With Outfit Namibia’s Outdoor Functional Training Gym heading into it’s 5th year, we’ve had our fair share of questions around the topic of health & fitness. From questions about diet and lifestyle to fitness trends and functional training methodologies.

The most common question, however, is “Why can’t I loose weight?” or “When will I build muscle tone?”. None of which have a simple answer. The truth is, there are so many variables that determine weightloss or muscle gain.

Here are our 6 reasons why you havn’t been able to loose weight or gain muscle. Caution! you’re about to read a healthy dose of realism:

1.) The Role of Intention

The true intent of why you’re training determines the results. Yes, you read that. Whilst you might or might not be aware of the role that intention plays in your life, the reality is, intention is driven by thoughts, which creates behaviours that then shape your present moment or in this case, training. If your intention is to look great in a bathing suit, your training & eating habits will be geared to give you that result. If your intention is to just use exercise to socialize and be around like minded people, your training style & results will reflect that.  Similarly, if you want to loose weight or gain muscle – your intention will define your behaviour & bring you your desired outcome.

2) Diet & Lifestyle

Most people will only train once or twice a week, with the very dedicated training thrice. On day 4-7, for most people, anything goes… “Three beers tonight, sure! I deserve it, I trained so hard this week!” or “I really shouldn’t binge watch DSTV Catch Up, but hey ..it’s the weekend!”.

Being healthy & fit is not about deprivation. But most people dont keep up their good habits, especially over the weekend/during the holidays. The problem is, alcohol abuse, being inactive, sleep deprivation and poor eating habits all contribute to weightloss, weight gain or loosing muscle tone.

In fact, almost all training programs will be coupled with a diet plan for this reason. If your training assured results regardless of your lifestyle, then everyone would be fit & strong! However, nothing exists in a vacuum, so don’t fool yourself – that second glass of wine or your 2am stint on Friday night will reveal itself in your training & your progress.

3) Emotional Wellbeing

The state of your mind and your emotions are interchangeable. Your thoughts determine your emotions and yet few will deem their emotional state as an important factor in their training success. If you feel like you’re a failure or you’re going through a tough time in your career or relationships, it’s likely that this will affect your body either through stress, food intake or sheer energy. Taking care of your emotions and feeding your soul are pivotal in ensuring you reach your fitness goals. Whilst exercise is an energy boost and results in the release of endorphins (the happy chemical – your own personal narcotic), this is only a temporary fix, as long lasting emotional wellbeing starts with thinking positive thoughts.

4) Perseverance

Just keep at it!…In a society that values quick fixes, a DIY mentality and instant gratification, how is it possible to loose weight or build muscle quickly and without much hassle? The short answer: It isn’t. The true measure of success lies in perseverance. How many times have you given up on training or eating junk food? Countless. How often do you try again? To persevere and stick to your health & fitness goals is considered work, but it’s an investment worth making.

6) Style of Training

Fitness programs and gym’s that promise to deliver results in just 20-30 minutes are everywhere. People are pressed for time and any app or gym that promises instant results are in high demand. But is it a fad or a lifestyle that you’re after?

Functional Training at Outfit Namibia is focused on delivering results through core and strength building exercises that enhance your body’s performance in every day life.

Loosing weight and gaining muscle are a byproducts of functional training, with the main focus on movement, core strength, building a strong & lean body, correcting posture & muscle imbalances, boosting endurance and increasing your metabolism.

Functional Training is a training method that appeals to people of all age groups and fitness levels. However, true results with the functional training method is dependant on training for a longer period 45min – 1 hr, a few times a week and doesn’t offer a quick fix. (specifically for Outfit’s Training: a minimum of 2x rounds, training 3x times a week)

So, with a healthy dose of realism and hopefully a better understanding of what truely brings you results, we’d love to hear what you believe are the reasons you may not be getting the results you need? Or is there a training method that’s worked for you that you’d like to share? Reply in the comment section below.

Until next time,

Dunja

Integrative Health Coach