Performance > Aesthetics.

Performance is a priority. Aesthetics is an afterthought. That's a mantra that we like to live by at SLM, and for a good reason. Our mission is to help people unleash their inner athlete, or rather, improve their health-span so that they can live a higher quality of life, for longer. We train all energy systems to be strong, fit, injury-free and ready to attack life head on and in doing so, we identify with a higher purpose - to be "Better Than Yesterday".

This is a mindset that serves my clients and I well, however I'd be naive in thinking that aesthetics is an afterthought all of the time. Everyone wants to look good naked, and as the Summer months approach, questions come up as to what can be done to speed up positive changes in body composition i.e. lose more fat.

Reality check - all things worth having take time (and effort), so if you’re looking for a quick fix, there isn’t one (sorry to burst your bubble). Hearing that, many people give up because they think it’s too hard, largely because they think they need to make too many sacrifices in order to achieve said goal. But what I really think, is that people just don’t like change. Well I’m here to tell you that changes are what you need to make, in order to reach your health and fitness goals - especially those that relate to changes in body composition. But I’m also here to tell you that the changes you make don’t need to be all that massive, they just need to be repeated. Here are some simple changes that I believe can go a long way to speeding up your Summer body goals:

• Find an eating routine. Awareness is key to achieving your goals. If you make nutrition up on the spot (as you get hungry) you will inevitably make bad decisions (we are surrounded by poor food choices because processed foods are cheap and have a long shelf life). Instead, be more organised and either plan or prepare some of your meals. If you can’t do that, at least manifest some of your decision-making. Have a think about where you will be and what you will be doing at breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow. What do you need to do in order to make better decisions when you inevitable get hungry?

• Create a negative energy balance. When it comes to both weight-gain and weight-loss, energy balance is the law. Consume more calories than your body requires, you will gain weight. Consume fewer, you will lose weight. It’s really that simple. But it still amazes me at how many people still struggle to grasp this concept. Maybe it’s because people like to make excuses, or maybe it’s because they just don’t like change. Whatever the reason may be, just remember this -  if you want to lose more fat, you can either choose to exercise more, eat less, or do both.

• Drink less alcohol. Alcohol is not only calorie dense, it’s easy to consume in excess, and it can affect metabolism poorly. It affects sleep quality, performance and leads to excess weight-gain. If you’re serious about changing your body composition, I suggest starting here.

• Prioritise quality sleep. If you’re tired, you will have little will-power and you will mostly likely skip training and make poor food choices. But by contrast, if you’re well-rested, not only will you be able to train harder, you will have the energy to make better decisions around what you eat (and drink) on a daily basis.

But before you decide to go and implement any of these strategies, remember this - small changes compound. I’m not saying you need to be ‘perfect’ everyday, I'm saying it's about duplicating smart decisions, and sticking to them for long enough.

For instance, try repeating all of these changes for a month. You might just be surprised by the results. If you often eat out 2 times a week, why not drop that to 1? If you go to the gym 3 days a week, why not increase it to 4? If you often have 4-6 alcoholic drinks per week, why not try 2-4 instead? If regularly get 5-6 hours of sleep, why not try for 7-8 instead?

In conclusion if you want change, you need to be willing to change. But more importantly, and if there’s one thing that I want you to remember before you start dissecting your daily routine, or worse, punishing yourself to a pulp in the gym, is have a valid WHY. Obsessing about body composition is not a place you want to be. Make sure you have performance at the forefront of your mind. Listen to what your body needs. We work so hard and do incredible things everyday, so we need to give our body’s what they deserve and the nutrients they require to survive, grow, and perform. Try to eat more whole-foods, real foods, animal products and drink more water. Have the occasional croissant, wine or pancakes. But don’t be a door knob and have all three - unless it’s your birthday of course.

If you actually just take the time to stop and slow down once in a while, and listen hard enough, your body will tell you what it needs.