The Power of Habit Stacking

For those of you that are regular readers of this newsletter, you will hopefully have caught on to the fact that I am a big fan of creating habits that start small, but have huge changes later on.

As exciting and adrenaline filled as short term transformations are, most of the clients I look after just do not have the time or emotional capacity to take something like that on.

It took me a long time as a coach to find out how I needed to adapt my approach to suit my demographic.

I was constantly banging my head against a wall! At the time I felt like a failure as I was not able to produce countless before and after photos of clients going from zero to hero like many of the successful transformation coaches out there. I would ask questions such as... Why are my clients not hardcore enough? Why don't they want it enough? Why are my clients lazy?  Why are they not athlete's? Why can't I get the same results as those guys?... I must be rubbish!

Thankfully I was able to get over the disappointment that many trainers have when they first start out and after countless hours of studying, attending courses and consulting with many of the top coaches in the world, the penny finally dropped. "Patrick, stop putting your agenda onto your clients, listen to what they really want and meet them where they are, not where you want them to be!"

This is when I discovered the power of habit stacking.

So what is habit stacking? 

Every day, we perform many small tasks on auto pilot. This could be something as small as brushing your teeth or remembering to take a shower, We don't question it or even think about it, we just do it. It requires almost zero willpower. By attaching a new habit onto a current one this allows us to create new habits with minimal willpower.

To create a new habit we need to set a reminder for ourselves. This could be something such as leaving our gym bag ready to go by the front door. We then need to perform the habit, or in this case go to the gym. And finally we need to reward our-self for performing the habit. This is individual specific, but try to choose something other than a muffin. 

The ability to choose small, easy to do habits that require minimal will power allows us to incrementally stack habits upon one another. Much like a tidal wave, the habits will seem small and inconsequential at first, but over time will be so powerful that they completely change your life. 
 
Habit Stacking Examples

Going for a run- When I wake up, I will put my gym kit on and run outside for 10 minutes

Eating more veg- When I cook dinner, I will prepare a huge salad and store it in the fridge

Going to the gym more regularly- When I book my diary, I will book out an extra 30 minutes for a workout

Stretching- When I finish training, I will stay an extra 5 minutes to stretch one or two body parts

Positive Thinking- Whenever I think a bad thought about myself or someone else, I will cancel that with a positive affirmation

One thing I would like to add is that it is important to give ourselves feedback on how we are getting on with the habit we chose. A simple tick in a box for each day we complete the given habit can tell us a lot. If we are unable to sustain the habit then all we need to do is make it easier. For example, if Ben struggles to take his fish oil as they are in capsule form and struggles to swallow them, then substituting the capsules to a liquid is the way forward for him. 

If we aim at introducing one habit every 2 weeks or only when we can successfully complete that habit 90% of the time then by the end of the year we could have up to 26 new game changing habits! Even half of that would be a huge improvement. 

Yours in Health

Patrick Fallis

5 Ways To Stay On Track With Your Plan

Make it easier

Whenever we set out to maintain a healthy lifestyle we tend to be slightly over ambitious and paint a rose tinted picture of how we will be this time.
Start with one thing and make it easy so you build confidence and momentum with bigger challenges down the line.

For example, instead of working out 6 days a week, try starting with 3.
Instead of cutting out sugar completely, replace the post dinner sweet with 1/2 a cup of berries/ another fruit. Instead of doing a detox, try adding one fist sized portion of veg with each of your meals.
 

Have an information fast

We have more information available to us than ever before. It can be so overwhelming that it leaves us confused with different camps shouting very credible arguments.

If you have a trusted source, use that one exclusively and follow its information for at least 6-8 weeks if possible. That will give you enough time to see if that works for you. Everyone is different, but sticking to one thing for a period will usually yield greater return than chopping and changing.
 

Be specific with what you want

Knowing where you want to go really helps keep us motivated longer. Painting a post card of what we want to achieve and doing simple things like putting a what, a where, a why and a deadline on it makes a huge difference.

For example, I want to lose 5kg by 6pm September 30th so I can feel more energized every day.
 

Bring a friend

As long as you choose a good friend and not someone who will sabotage the goal at the slightest sign of toughness. Bringing a friend can make the journey more fun, a social experience, and you can work as a team to motivate each other.

For example, canceling on your workout partner on a cold morning at 7am will make you feel far worse than just pressing the snooze with no one waiting on you.
 

Keep track of your progress

There is nothing more soul destroying than plodding along not knowing if you are on course towards a goal. If you don't know whether you need to be happy with you progress, tweak your plan or redirect your course completely.

Measure your progress regularly. For example, take before and after pictures every 2-4 weeks, measure your body fat or simply tick a visible chart that tells you whether you followed your habit stacking plan.

Any number of these will help you stick to your plan. Try one.

Yours in health

Patrick Fallis

Which is better for fat loss- Cardio vs Weights

This seems to be an ongoing battle as to whether weights or cardio is for fat loss. People in each camp throw mud at the other with statements such as "cardio makes you fat", " weights make you bulky" or "cardio wastes muscle away leaving you skinny fat."

Here are some pros and cons of each one

Weights

Pro's-
- Builds muscle to sculpt the body
- Strengthens bones and joints helping prevent different types of
arthritis
- Boosts immune system

Cons
- Can be more demanding on the nervous system leaving you exhausted
- Poor technique can lead to muscular imbalances and injury if not addressed
- Higher risk of injury with lack of coaching

Running
Pros
- Great for the cardiovascular system
- Helps clear the mind and improve memory

Cons
- High impact, long distance running can cause damage to joints
- Causes greeter oxidative stress on the body
- Body adapts very quickly to cardiovascular training meaning that progress stalls faster

So balancing these pros and cons  which one really is better for fat loss?

The answer may surprise you. The act of weight training actually mobilises fat around the body which is very good. However in order to eliminate the fat circulating the body we then need to do a low level of cardio to flush it out.

Different approaches will work best depending on how time rich or time poor we are.

A time restricted person who only trains for 1 hour, 2/3x a week, the sweet spot for them would be 40 minutes of weights and a slow and steady 20 mins of uphill walking or on the X trainer.

For the time rich individual training 4-6x a week. Weight training 4x for 60 minutes. On separate days Cardio whether it be HIIT (high intensity interval training) for 20 minutes or LISS (low intensity steady state) for 40 minutes would be best.

Bodybuilders/ fitness models whose soul purpose is the get as lean and muscular as possible will use several strategies. Some will weight train twice a day. Some will do fasted LISS in the morning and weight train in the evening. Some may even weight train and combine HIIT at the end of sessions. Many will cycle between all of the above methods.

For the readers of this newsletter the first option will be more appropriate.
Combining both weights then cardio is without a doubt the most effective way to burn fat.

Yours in health

Patrick Fallis

The Importance of Quiet Time

The holidays are fast approaching and people are in a rush to get everything ready. Mum and Dad are attending all the school end of year events, the city guys and girls are in a rush to get that summer body and businesses are working hard to get everything done before the world slows down in late July and August. 

There is a certain beauty about this time of year and for me I see it as the end of the year. It is a great time to embrace work slowing down, reflect on what we have achieved so far and make one or two plans for where we would like to be by the end of the calendar year. It is a well deserved pit stop. 

One of the most powerful aspects of this holiday period is its ability to help us recharge. Even though some of my clients that do not eat so well and drink more alcohol than perhaps they know best, many lose weight. This baffles them, and the reason for this may surprise you. Quiet time can actually help you lose weight! When your mind is taken away from work, bills, societal expectations and stress the wonderful things happen. 

I would like to give you just a couple of tips on how to use your quiet time for the best effect.

Spend 30 minutes in the morning by yourself

If you have the opportunity to get up a little bit earlier than your partner/ kids, try spending 30 minutes on your own by the pool or at the breakfast table and do something that relaxes you. For many, it may be reading a book (fictional best) that you find calming. Alternatively you could just sit in silence and listen to the noises around you, allowing yourself to blend into your environment and take it all in. 

Go for a walk

This is probably best done in the morning before everyone gets up (just so you are not too anti social), but going for a walk can be easiest and best type of meditation for people. This is even better when out in nature. Avoid listening to music or anything that will distract you from being present and taking in all your surroundings. 

Go to bed a bit earlier

Some evenings going to bed a little bit earlier before everyone else can give you a little bit of you time. You may have a bath or curl up and read a book and just nod off. Whilst everyone else is up until late you can recharge and will also have the benefit of being up earlier than the others in the morning. I would only do this for a couple of nights mind you, as who goes on holiday to go to bed earlier and be anti social? 

Practice breathing

Breathing has been proven to be a very powerful form of mediation with great restorative powers. However many of our optimal breathing patterns have been altered to the point we have forgotten how. 
Try breathing in through your nose, allow the air to fill your belly so it expands. Do this for 2/3's of your breath and allow the last 1/3 to fill out the chest. This allows your diaphragm to expand properly and activates the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for digestive and restorative functions in  the body. This is best done lying down on your back or standing in good posture. Try 10-12 slow breaths to start. 

I hope you find at least one of these useful and try them out whilst on holiday. You will feel much younger, look fresher and probably lose some weight too.

Yours in Health

Patrick Fallis