What 8 Years in Fitness Taught Me About Lasting Results

Nikkiey: I've been in the fitness industry for eight years, from the National Women's Bodybuilding Pro Championships to needing to be hospitalized for the most expensive poop of my life. I've been through it all. Here are five things I've learned, and the last one is the most important one that I wish I knew at the start. So let's dive in.

Number one: it's not just about appearance. While many people focus on fat loss for aesthetic reasons, it's also so important for your overall health. Starting out, for sure, we all do it for that reason: wanting to feel better in our skin, for the looks. There's nothing wrong with that. However, it's not what it's all about.

It is so important for your overall health to kick any bad habits now and to build new ones. For example, if you don't have much muscle tone or strength in your body, and you hit the phase of life called menopause having never worked out a day in your life, that's going to pave the path of where you are 20 years from now. And guys, I can tell you from seeing frail older women with hip fractures in the ER firsthand, that's not an optimal place you want to be in 20 years if you don't take care of yourself right now.

Number two: people will judge you. Whether you're at the beginning of your journey, the middle of your journey, or even living the whole lifestyle, you're going to be judged. Just know this: it has nothing to do with you. It has to do with the other person's awareness of themselves, because they wish they were doing what you're doing. But they will judge you, and you will be judged. Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions just waiting to be accepted by you. You have to stay strong for what you want. You're doing this for yourself and no one else.

People wish they were doing what you're doing. So find people who are doing what you're doing and get into the environment and the space they're in, because they're going to be way more understanding, way more encouraging and accepting of you and the journey you're on.

Number three: be mindful of who you look up to. With social media today, make sure the fitness accounts you're following make you feel more confident in yourself, not ashamed. Make sure you feel inspired, not insecure, and that you don't find yourself comparing yourself with them in a negative way.

Pay attention to how you think and how you talk about yourself as a result of following these people you look up to. That's so important.

Number four: it is way more of a mental game than a physical one. Working out is for sure super challenging. If you do your workouts right, they can and will totally challenge your body with that stimulus. But it is nothing compared to the mental self-control and discipline needed to say no to the damn cookie you want when it's not within your macro allotment.

Or it doesn't fit where you're at in your fat loss calorie deficit, because you know it's not going to help your mental game and your workout energy the next day. The challenging workout is nothing compared to the mental self-control, the discipline, the willpower, the saying no, or doing things you probably don't want to do but need to do because they're going to help you get the results you want.

And number five: this is by far the most important one to know and understand when it comes to wanting to build muscle, be toned, and see a difference in your body composition.

Most women will need to go through multiple phases of a cut, a reverse diet, and a maintenance phase to achieve the goal of building more muscle and changing their body composition. It's not going to be just one fat loss cut. If you want to build muscle, you have to go through a maintenance phase after your cut, and then maybe up into a building phase. And here's a great example: a babe inside of WarriorBabe who's 60 years old has done this multiple times, cut, maintenance, and build, getting these results.

Now, those are the five things, but here's one bonus tip I have for you. The most beneficial thing I did to accelerate my results was hiring a coach. It took me eight years to master everything I've talked about in this video, and if I hadn't hired a coach, it would have taken me 16. Having somebody with you every step of the way will drastically accelerate your results. If you need someone in your corner along your journey, apply for one-on-one coaching below this video.

If you found this video helpful, please give it a like, subscribe, and share it with others who might benefit from it. And as always, feel free to leave any comments or questions you have in the comments below. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.