Are You Using The Wrong Gears?

About a 3-minute read

There are some obvious yet often overlooked elements to weight loss that could be keeping you stuck. Want to see results? Let me tell you a story.

A couple of weeks ago I climbed over 2000 feet (657 meters) in just under 6 miles (9.6 km). On my bike. That's more than double the biggest climb I've ever done, and over a shorter distance.

I'm not nearly in the shape I was when I did my 1000-foot climb, and I'm older now - by about 20 years.

I posted that on Facebook and was grateful for all the cheers and "atta girl" support I received. But that’s not why I wrote the post, nor is it why I’m telling you now. There’s a lot more to the story than pedalling up a hill.

Interestingly, it directly relates to weight loss.

I used to struggle with climbing hills on my bike. Every time I rode up a big hill, I’d have an asthma attack and need to use my inhaler. It was frustrating because I was a strong, fit rider. But hills continued to defeat me.

When we moved to Italy, where we live at the foothills of the Alps, I felt so disheartened that I convinced myself I just wasn’t cut out to be a “real” cyclist and I stopped riding altogether. It was really sad because cycling was one of the things Ian and I loved doing together the most.

About a year ago Ian dove back into the cycling world and started tinkering with our bikes. He built a new bike for himself and started looking at mine more closely.

He made an important discovery: I had the wrong gears for climbing!

Long story short, he put different gears on one of my bikes. He created spreadsheets and tried to teach me about gear ratios and show me why they mattered. (I nodded my way along, trying to be enthusiastic as my eyes glazed over, but don’t tell him that!)

He encouraged me to try it, in spite of my scepticism. So I agreed to go for a ride, confident that it wasn’t going to work. I had YEARS of experience that told me so and I had convinced myself this was my truth.

He cheered me on. He encouraged me to do my best.

Can you guess what happened?

I made it up that hill! No asthma attack, no feeling like I was going to collapse, and suddenly with a whole lot more confidence…and a HUGE smile on my face!

I had never considered that I might have been using the wrong tools (gears). I knew how to ride my bike. I had high-quality bikes. I had trained a TON. And I had kept trying and failing over and over, assuming that there must be something wrong with me.

It was a massive blind spot, and it took someone who didn’t have my emotional attachment to see it and point it out to me.

Is this something you can identify with?

Is it possible the "tools" you're using aren't the right ones for what you're trying to achieve?

What are your blind spots? (That’s actually a trick question, because how can you know?)

If you’re feeling stuck in your weight loss journey, it may be because you're using the wrong 'gears' without even knowing it. Sometimes, you need the right guide to help you uncover those blind spots and provide you with the simple tools and strategies you need to make progress.

You can do hard things. You are capable of so much more than you think. When you have the right kind of support and guidance, you can accomplish almost anything.

Stop struggling. Start building a body and a life you love living in.

Introducing BUILD, a life-changing program I've created just for you. Get ready, as registration opens on Monday, May 22nd. I’m excited to welcome you into this amazing community.

It's time to shift gears, shed excess weight, and build a body and life you truly love. You are worth it!

Interested?

Click the button below for more information, leave a comment, or contact me directly and let’s chat!