
We Americans are born into The Standard American Diet, also known as The Western Diet or SAD and it’s the saddest diet of them all.
What’s That?
Think a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, an extra large soda and milkshake. (Insert your huge portion, high-calorie, carb heavy, trans fatty meal with entirely too much sodium and sugar here. Then insert it again and again = S.A.D.)
I was raised in the playpens of fast food chains. I ate this way most of my life until I transformed my life.
We humans like the taste of sugar, fat and sodium. They give us pleasure and reward seeking neurotransmitters like dopamine. It’s a built in survival mechanism that comes from our hunter-gatherer days 10,000+ years ago!
And so food scientists design these hyperpalatable foods to surpass the level of reward traditionally found in nature. They would like to addict us.
Our Nation’s nutritional gluttony, excess and lack of activity fuel the rampant rise of lifestyle-related disease. Heart disease, obesity, and Type II Diabetes (to name a few) are among the leading causes of death in American. (Not to mention sources of pain, loss, heartache, decreased quality of life, sarcopenia, increasing medical expenses, and the list goes on… Where have we heard that before?)
What’s the good news?
They are LIFESTYLE-related diseases. This means that they are outcomes of the daily decisions we choose in what we eat, how we move, and how we care for ourselves.
Is the food, exercise and activities you participate in today worth the 30-40+ years of life or quality of life they could cost you?
No one can make the change for you but once you are aware, the choice is yours.
You can choose apathy or action. I’m hoping it’s the latter.
5. NUTRITION
Nutrition is by far the biggest limiting factor people face in body transformation and health goals.
Are you eating the right things, in the right amounts, at the right times? …Consistently?
Practicing Good Nutrition is a must if you want to look, feel, and perform at your best. You can exercise all you want but poor nutrition will continue to hold you back from the results you truly desire.
Good Nutrition improves nearly every measurable marker of health, from mood and recovery to body composition and performance.
GOOD NUTRITION can not only change your body, mind, mood and more.
It can change your life.
It’s time to take the knowledge, learn some new skills, practice them daily, and live a healthy sustainable lifestyle for life.
We believe in the power of personal client-centered coaching.
We work one-on-one with you to find your limiting factors and overcome them together so you can transform your body, optimize your health and master lifelong nutrition habits.
Find out more about the NUTRITIONAL MASTERY Men’s and Women’s Programs HERE.
Download our free gift to help you on your journey. Take back control of your health.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE GUIDES TODAY.
What areas are holding you back from achieving your goals? Could you use some help?
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