In the world of fitness there is naturally lots of focus on losing the weight (body fat, leaning out, whatever you want to call it) because that seems to be what most want to hear about. People are confused and they want someone to lay it out for them plain and simple so that they can get results fast. We’ve been there done that, and we can share what we’ve found to be the secret to your long-term success at maintenance. In order to maintain your dream body for the long-term you must be willing to do the following.

1. Transition

The typical scenario: You decide you want to achieve some particular goal related to your body. You follow a program that will enable you to achieve that goal. You achieve the results you are looking for. Yay!Now what? The truth is, immediately after the initial celebration, a lot of people move straight into fear of losing what they’ve achieved. So they think they need to continue on with the strict program that allowed them to achieve it. You must be willing to transition from the goal-oriented program to a maintenance-oriented program. One that is realistic and healthy for your body for the long-term. That’s the thing about really strict, hardcore programs that produce results fast… they are not designed for the long-term. You have to realize that it’s not realistic to expect yourself to endure that level of focus, training, and nutrition forever. This is not to say that you won’t want to set new challenges for yourself and your body because sure, we all want to continue to try new things and expand, but you must be willing to let go and move on to the next chapter in your life.

2. Embrace the ebbs and flows of life

Here’s the thing. You wanted this dream body because having it makes you feel good about yourself and happy, right? It brings with it confidence, self-assurance, and a feeling of empowerment. All of these things help you to enjoy life as a whole more. So, it’s important to realize that once you’ve done the hardcore program, achieved the results, and transition into maintenance, it’s ok to embrace the ebbs and flows of life. Some weeks you will be super focused on training and your nutrition will be spot on and other weeks you may not be quite as focused, and that’s ok. That’s the beauty of maintenance. If you imagine it like a graph and your dream body is a straight, horizontal line. Then, imagine your level of focus as a squiggly line—sometimes you are more focused and others you are less focused, but the overall average allows you to maintain what you’ve achieved. You must be willing to not only transition, but also to embrace the ebbs and flows of your focus and of life. This is so important. This is not only what allows you to maintain what you’ve achieved for the long-term, but also what allows you to enjoy your life fully.

3. Adopt the no big deal attitude

What do all people who easily maintain their dream body have in common? The answer is a “no big deal” attitude. This is actually the biggest misconception about maintaining your dream body. If you ask someone who easily maintains their dream body how they maintain what they’ve achieved, what do you think their answer will be? Some might start out by saying that it’s hard work and a lot of planning, but if you keep probing for more detail, they’ll probably end up saying something like, “I don’t know, I just do.” When researchers say that the body has a “set point” we believe that it’s not really a physical set point at all, but instead mental—it’s an expectation. You must allow your expectation about your body to shift to this new “set point” where you expect yourself to be able to easily maintain what you’ve achieved. In order to keep this dream body for the long-term, you have to stop thinking about it. You have to allow it to simply become a part of who you are. Your dream body is no longer a goal or something to be achieved—it’s your lifestyle. Don’t get us wrong, it’s surely something that you honor, appreciate, and celebrate, yet… at the very same time, it also just is. We hope this has helped you to clarify some things on your road to living well 360. We’d greatly appreciate it if you “like” this post and leave a comment to let us know your thoughts on this topic and if you’d like us to share more like it!