Shiny Object Syndrome (Why You're Not Getting Results In Your Training) | E14

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Hello and welcome back to Train Like a Girl. My name is Abby. Thank you so much for being here. This episode is bloody exciting because I suffer with this. I feel like I say that every time. Obviously, I'm talking about topics that come up quite frequently with clients, but also from lived experience. So I hope that guys that makes you guys feel like I'm not just you know spiting off a load of BS, I'm actually talking from experience because yeah, I get it. I get it. So today's episode is for you. If you're somebody that you feel like you try everything, exercise-wise, training-wise, and nothing seems to work. This is for you if you are the kind of person that is always trying something different, jumping between workouts, programs, goals, you know, one week you're really excited about the new Pilates place that has opened, or the next minute you've got your eye on a high rocks, or you know, perhaps you're thinking, oh, it'd be nice to run a 5K, it'd be nice to run a bit of distance. Actually, maybe I should try a marathon. Oh, but maybe a 10k PB would be good to shoot for. And then actually, I probably should focus on muscle building. You know, it's that kind of thinking. It's the person that is constantly asking, what is the best workout? What's the best training program? What's the best for fat loss? What's the best for muscle building? What's the best for longevity? And it's this really like busy person, this feeling of being really busy and trying all the workouts but not actually progressing in those workouts or with that training or not reaping the results of your efforts. This is labelled shiny object syndrome. And it might be obvious why, but the reason it's labelled that is because it this is usually the kind of person that is attracted to the next new shiny object. And a lot of us with ADHD suffer with this. We get excited by the prospect of something new, we want to change it up a little bit, we want to mix it up, challenge, challenge ourselves. We might be scrolling on Instagram and seeing like somebody doing a triathlon, and then we're like, oh my gosh, they look awesome, or they seem really fulfilled, or you know, it's I often like struggle with this. I know not to jump between different programs now, which I'll get into shortly, but it doesn't mean that I still, you know, don't suffer with getting distracted by options. And I think more than ever we struggle with this because we are flooded with options because we're constantly on social media seeing the next best thing, right? We're seeing one minute I'll be watching a YouTube video of somebody that's training for a triathlon, and I'll feel really pumped about doing something like that. And the next minute I'm seeing some badass female power lifter, and I'm like, wow, she's lifting 200 kg squats, I want to do that. Um, this is shiny object object syndrome, constantly chasing the next best thing, switching, and this is the crucial part of this podcast, I suppose. Switching before anything has time to work. And we're usually it's usually driven by boredom or comparison or quite often a desire for faster or better results. So it's this idea that, like, oh, I haven't got results from X, so maybe I should try Y instead. But it quite often is happening because we've not given the current training enough time, right? So why does shiny object syndrome happen? Well, social media overload, you know, as I just said, like just scrolling, generally scrolling through, but also information overload. This is the best workout for fat loss. Do this to blow up your glutes. Actually, you should be doing Pilates for long, lean muscles. Listen to my last episode if you want to know more about that, my episode on reps and sets, if you want to learn a bit more about that specifically. But you know, you get the idea. Social media it has a really strong way of making us feel like we're missing out. Like it's got this kind of grass is greener effect, right? And it gives us, it gives us a lack of clarity because it's distracting us from what is actually my goal, what is my main goal. It makes everything look so appealing because obviously, as we all know, we're seeing a highlight reel. We're seeing the best of somebody's training, we're seeing the best of somebody's life, of somebody's results, without seeing potentially like the road that got them there. And people that are often distracted by multiple training modalities are also typically the kind of people that want it all. They want to be strong, they want to be lean, they want to be fit, they want to be fast, they want to be flexible, they want to be uh losing weight, they want to be gaining muscle, you know. But the problem here is you're trying to find a solution in somebody's in through looking at somebody else, quite often we think, oh, they're doing XYZ, therefore I should do XYZ to get the result like they've got, without looking at the chapter they're on, without looking at the reps they've put in to get there. We assume by looking at their highlight reel that if we do a triathlon, we're gonna look like them. But that is not the case. Um, and the reality is that often, actually, I'd argue always, all of the above, like getting stronger, getting leaner, whatever the goal is, they require different priorities. So we're gonna get into that. And I'd like to start by saying that there is a real issue with doing everything, right? There's an issue with this shiny object object syndrome, because the problem with, although it's exciting to like train, change up your training, the problem is we can become a bit of a jack of all trades, but a master of none. It it quite often, you know, this jumping between different training modalities, which I can empathize with because I've been there, I've done the marathons, I've done the long distance walking, I've done the sprints, I've done the hypertrophy training, I've dabbled in lots of bits, but I've realized over the years that what that achieves is it kind of just spreads my efforts too thin. So it means that you're always starting, you're always stopping, you're always restarting, and and then ultimately there's no real progression, right? There's not enough consistency in one area. So there's not enough overload or adaptation happening in one area. So it might feel like you're trying everything, but your results don't reflect it. But the important truth here is that most methods do actually work. It's not that what you're currently doing isn't working. The issue usually isn't the method, it's the lack of consistency and time that you've given that method. So, you know, when I get clients um do a startup call with me or uh, you know, an application form, they'll quite often be seeking the best workout for fat loss. So let's start there. Let's start specifically with what is the best workout for fat loss? Now, we should start by I've at risk of like turning this into a podcast all about what's the best workout for fat loss, but I may have already done one on that actually, so go back to that if I have. But the truth of this question is that it's a trick question, actually, because fat loss comes down to a calorie deficit. But the it's it's important I mentioned this because when people are jumping between programs, it quite sadly quite often is because they are chasing fat loss. So I really want to enforce this. Fat loss comes from a calorie deficit, and the workouts that you do just support that. But there isn't a workout or a type of training that will help fat loss happen or that will make fat loss easier. What fat loss comes down to is a calorie deficit. So largely, guys, that will be nutrition. But again, I'm not gonna get into like the nuances of this, but there is no one training that will help you with fat loss. That will be your nutrition, that will be a calorie deficit. So if you need more info on that, go back to episode one, actually, fat loss fundamentals, if you're looking to lose weight, because I will go into depths on that. But the best workout, it the question isn't what's the best workout for fat loss. The the question in that case would be okay, what's the best workout that I can stick to and do consistently and enjoy enough that I will stick to it whilst in a calorie deficit. I would argue that the best um the best training modality whilst trying to lose weight would be strength training. Because as we know, when we lose weight, we don't just lose fat, we lose weight. We also lose muscle, right? And so to mitigate that, to stop losing muscle, strength training is going to be your best friend. So I would argue that strength training should really be the focus if you're trying to lose fat. That said, uh, you know, I could also argue that actually the best workout is the one that you can stick to and the one that you enjoy the most. Because if you hate strength training and there is absolutely no way that you're gonna get any movement in if you if you're trying to stick to a strength training plan, fine. Then in that case, I would say, okay, let's pick a training that suits you better, that you enjoy that you can stick to whilst you're in your calorie deficit. So the best workout for fat loss doesn't exist. It's a trick question. But someone else might then ask, okay, well, what's the best for muscle building then? What is the best exercise for muscle building? And this does have a more definitive answer because there is buckets of research around this, and the best exercise and training modality for muscle building is resistance training and progressive overload. But again, consistency is what matters here. So if you suffer with shiny object syndrome, you're not gonna do a good job. Sorry to break it to you, but you're really not gonna do a good job of building muscle because building muscle really, really requires long-time consistency and effort and progressive overload over time. And I'm not talking weeks, I'm not talking months, I'm probably talking lots of months and into years, if I'm honest. So resistance training isn't random classes with weights and constantly changing the workout week to week. It's not lifting weights and doing squats one week and then next week doing lunges and then the next week doing, you know, it it's not that. It's sticking to the same stimulus, the same program week after week, month after month, and really challenging and getting good at those exercises and challenging those muscles in order for them to grow, right? They need that repeated stimulus to adapt. A little bit like riding a bike. If you wanted to learn to ride a bike, you're not going to start riding a bike on week one, then go swimming the week after, then go running the week after, then go skateboarding and come back to swimming and ex uh back to cycling and expect to be better at it. Lifting is the same, it's a skill, and so it requires repetition of the same program to get better at it, and then ultimately give the body a reason to adapt and adjust and learn that stimulus and build muscle. So the best muscle building stimulus is always going to be resistance training, but again, in line with the topic of shiny object syndrome, is about sticking with it for long enough. What about training for longevity? And here is where we get more into opinion, I guess. But in my eyes, the best training long-term, if we're thinking about like long-term health, is gonna be a maybe a bit of a combination, actually. I would argue that strength training should be the bread and butter. But we all do need a bit of cardio as well, right? A bit of movement, some steps, we need to get our heart rate going, you know, all of these things are so important for our long-term health, bone density, um, cardiovascular health, you know, all of these things. But again, consistency is always going to be king rather than a variety overload. So when we talk about, because this is the reason I brought longevity into this conversation, really, is because when we think about longevity and when we look at it online, we think we see strength training is the best, cardio is the best, walking on an inclined treadmill is the best, swimming is the best, this is the best, that's the best. And the problem with that is that we don't end up sticking to one thing. So whilst I'm saying that yes, a blend of strength training and cardio might be admirable and like good for long-term health, that doesn't mean that we we should be jumping around and doing different programs and trying different exercise modalities because that doesn't give us the consistency we need to adapt and get better at those things and actually improve our health, our fitness, our strength, etc. So, again, what this comes back to is that consistency is essential. And the opposite of that, I guess, is falling into this trap of variety. And although I like I get it, variety feels exciting, it feels productive, it feels like it leaves you aching a bit more. But the problem with that is that achiness isn't a measure, a true measure of success. A bit like how like assessing your resistance training workout on how many calories you burn, that is useless information. We don't need to know that. That's not productive because we're not trying to burn calories, we're trying to build muscle, right? So we need to really strip it right back to what is the goal, and then stick with that for long enough. Because doing too many things it leads us with a like a loss of direction, and there is a huge difference between intentional variety. So, what I mean by that is having some strength training and some cardio in your program, which is how I would typically program for somebody and what I would tend to suggest. You know, with most of my clients, I would suggest definitely a baseline of resistance training, whether that's from home or in a gym or whatever, but it's some form of resistance training, a little bit of cardio, and then probably depending on the individual, I would set a step target as well, right? But the crucial thing here is there's variety in that, but they are consistently doing those things repeatedly over time. So it's not like I'd have them doing swimming one week for their cardio and then cycling the next. It would be, okay, we're doing swimming every week, but we're progressing it, or whatever, you know? So there's variety, but it's very intentional. There's a huge difference between that and just constantly changing and switching every other week or every other day or every other month. Because you can ultimately do multiple things, but not all at once. So this brings me on to more kind of goal-driven. If you're, you know, if you've got a certain goal, we can do multiple things because it's exciting to live, like, you know, for me, for instance, I really love lifting weights, but I also really enjoy running. But there came a point in my training, I think it was probably when I started marathon training, when I realized I don't think I can be a jack of all trades, because trying to be the best at muscle building and give myself like optimal workouts for muscle building whilst also marathon training just simply wasn't possible. So we can do multiple things, but not with a not with a full focus, I would say. I would argue that everything has a bit of a trade-off. So to use my marathon and muscle building as an example, when I started increasing my mileage and making my focus marathon training, my strength training took a bit of a hit. But that doesn't mean I completely stopped it. I still had the variety, but my strength training had to be stripped back because my legs were tired. You know, there's only so much one person can give, right? And my strength training adapted so that it supported my running. The running was the focus. So I had the variety there because, again, I would actually argue that it was important to have the strength training to support the running. It made me a better runner. I focused on things like hip health, knee health, joints, you know, calf work. Like my strength training was still there, but the goal was running. And so everything has a trade-off, right? You can include both, but I would say more often than not, one needs to be the priority. So to really kind of try and get away from this shiny object syndrome mentality or problem, you need to really ask yourself, and I do this with my clients. Really sit if you find yourself kind of juggling between like what's best, what do I do? Ask yourself, what is my main goal right now? Not for it doesn't need to be like forever. What do I need? It doesn't need to be like, oh my gosh, okay, I need to run forever and that's it, but just for this phase. So an example of this could be sometimes, you know, I'll have a client sign up and in my onboarding form, it will ask you, I forget the exact wording of it, but it will say, What is your primary goal right now? And I do give them the option to tick multiple boxes. And so often I'll have someone say, I want to lose fat, build muscle, run marathons and build and yeah, get strong. And then inevitably, then on the call, I'm like, all of these things are achievable and we can have anything, but we can't have it all at once, we can't have everything all at once. So it's really about stripping it back to this phase, and this could be like a phase of two months, three months, six months, a year, and thinking, what is the main goal right now? Is it fat loss? Is it muscle building? Or is it a performance goal? Do you want to get faster? But rather than thinking, I want to do all these things, really strip it back and try and focus on one. And I know that that can be really hard because quite often, as I say, when we scroll along on social media, we see the best of everything and so we want the best of everything, and we think that doing it all will lead to the best results. But unfortunately, it's the opposite. It's about really focusing on one thing and mastering it. Like anything in the world, the people that are the best at anything in their field, they're doing that relentlessly. So if your goal is muscle building, we gotta make the full effort, we gotta make the main effort and focus, resistance training. If your full focus is running a marathon, we need to make running the full focus. If somebody came to me and said, I want to lose weight, but I also want to run marathons, I'd probably be saying, let's pick one. Because we need to be fueling up if we're gonna be marathon training. It ain't the right time for fat loss. And if you want to do that, you're kind of like just making your life difficult. So it's really finding your focus. And then once you've picked that primary goal, it's about building your training around that. And you can add other things in as support. So to go back to if muscle building is your key goal, absolutely fine. Strength training is then gonna be the focus, right? But that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of cardio. You could do a 20-minute intervals on a Saturday or something to keep up your cardiovascular fitness just for your longevity and your health. You can still include that, but it's not to the detriment of your strength training. It's not like, okay, I'm gonna run 5K every day before strength training. Because then we start to kind of blur the lines and the focus is shifted, and you you'll just never be a master at one thing, and you'll never, that's the problem. That is why that is ultimately why you feel like you're jumping between everything and trying everything but not getting results, right? Because you don't have that consistency there with the one thing. And guys, aside from like trying to be a master at something, enjoyment matters too, right? Enjoyment still matters. So you don't need to hate your training, and you can include the things you enjoy. And this is, I come back to this with clients in in conversation frequently because, you know, some people, for example, somebody might say, I really want to run a marathon, but I actually hate running. Well, then, you know, it comes back to, well, is it worth it then? So we want to be doing, we want to try and find something that we enjoy enough that we can keep it cons we can keep that consistency there, but that is in line with our goals as well. So we need to find something. We can have enjoyment, but we don't want it to be, you know, so enjoyable and doing so much variety in the classes and the this and the high rocks and the that and try and like mixing it up so much that it's at the expense of our progress. So it's about balance. It's about enjoyable movement, yes, but also understanding that if you want results, the structure and the consistency is going to need to be there. So if you are somebody that is seeing signs of shiny object syndrome, like constantly changing programs, never finishing a plan, or always asking, like, what's the best thing, comparing your training to others, feeling busy but not really progressing, we need to fix it. So, as a recap, we need to get clear on your goal. We then need to come up with a a main focus, that main focus needs to be instilled in your training program. And you need to commit to it long enough to give it time to work so that you're not kind of jumping ship too early. And part of that is accepting that there might need to be trade-offs, that we can't optimize everything at once. It's interesting with training because in other areas of life, people really understand that you can't do it all, but for some reason with training, and it might be because of the rise of functional training and people like doing all training modalities that maybe has sold us this dream that we can do it all, we can have muscle and run really fast, because obviously we're getting sent the top 1% of people. But the reality is that actually optimizing everything at once is probably not realistic, and that is fine. So I think the best way to really hone in and apply these the above couple of steps is to, and I'm speaking to myself here too, because I do get distracted by like the next fun thing, but maybe we need to limit that noise. Maybe we need to be mindful of social media and understand that not everything needs to apply to you and actually just try and stay in your lane and focus, focus on progression because the the place that you're seeing your favorite fitness influencer at, like in the shape that they're in or the speed they're at or the strength they've got or whatever, is not their chapter one. They have done a lot of stuff to get there, they've done a lot of consistency to get there. So before you just jump ship and try their training, make sure you've stayed in your lane long enough and focus on progression. So how we focus on progression is by tracking things, right? So measuring your progress, having a program. So with strength training, this would look like writing down your reps, sets, and weight for everything every week so that you know you've got that progression there. And that is what I do with my clients. I will program them, they will write everything down every week, and we will together ensure that they are pushing each week in whatever training modality. I've just had a client finish the London Marathon. You know, she did some strength training to support her training. Um, but largely the running increased over time, her speeds increased over time, and it but it took it took time. So staying in your lane and progressing and logging everything so that you know that you are progressing, right? That is the surefire way to reach your goals. So the key mindset shift here is there is no perfect program. The the perfection comes from being consistent with that program, putting in the effort and the time with that program. So I guess to wrap up today, guys, you don't need a better plan. You just need to stick to one. And this fun, shiny object syndrome keeps you distracted, inconsistent, and ultimately stuck. So you really need to pick your lane, stay in it for long enough, and that is where the true results will happen. And that is when, you know, it's the boring stuff, putting in the same reps week after week, month after month. And yes, like it's not easy. When I say boring, I'm not saying it's easy, but I'm saying sticking to the same thing is where the magic happens. And if you want help with this, this is what I do. I try I train my ladies up in whatever training modality that that is their preferred, whatever goal they've got, you know, whatever the phase they're in, we work on that together. I do their training program around their life, home, gym, outside, whatever, and we work on it together. So if you want help with that, please hit me up. You'll find some info in the show notes. But for today, that is it. I will speak to you again next week.