Q&A- How can I get in shape for my holiday?

Now it's that time of year where people are beginning to book holidays and trips abroad and so on for the fact that it's now coming up to summer. Now what often happens with that is a lot of people decide, right, I need to get in shape, I need to get in shape for the summer because I've got holidays, I've got weddings and things to go to. And of course we come out of that period of where we feel like we're kind of in hibernation mode like we do throughout the winter, and we know that we want to actually start working on our body and our health and start losing some of the excess weight, getting rid of the belly and so on. So what I'm going to do over the next few minutes is walk you through my simple 4-step process called the Metabolic Matrix, and that will show you exactly what you would ideally do if you're looking to get in shape for your next holiday or for the upcoming summer. Now, before I get into that, one thing I will mention is I don't recommend you do it just under the idea or the mindset of I'm getting in shape for the summer, because often what happens with that is we take extreme desperate measures to try and kind of get as much weight off as quickly as possible. And then of course we decide, right, well, now I've gotten the weight off, I've had my holiday, I'll go back to living how I was. Now, if that's all you want, fair play. But if you want your results to last, then I recommend you take a bit more of a patient approach, a more measured approach that doesn't come from the energy of desperation. And that way, once you get your body for your holiday, you'll also maintain it and keep it long beyond the end of it. So let's get into it anyway. So my metabolic matrix process consists of 4 different things. So we've got 4 key components. One is metabolic mindset. We've got metabolic meals, metabolic movement, and metabolic melatonin. Now we're going to dig into mindset first, not because it's the one that moves the needle the most in terms of action, but it's the one that holds us accountable and makes sure that we take the right actions with the other 3 components— the, the meals, the movement, and the melatonin. So when it comes to mindset, the first thing that we need to, to realize is that ultimately health is a long-term thing. Now, what I mean by that is just because we reach the goal or get the fat loss off and so on, or the weight off, sorry, just because we get to that outcome doesn't mean that we get to stop doing what we're doing. We might not have to do it at the same level. We might find that maintenance is much easier, but at the same time, we don't want to come at it with this idea of it being temporary. So, the first mindset shift that we need to make is that, okay, well, yes, I'm going to do this because I want a body for my holiday, but it's a long-term thing. So, I'm going to go steady with it, but also take enough action that's going to give me quick results so that by the time my holiday is here, I'm actually in shape. Now, what this requires us to do is take ruthless responsibility of self. Now, what this means ultimately is, We understand that whatever's going on for us and whatever it is we need to do moving forward comes down to us. It is our responsibility. My body, the way it looks now, whether overweight, underweight, weak, strong, and so on, that's all down to me and the choices I've been making. So now I have to take responsibility for those things, whether good or bad, and just acknowledge that they are what they are. They've been what they've been. But now moving forward, I might have to do some new things in order to get new results. So that's our first thing. We take ruthless responsibility for self, which ultimately means I am responsible for me. Anything that's good or bad is down to me, and anything I've created, whether I like it or not, it's my responsibility, and I own the power to change that should I wish. I had the power to create it, I now have the power to change it. So that's our first thing. We develop a metabolic mindset. Now, the next component is metabolic meals. Now, I'm sure you're all aware, if you want to get in shape, the quickest way to do it is make sure that your diet is on point. Now, of course, when we combine that with movement and melatonin, then it accelerates things even further. But diet should be our foundational component. Now, of course, there are lots of different things that we can do, but in order to keep it simple moving forward, the first thing that you'll want to do is obviously ditch the junk. Now, I know that sounds obvious and everyone says, oh, get rid of the junk, get rid of the junk. Now, the truth is, we know it's not serving us. It's keeping us overweight, it's keeping us craving shit, it's disrupting blood sugar, and often helps our— or sorry, keeps our energy levels low. And because we then end up with this particular body that's overweight, tired, weak, and so on, we often lack confidence and self-esteem. And essentially, we find ourselves undesirable. We're often embarrassed, we're ashamed by our body, and so on. So we need to eat in a way that's going to help move us away from that. So the first thing that we need to do is at least reduce the amount of junk food and processed foods that we've got coming in. You don't necessarily have to completely get rid of them. Of course, you'll get quicker and better results if you do, but we certainly want to at least reduce them. Now, the other thing that I recommend you do alongside that is increase your intake of high-quality protein. Now, if you've seen many of my videos before on nutrition, you'll know I'm all about protein. Not necessarily a high protein diet, but making sure that you're getting adequate protein to help rebuild and repair your body through the process of weight loss, but also to help keep your metabolism high and also maintain as much muscle mass as possible when you're likely going to be eating less food than you have been, plus moving more and so on. So we want to keep protein high to keep us as healthy as possible, keep the body as robust as possible, but also help accelerate our results as much as possible. So for food, we're gonna reduce the amount of junk food we've got coming in and we're going to increase our protein. Is there more that we can do? Of course there is. But because we are just starting out, we don't necessarily wanna do too much too quickly. So we start simple, reduce some junk, increase some high quality protein. And when we start getting to a point where results might begin to slow, then we can dial up and get into the next phases where we're going, okay, well what about veggies now? What about fruit? What about fats and all these different things? But for now, just focus on reducing the junk and increasing your intake of high-quality protein. Now, our next component is metabolic movement. So we've covered mindset, we've covered meals, now we're on to movement. Now, when it comes to movement, essentially we're talking about your exercise or your training. Now, the key is, or the key thing to remember, we don't have to exercise. That's not the only way to lose weight, but we do often need to move. So for some of you, it could be walking. For some, it could be cycling. For some, it could be dancing. For others, it could be joining a team and playing in a team sport or something like that. Any type of movement that you know you will do regularly and consistently will help you move towards your goals. And of course, the one that will get you to your goals the quickest is the one that you will stay consistent with. So No, you don't have to exercise, but should you? Probably. Now I say probably because obviously a focused targeted program that's designed for fat loss or for weight loss is going to get you there quicker than maybe some of these other things might because they aren't necessarily specific to achieving a fat loss result. That doesn't mean they won't get you there eventually, but it might not be quite as quick. So if you were to use an exercise plan, the way I recommend you do it is that 3 to 4 days a week, probably start with 3 if you're, if you're a beginner and haven't been training for a long period of time or ever, maybe 3 days a week, perhaps up to 4, you would do resistance training. So what this means is weight training, essentially, whether using your body weight, kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, and so on. But we want to use exercise that's going to apply resistance to the body and to the working muscles. Now with those 3 to 4 sessions, what we want to do is focus on what we call compound movements. So these are the big movements, things like push-ups or squats or lunges or rows and so on. We want to do big movements that use multiple muscles and multiple joints because they're going to stimulate the greatest amount of muscle mass, is going to burn off the highest number of calories, plus stimulate the most amount of change from the body. Is there time and place for isolation, as in just single bicep curls and things? Yes, there is, but not when it's a case of I want to lose weight as quickly as possible. Doesn't mean we can't do them, it just means we don't focus on them. So we focus predominantly on compound exercises that we're doing 3 to 4 days a week. Now, on the days in between this, what I recommend you do if you're starting out is just 30 minutes of walking. So it's a case of, well, I don't force myself to do anything too strenuous, on the days that I'm not training, but I do make sure that I'm active, and I will do walking, for example, because not only will that keep you active, obviously increase your step count and all those types of things, it will also help you to recover from those resistance training programs. Because for, for many of us, we're so sedentary that the things that we're doing on a daily basis, or not doing as the case may be, isn't helping us to repair from the stresses of our lifestyle. Whereas if we add in gentle exercise as well as the, the higher intensity stuff, the gentle exercise can help with increased circulation and joint pumping and all those types of things, which can help to increase and improve the recovery that we're getting. Now, speaking of recovery, that's what brings us on to metabolic melatonin. So now we've got the training nailed, of course we want to make sure that we are resting and recovering adequately so that our body can adequately repair from the stress of the training, but also give our body time to make use of those— the new healthy nutrition that we're eating. We need the body to have time to make use of that to rebuild us, repair us, and make us stronger. And this happens in our metabolic melatonin category, as I say, which ultimately is rest and recovery. So what we want to do, the simple, easiest trick— and I say trick, it's not really a trick— but is to make sure we're getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Many of us, when we lead busy, hectic lifestyles, we're not getting anywhere near enough sleep. We're often doing 5.5 or 6 hours or 4 hours a night. And yes, we get by. Yes, we can function and survive like that. But unfortunately, many of us aren't able to operate at high levels, as in at our optimum. And not only that, because we're getting limited recovery, we won't actually get the benefits of our training and our good nutrition. Yes, it will be better than nothing because we're now training and got some better food, but we're not going to get the quicker results that we could get. Things will always be hindered and be subpar or suboptimal because we're not getting that adequate rest and recovery. So I would recommend you try to set your schedule up in a way where you can get at least 7 hours. Now, on average, the average person needs between 7 and 9 hours, but you want to at least begin with that 7 hours. So that your body has adequate time. Now, of course, some of you might be like, there is no way I can get 7 hours of sleep right now. And if that's the case, what you can do is focus on quality to begin with. So you might be like, you know what, I can't actually get an increased duration of sleep, but what I can do is improve the quality of my sleep, in which case you would do things like making sure that your room is pitch black, making sure the temperature is relatively low, around 16 to 18 degrees tends to work best for most people. And you would also make sure that your room is as quiet as possible. So what we're looking to do is make it as cave-like as we can, because we don't want things like light stimulation or sound and things to disrupt the quality of our sleep, particularly if it's short and limited. So those are our 4 components. Now, of course, each one we can expand and go deeper and do more in and so on. And if you'd like to go deeper in each one and you want more tailored information specific to you and what you have going on in your lifestyle, feel free to reach out to me in the DMs. I'm more than happy to jump on a Zoom call with you, and we can break down this metabolic matrix system specific to you. What do you have going on? What foods do you like? How do you like to train, exercise, and so on? And we can build out this plan specific to you so that you've got something that you can work with and get, um, and get started with that's more tailored to what you have going on. But if not, if you're like, oh, actually this feels like it's pretty doable. All I have to do is think better and take responsibility for myself so that I consistently show up and take action in my meals, movement, and melatonin. I then in my meals have to just reduce the junk and increase my high-quality protein. In movement, I have to work out 3 days, maybe 4 days a week, and do walking on the other days. And then finally, I just need to make sure I'm getting 7 hours of sleep or improve the quality of my sleep. Brilliant. So there's only 4 things that we're really doing, but that's going to help us start moving the needle and actually moving towards our results. And then if we find 3, 4, 5, 6 weeks down the line, oh, my results are beginning to slow, this is where we tweak and add in the next thing. Okay, well, now let's bring in the next layer of meals, the next layer of movement, and the next layer of melatonin in order to accelerate things again and help speed up the process once again, because unfortunately, the body adapts to whatever we're doing over time, and it will have less and less of an impact. So if I go and do the same workout repeatedly, after I've done it 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 times, that 10th workout is not going to have anywhere near the same stimulus or impact on my system as the first couple of times. So because the body adapts, which is actually a good thing so that we don't completely destroy ourselves and break down all the time, because the body adapts, we have to tweak things and change them up in order to keep our results coming over a period of time, which you probably knew that already, but I just thought I'd share that. So any questions on this, people? As I say, feel free to drop them below. If you want me to dig into any one of these categories or more in more detail, again, drop a comment below, let me know. Or if you'd like to go through this stuff and specifically build out the metabolic matrix for you, reach out to me in the DMs. We can jump on a metabolic kickstart call and tailor this system to you specific to what you have going on and specific to the particular goals that you have. And the things that you want to achieve. Thanks for watching, people. As always, I appreciate your time, and I look forward to chatting with you in my next video.