Your Business Plan to Lose Weight
Why do we develop business plans in the corporate and entrepreneur worlds but never for our health? If you want a strategic change, consider this simple whole food and fitness plan.
SECTION 1: YOUR MISSION
Personal Trainer Wisdom: To end the cycle of guessing and lack of control, you must move and choose with intent. Be specific. What is your realistic weight loss goal, and what is the objective? For example: To maintain a weight of ____ and a body fat of ____ while living a life with intent. Can your mission be summed up in one sentence? Do you have a bigger transformation goal in mind? This is the time to state it clearly. It will steer your approach (and the rest of your plan).
SECTION 2: SUMMARY OF YOU
Personal Trainer Wisdom: How can you build a solid foundation if you don’t know the material you’re working with? A contractor wouldn’t move forward without this awareness, and you shouldn’t either. Now is the time to become a human scientist and study you! Who are you? What are the trends and patterns of you? How would you describe your emotional, mental, and physical selves? What is your approach to fitness? Do you like fitness? Why or why not? What do you prefer to eat? Why? When do you eat? How do you choose your meals? How do you handle stress? What is the relationship between this stress and other areas of your life? Be honest and list your attributes, strengths, and weaknesses here.
SECTION 3: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS SUMMARY
Personal Trainer Wisdom: While your plan should be tailored to your wants and needs, you must analyze other weight loss and health plans to understand the full scope of practice. What are the most effective and efficient health models that you’ve researched? Should you reinvent the wheel or adapt a popular, successful plan? How have different body types responded to these theories? This section will shape the process you choose and justify it.
SECTION 4: STRATEGY AND OBSTACLES SUMMARY
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Once you have observed yourself and considered the research, it’s time to develop your strategy. You will generally describe the implementation of your plan here. Include the answers to the following questions: How will this strategy reflect your strengths and weaknesses? What boundaries will you develop? How will you implement this plan? Will someone help you? What do you think will be the biggest obstacles to your goal? How will you overcome these obstacles?
SECTION 5: SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Considering that losing weight or achieving optimal health requires a multifaceted approach, break down your strategy into several categories and specifically list what you need to incorporate into your lifestyle. Use this structure as an example:
Weight/Body Fat Accountability
Check weight and body fat when you work and record it on your phone (app 'Monitor Your Weight' or Notes).
Record what you eat daily (no calorie count needed).
Nutrition (Examples)
Limit drinking alcohol to only two days per week.
If you're eating overnight...eat a small meal before bed and when you first wake up. Post a note on your fridge that says, "You will eat again when you wake up in the morning."
Eat no more than one daily meal containing meat, dairy, grains, and refined sugar.
Aim for a daily caloric range of 1200-1500 calories.
Follow the recommendations for this month in the following article: Weight Loss: The Diet Questions You MUST Ask Yourself.
Minimize caffeine to 2 cups (one small mug) of coffee daily.
Print 1 restaurant menu: Choose a restaurant you love or want to visit and ask someone to help you figure out the best menu items.
Exercise (Examples)
5-day workout: 3 days strength/2 days cardio
Mindset
Minimize any news content to 5 minutes per day. It will eliminate quite a bit of negativity in your life.
Embrace new challenges as opportunities to refine your problem-solving ability.
Habits/Goals
Write down ten personal/professional goals on individual Post-it notes and place them on your closet wall or another private place you'll see at least once daily.
Setup alerts with positive messages on your phone using the Simple Routine app as reminders of goals and what you're trying to achieve.
Social Life
Choose one new activity or interaction per week to satisfy your curiosity.
Surround yourself with positive-spirited people daily.
Seek out at least one person when you need help.
What's missing from your business plan? What categories would you add? Tailor this section to support your mission.
SECTION 6: TIMELINE AND MILESTONES
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Develop a timeline once you have decided on your action steps. This section is not only crucial for accountability but also for reflecting on your goals. What is a realistic timeframe to achieve them? What points of this process should serve as milestones? What are your realistic expectations for each of those milestones? How will you adapt this process if you don’t reach your mark?
SECTION 7: FINANCIAL PLAN
Personal Trainer Wisdom: A financial plan can be interpreted in several ways. In terms of monetary obligation, the range of money you spend depends on your interests and the type of help you desire. What will you budget for a new gym, clothes, food, or personal trainer/fitness class? What areas are you willing to splurge on?
In terms of time, how many minutes will you dedicate to research, diet, meditation, and exercise? What are you willing to sacrifice within a strict schedule to make room for these endeavors? No matter what you prioritize during this section, you’ll need to determine the actual cost of your mission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MICHAEL MOODY, PERSONAL TRAINER
As an author, a personal trainer in Denver, and podcast host, Michael Moody has helped personal training clients achieve new fitness heights and incredible weight loss transformations since 2005. He also produces the wellness podcast "The Elements of Being" and has been featured on NBC, WGN Radio, and PBS.
Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), and Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Jefferson Park (80211) and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).
If you’re looking for a personal trainer who can curate a sustainable (and adaptable) routine based on your needs and wants, Michael is the experienced practitioner you’ve been looking for. Try personal training for a month…your body will thank you!
EPISODE #10 - EAT FOR LIFE, WEIGHT LOSS, AND AN OPTIMAL IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH BEST SELLING AUTHOR DR. FUHRMAN
Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where Michael dissects and explores the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, you learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve incredible feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior.
In today's episode, Michael interviews Dr. Joel Fuhrman, an internationally recognized nutrition and natural healing expert and author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including his most recent book, Eat for Life. His other bestsellers include Eat to Live, Super Immunity, The End of Diabetes, The Eat to Live Cookbook, The End of Dieting, and The End of Heart Disease.
