Introduction

So you’ve decided to take control of your diet in order to lose weight or put on muscle. Congratulation on taking this first step towards better fitness. Although making this decision is an important part of your fitness journey, your journey had just begun. At this point, you may be left with several questions, such as:

Where to start?
Do I have to do sport?
Do I have to run in order to lose weight?
Or even: do I have to track my calories? (What are calories anyway)?

As with any project, beginning your fitness project requires discipline, organization and patience. When it comes to your health, your physical fitness, your athletic performance, and anything else to do with your body, you need to learn to take your time and understand how your body works, as well as how it acts for and against diets and training routines.

Why do I call fitness a « project » ? Because becoming more conscious about good dietary choices (learning what kinds of food to consume in moderation ; which foods will benefit your performance ; which foods will help you build muscle, etc…), educating your family about nutrition, and developing a proper routine is a real project. Nutrition is a fascinating science, one that is both very complex and very precise. Add in athletic performance and you end up with a huge literature which includes years of research and thousands of studies on athletic and applied nutrition. Where is one to even begin ?

How to Plan This Project?

Here are some key points when planning your fitness project:

Having a long-term vision (for instance, managing your weight for 5, 10, 15 years)
Learn to identify the necessary information (and ignore the unnecessary information)
Set small goals (for example : update your kitchen, drink more water)
Set big goals (for example : create a solid routine you’ll stick to on a weekly basis)
Be patient (weight loss is not a linear process)
Stay motivated
And most importantly, believe in yourself.

Through consistency and proper commitment, results will come. By seeing your fitness as a project, you’ll become more analytical and a better observer; you’ll become less emotional and will able to think more clearly so you can make the best decisions. For example, say you’re currently in your third week of weight loss, but your mom’s birthday is coming up in a few days – what do you do?

This series will provide you with all the information you need to turn applied nutrition into your best ally for reaching your goals and achieving your potential.

Table of Content

1 – Food: What Does It Do?

2 – Why is it Hard to Lose Weight?

3 – Results: I want them now!

4 – Build Muscle

5 – Boost Your Endurance

6 – Diet and Psychology

7 – An Habit-Based System

8 – Dietary Control: The Key to Success

Food: What Does it Do?: In this first chapter, the base of nutrition, how food works and how it is being used by your body.
Why Is It Hard to Lose Weight?: In this chapter, I will discuss the different reasons that make you think losing weight is a real agony.
Results: I Want Them Now!: Results, results… when?
Build Muscle: I want abs, bigger arms, huge quads… in this chapter I will give you the base about muscles development and growth.
Boost Your Endurance: Running faster, longer; recover: everything for the future athlete whom performance is a concern.
Diet and Psychology: How to resist this fourth cookie; am I really greedy; how can I change that?
A Habit-Based System: In this chapter, unleash the power of habits. From dietary habits to exercise habits; they help you to set up a “framework” for your personal growth and your health.
Dietary Control: The Key to Success: In this final chapter, everything you need to be autonomous; I will discuss the reflexes; conscious and responsible dieting; for your today efforts become tomorrow’s benefits; and for your health to be a sailing boat.

Note

This serie is purposely simple, especially the chapters that discuss nutrition and physical effort. To my readers that already do have the adequate knowledge in these areas; there is no need for you to read these pages. As for the last chapters; they may benefit everyone; especially for people who are still struggling to set up a proper framework.

I hope these pages will give you everything you need for you to master your own health; as well as pushing your limits; as billions do every day.