Sep/Oct 2017 99
TRANSFORMATION
BY DANIELLE APPI
OXYGEN COVER GIRL
AND AMBASSADORS
adly, we often we see these
brightly shining stars come crashing
back down to earth post-comp as
normal life resumes and their weight
slowly starts to creep back up.
How is it possible that these women can be
so proud of their ‘transformation’ one day and
less than a month later, be utterly miserable in
their own skin again?
In my opinion it’s simple. Transformation is
generally associated purely with an aesthetic
change.
The transformations these girls go through
are purely physical. Don’t get me wrong, they
have absolutely been through a transformation
period. They have changed their shape, their
size, their body fat percentage... but the one
thing they have not been able to successfully
change is their mindset.
And it’s not just girls in the competition
world who suffer from this problem.
Every year women around the world spend
literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in
a desperate attempt to “buy” a permanent
transformation.
But even if some of these solutions work for
the short term, a staggering 90% of people
who lose weight by taking drastic measures
(e.g. quick fixes, low-calorie and restrictive
diets, removing food groups, excessive and
obsessive exercise etc.) will put the weight
back on simply because these strategies are
not sustainable for the long term. Nor do they
address what I believe is the REAL issue at hand
- a transformation needs to be a permanent
change in mindset to one of self-acceptance
and love.
So many women who go through painful and
invasive surgery or achieve dramatic weight
STILL look in the mirror and hate their bodies!
Why? Because ultimately they have changed
their outwards appearance but their mindset
is still fighting the same demons they have
always had. Most of the issues they are dealing
with are psychological issues that prevent
them from truly learning to love and accept
themselves.
So what is the answer to permanent
transformation? In my opinion two things:
wisdom and application.
“Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks
inside, awakes,” – Carl Jung.
In order to truly transform your mindset you
are worthy and capable of reaching your goals -
and if not, why not?
These are all the hard questions you must
internally explore and understand in order to
gain wisdom.
The second part of the transformation
process, and arguably the hardest – is
combining the wisdom with consistent
APPLICATION in order to transform
permanently.
It is simply not enough to KNOW what to do,
you must DO.
I get it: things get in the way, lack of
time, lack of money, lack of support, lack of
motivation. So many excuses for why you can’t
consistently apply the knowledge you have...
and trust me, as a personal trainer I’ve heard
them all.
So how do YOU overcome these excuses?
That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?
The best advice I can give you is to start small
and be patient.
My favourite words for training, health and
goal chasing are: consistency, patience and
hard work. Throw in a little bit of honesty with
yourself, and accountability to someone else,
and you’ve made a good start.
Jillian Michaels is worth quoting here,
“Transformation is not five minutes from now;
it’s a present activity. In this moment you can
make a different choice, and it’s these smallchoices and successes that build up over time
to help cultivate a healthy self-image and self-
esteem.”
The difference between where you are now
and where you will be in a week, 12 months
from now, or in your 80s, is simply what you do
each moment of NOW.
So when those excuses pop up, ask
yourself these key things before you cancel
that workout for drinks, hit that snooze
button or eat that cake:
Do you honestly believe that you are
worthy of your goals?
Are your actions supporting those core
values?
Are you practising patience and
consistency?
And do you love yourself enough to make
the right choice right now, in this moment?
You are in charge of your health and
happiness transformation. Decide what you
want, understand why it is important to
you, and learn how to get there and then be
consistent, patient and work hard.
And believe that you are ABSOLUTELY
worth it!need knowledge and understanding which is
the gaining of WISDOM.
You need to gain knowledge about your
body and an understanding of what YOU need
in order to have the figure you want; be the
person you want to be; and lead the life that
you desire; AND believe deep down that you
are worthy of this life and body you dream of.
So many people would rather pay others to
do the work for them so that they can blindly
follow a meal plan, a 12-week challenge or a
transformation program without truly learning
and understanding WHY they are eating X
and performing Y to get to Z. Or worse, spend
hundreds of dollars on quick-fix solutions
rather than put in the actual hard work for
effective and lasting transformation.Gaining knowledge extends not just to what
your body needs to obtain your goals, but also
looking within yourself to honestly evaluate
and understand what is truly driving and
motivating you.
What are your core values and how
important is it that you move from where you
are now to where you want to be? What are you
prepared to sacrifice and change to reach these
goals? Are you willing to leave your familiar
comfort zone? Or deep down do you know that
you will retreat when the going gets tough?
Are you willing to let go of past behaviours in
order to create new habits that will support
your desired goals ongoing and not just for the
short term? Do you honestly believe that you“THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU IS
TO START SMALL AND BE PATIENT.”