Whether it is a strict ketogenic diet, veganism, paleo or Herbalife, in the highly oversaturated health and fitness industry, many resort to an extreme ‘my way or the highway’ approach to stand out.
Each method would have you believe that their approach is the BEST one for you, regardless of your individual circumstances. But, despite the ever growing list of options, it is important to align yourself with values that you resonate with. These values will dictate what kind of approach will actually work for you.
So this got me thinking, what are our values at MiLife?
Education = empowerment:
When working with clients, I always ensure that they understand exactly what they are consuming and why. It's become clear to me that when you are able to explain to someone why they might be experiencing some symptoms and what they can consume to change that, it helps them understand their own body.
When you are able to break down food into nutritional components, they can make informed choices as to what foods might be best for them. This approach allows them to take control of their health and rise above the plethora of misleading information online.
Balance over restriction:
Long term restriction rarely works, but unfortunately it is the staple of many diets.
At MiLife we believe in balance and enjoying life. The world isn’t going to end because you had some chocolate or a glass of wine. Arguably, there is in fact some benefit to your overall state of wellbeing by enjoying some of the foods you love.
If you can find a healthy eating plan that you enjoy and just slots into your life, then there should be natural room for 'treats' and never a need to binge on a 'cheat day'.
Eating healthily long term, and striking that balance, is something that we strive for with every one of our clients, and so far we’re proud to say we’ve done that quite well.
Strong, not skinny:
For some reason we obsess over the scales, and base a lot of our self worth on the number that appears on them. For some people it can be helpful as they use this as a rough guide, but for many it is something that becomes unhealthy and to an extent, illogical.
I always try to focus on physical goals with clients, whether it is a new PB on a deadlift or doing a pull up for the first time. Doing this focuses your mind away from how you look and more onto your physical performance and how you feel. In any case, they usually achieve their composition goals as a byproduct of this.
A holistic approach:
Finally, the most important thing I do is treat every client as an individual. I build a full profile of each of my clients so I can understand their specific needs and requirements in terms of both their health goals and every day life, looking at how all of that intertwines.
Once again, aligning your values with your approach to health and fitness is a sure fire way to see success, however that may be defined for you.
So, if you're getting into the gym or fitness, or maybe you've been at it for a while but you're not satisfied with your progress, consider how the plan you're following aligns with you and your life.
Take a step back, work out what it is you're trying to achieve, and follow a path that will get you there - even if it's not the quickest way.
If that's something we can help you with, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us via Facebook, Instagram or by emailing contact@milifenutrition.co.uk