5 simple tips to stick to your fitness regime by Ranveer Singh’s trainer Lloyd Stevens

Lloyd Stevens, who trained Ranveer Singh for Ram Leela talks about keeping oneself motivated to do exercise.

By: Lloyd Stevens | | Published: October 21, 2013 11:43 am

Lloyd Stevens with his client Ranveer Singh

Going to the gym or starting a regime is not hard. It’s sticking to it that most people find difficult. Physique Elite trainer who helped shape up Ranveer Singh for his upcoming flick Ramleela tells us how to combat the irrational thoughts of a quitter and master our mind: Also Read - Want to look as fit as Deepika Padukone in DeepVeer’s '83? Here's how to get a toned body like her

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The controversy surrounding Lance Armstrong this year has split the world into two camps those that believe he is innocent or that supplementation doesn’t mean instant success; and those that believe he’s guilty and probably wouldn’t have got as far as he did without ‘extra’ help. Also Read - Have you lost your weight-loss motivation? Get back on track with these tips

I hadn’t really considered which ‘side’ I’d take partly because I’m not an avid cycling fan, but mostly because regardless of the hypocrisy and notoriety that has engulfed his professional career; I still have a huge amount of respect for the man. He has overcome serious, personal battles and reached the top of his game, all of which would not have been possible unless he learnt how to combat those irrational fears that are characteristically part of human nature.

After my first transformation, I realised that the experience had been more about my mind’s strength than my body; it needed constant attention. Yes, physical appearance was the end goal; however it’s not your body that gets you up first thing in the morning to eat the soggy and tasteless combination of egg whites and oats.

Motivational quotes and inspiring pictures help, but there are some practical things you can do to keep those quitting thoughts at bay. Here are my top five:

Believe

Self-doubt is often the only thing that stands between where we are now, and where we want to be. We’ve all had that feeling of uncertainty over our ability to accomplish something, and used phrases such as ‘it’s too hard’ or ‘I’m not up to this’. Learning how to conquer it means we become less susceptible to its influence, and have a much stronger resolve going forward.

There are thousands of helpful articles on how to eliminate self-doubt, from analysing the source, such as failing a previous attempt, to building your ‘confidence muscle’ by setting smaller goals that are easily achievable. For me, I made the decision. It sounds basic, but you would be surprised how many people never decide or fully commit to their dream they simply keep ‘thinking’ about it, or when the first obstacle appears, give up. I didn’t think about how I was going to make it happen, but instead used it as the basis behind every decision going forward, e.g. will this help me achieve my goal? (Read: How Ranveer Singh got ripped for Ramleela! Learn from his fitness trainer Lloyd Stevens (Exclusive))

Set lots of small goals to help you achieve that big one

My main goal was to have that body, however I knew that it could take anywhere between three months and a year to get there. It is incredibly daunting, so I realised it was easier to set lots of small goals that would contribute to my overall success. For example, increasing the number of pull-ups I could do by two a week, or being able to do one-hand push ups. Just recently, after getting into the world of CrossFit, I found setting my one-rep maxes on a weekly basis motivating.

Of course, it’s not always about training. My wife for example found it very difficult to let go of dairy, particularly when it came to drinking tea and coffee. She decided to see if she could do it for one week, and when she achieved that, she rewarded herself with a caf latte admittedly, but she didn’t think twice about it when she began her second 12-week programme.

It’s achieving these small goals that will help keep you motivated and committed to the long-haul ahead.

A positive environment

We will always find ourselves faced with distractions and temptations. Don’t forget, they may not always be in the form of a burger and chips, or your favourite chocolate, a distraction and temptation can also be your girlfriend or wife, a friend or work colleague. I’m not suggesting you get divorced or become a hermit; however it is important that you recognise these negative influencers and use them to your advantage. One of my biggest motivations was to remember those that didn’t believe I would succeed.

My life didn’t change that much, it just became different. Instead of defaulting to the usual restaurants, we now booked those that offered a variety of grilled options so that I had a choice; or we booked hotels that either had, or were near, a gym so that I could still train but didn’t feel like I was complicating the trip away. I also chose to surround myself with the family and friends that supported my goal.

Your surroundings should also reflect your new lifestyle box up all those bad-for-you treats (out of sight, out of mind); put your earliest ‘before’ photo on the fridge so that you’re reminded of where you were before you tuck into that slice of cheese; or subscribe to daily motivational quotes on Facebook. It all sounds so simple, but you’d be surprised how few of us actually do it. (Read: Top 6 health benefits of having friends)

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

I can’t put any more emphasis on this statement if I tried. If your mind is not strong enough, the easiest way to get through anything challenging is to make it a routine in your life we all have them. This means being organised and being prepared so that you’re never faced with having to make a poor decision or choice. This applies to your diet and your training.

Within my first week, I understood that an evening every three/four days would be needed for food preparation cooking enough cups of rice, sweet potato and turkey so that I could just scoop food into lunch boxes for the next day’s meals. As a result, I made these days cardio days. I went to the gym the same time every morning and evening, with the only variation allowed on weekends to accommodate a get-together with friends or family. By setting this in stone, everything else had to slot in around it, and it became much more manageable. (Read: Basics of weight training)

Rest

Sleeping and resting are two different things. Whilst I had a regular 7.5 hours sleep every night, it never felt enough and there were times when I found this new lifestyle exhausting. I made sure that I had a weekend here and there where I could just relax in front of the TV, enjoy some warm food (as opposed to eating cold turkey and rice) and take regular naps.

It’s also important to recognise when your mind needs a rest. This doesn’t necessarily mean relaxing or sleeping, but distractions and enjoyment. I made sure I had things to look forward to that would regularly going to the cinema, long walks or weekends away. Likewise, sometimes I just needed a break away from routine. I would use the cliff steps on the beach as my Stairmaster, or go to a CrossFit workout for something a little more intense.

Being happy and successful for the long run requires more than just a goal and a plan to achieve it. You need to build this kind of mental strength and self-control, which might start out in the gym, but then needs to resonate across every aspect of your life. (Read: Developing self-motivation through others)

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