There’s a two-way conversation happening …
Between you and your body.
And, it’s pretty damn important.
I’m not talking about the actual words you use to describe your body (although that’s pretty damn important too).
What I’m talking about are the signals that you’re sending your body and the signals that your body is sending you.
This body communication needs to be understood.
I spoke to someone yesterday who was working with another company and was told to stop lifting weights during her fat loss cycle.
The scale went down because her calories were very low but she was really disappointed with what happened …
She lost mostly muscle.
And, she wanted to know why.
I explained …
What are you REALLY telling your body?
Think about the signals you were sending to your body.
The first signal is that calories and energy are scarce.
Body interpretation: preserve energy because we don’t have a lot coming in. Don’t expend energy unnecessarily.
The second signals is that muscle is not being used because strength training isn’t being done.
Body interpretation: we’re not using this energy demanding tissue and can preserve energy by getting rid of it.
Result: muscle loss.
She said that makes way too much sense but begs the question … “why would they tell me to stop lifting weights during my fat loss cycle?”
Great question. Because they don’t know what they’re doing.
Honestly, I wish I could give a more profound answer, but it shows a clear lack of understanding of basic physiology.
Body communication is a two-way street
The main thing I want you to understand is the conversation that’s happening back and forth between you and your body.
This is an example of sending a clear signal to your body and how your body will respond.
It works the other way too.
Your body is always communicating with you. The question is … are you listening?
Our body has several ways to get a point across.
We have biofeedback markers like hunger, cravings, energy, mood, digestion, sleep quality, sex drive, mental clarity, stress, etc.
If you notice brain fog, mood instability, and low sex drive … your body is sending you a message. It’s best to pay attention.
We are really good at ignoring those messages. It’s like we want to tell our body what to do without listening to what it has to say.
“Lose fat” – as we cut calories and increase movement.
When our body ignores that message, we get frustrated and try to yell even louder …
“LOSE FAT” – as we cut calories more and add another 30 minutes of cardio per day.
Our body responds by lowering energy, increasing hunger, decreasing sleep quality, and making you easily irritable.
“WTF … why isn’t my body listening to me!”
The better question is … why aren’t you listening to your body?
Your body has spoken – what will you do about it?
When you’re trying to elicit a change, your body needs to feel safe.
Your body needs the proper environment for change to occur.
So, while you’re going through a concoction of stressors, poor sleep, and already undereating … yeah … that’s not the safest environment for your body to respond.
Listen more. Pay attention to what your body is communicating. The longer you ignore it, the louder the signals will get.
Remember, your body will always win.
Hire a QUALITY coach. When the program you’re doing displays a clear lack of understanding, ignores your individual needs, and can’t explain the WHY behind what they’re doing … get a new program.
Being in tune with that back and forth communication between you and your body is invaluable.
And yes, your program should also help you with the actual words you are using as well. Because your mindset will be the difference between temporary results and a lifelong solution.
Need help? We’ve got some coaching spots available right now 🙂
