The Fat Burn Revolution (4 page)

Following the programme will not only be a physical challenge, you will need to stay mentally focused and dedicated to honouring the commitment you have made to yourself to see this through.
I’ll give you as much help, advice and inspiration as I can through my words in this book and online support materials, but ultimately it is down to you to put everything into practice and
make the results happen.

The journey you are about to take will almost certainly change you as a person. As a result, you will find the benefits of following this programme extend beyond the physical. The change might
be very subtle or it could be quite dramatic, but you won’t be quite the same person upon finishing the Fat Burn Revolution as you were at the start. You’ll be stronger and more
resilient, mentally as well as physically, you’ll become more self-motivated, ready to rise to challenges or try new things, and you’ll be more confident in yourself as a person, as
well as in relation to your body. It’s life-changing stuff we’re talking about here!

Of course, you won’t have forgotten who you were just 12 weeks before. You’ll be well aware that, like most people, you have the propensity to gain fat and, let’s face it, be
lazy. But at the same time as shedding fat you are going to be gaining willpower, confidence and self-motivation, which will be reflected in all areas of your life. This will happen gradually, bit
by bit. You probably won’t even notice it at first, but by the end you’ll be aware that something feels different inside. You will have become someone who gets up and takes the
necessary action whether you feel energetic, motivated and inspired, or not.

The deeper you embed your healthy habits by repeating them consistently, the easier it will be to stay on course in the long term and, should you ever waiver off-course, the clearer your road
map back to fitness will be. I said in
Chapter 1
that you should not expect the training to ease once you have ‘mastered’ the programme, because that won’t
happen. However, as the weeks go by you will find that getting yourself to do the training will become less of struggle. There are many reasons for this. For a start you’ll be fitter and more
energetic, plus seeing your new body shape emerge is going to get you really excited about continuing. But perhaps the main thing that’s going to make lacing up your training shoes feel like
a natural part of your day is that it will have simply become part of your normal routine. Once you’ve got into the habit of doing the workouts and your mind starts to realise that it’s
a non-negotiable part of your day, you won’t hear half so much whingeing and excuse-making from that whiny voice in your head that doesn’t want you to ever achieve anything so that it
can complain even more. That voice might pipe up a lot during the first few weeks, by the way. But that’s OK, just exercise anyway. The more you ignore it, the quieter it’ll get.

Motivation and willpower come and go in waves for even the keenest among us and sometimes there are days when even having established good habits isn’t enough to get us off our backsides.
However, there is one thing that can absolutely guarantee your success if only you choose to embrace it. That is commitment, and we will be looking at that in more detail in the next chapter.

To give yourself the best chances of getting the best possible results, before you begin the Fat Burn Revolution you should get clear in your own mind what you want to
achieve over the next 12 weeks and the reasons why. For example, do you want to look better in your clothes? To look better out of them? To have more energy? More confidence? To feel stronger
mentally and/or physically? To put habits into place that will help you stay healthy and mobile into your senior years? The possible benefits are endless, but which are most important to
you?

Make a list of at least 20 ways in which getting into shape and shedding fat will make your life better. Once you have that list, put it somewhere you’ll see it regularly
– ideally on the fridge door to remind you of what making a poor food choice could cost you. Try to memorise the list and repeat it to yourself when you have an idle few minutes to think,
such as on your commute to work or waiting on hold on the phone. Add more reasons whenever they come to mind and remind yourself of them if you find your motivation starting to wane.

I
highly recommend you seek out someone, or a group of people, to be support buddies who will keep an eye on your progress, and you can do them
same for them if they are also looking to become more physically fit. Approach people who you know will be supportive and positive, but won’t let you get away with excuses. Explain to them
what the Fat Burn Revolution is all about and what it means to you to see this through. Send or show them your journal regularly (ideally once a week. See
here
) throughout the programme and
talk to them about the progress you’re making and how that makes you feel.

One of the many benefits you may experience from following this programme is improved posture, which will improve your silhouette, make you look more confident and
protect your back.

If you don’t have anyone suitable in your life, no problem, you can join the incredibly supportive group of people who are currently following, or have previously completed, the Fat Burn
Revolution via
juliabuckley.co.uk
.

Most of us are much better at sticking to our plans when we know someone else is watching. Even if you’re super-self-motivated, it’s always nice to get a bit of encouragement from
other people. Having at least one person you know will be right behind you throughout the next 12 weeks could really help keep you on track because unfortunately, it’s likely you will find
that not everyone in your life will be supportive of you all of the time.

friendly fire

When a person makes changes to the way they live their life it usually takes a while for the people around them to get used to the idea. Even though eating a more nutritious
diet and exercising regularly are very positive changes you may well come up against resistance from the people around you.