For the past 12 years I’ve been in a WhatsApp group called “Natty Physiques”.
To this day, it’s still active.
There’s 3 of us - because back then, only 3 in our friends group were serious about fitness.
We document anything to do with our journeys inside. I’m now in 2 more groups: one with 5 fellow Muay Thai addicts at my gym; and one with 6 fellow running enthusiasts.
The point?
I’ve always valued community. Nowhere more so than in fitness - where it has the potential to take a “someday” goal into reality.
The extra accountability, camaraderie and support you get when you’re all focused on the same thing is special.
It’s also a lot of fun.
Ever since my own “Natty Physiques” group, I’ve wanted to recreate the same within RNT.
Community plus expert coaching is a force to be reckoned with.
This summer we launched a new challenge within RNT - The 12 Week Summer Shred.
It was another iteration of my never ending quest to give back what I’ve benefited so much from in my life.
The 12 Week Summer Shred was a focused period of time for our members to do one of the following:
Take 10% bodyweight off to get closer to their checkpoint (if 12+ weeks away)
Hit their photoshoot (if <12 weeks away from target)
And to say I’m blown away by the results would be an understatement.
For two reasons:
The results, which I’ll share in due course
The community, which gave me the exact feels I’ve experienced in my different groups
So let’s dive in, what actually happened?
553lbs (251kg) Lost
We lost a massive 553lbs (251kg)!
Of 14 predicted checkpoints, a total of 24 RNTers hit their checkpoints.Which means 10 RNTers exceeded even our expectations!
For example, Val and Sanjeev both had a checkpoint date of September. But with long holidays coming up, they wanted to sneak their photoshoot in before.
So they pushed.
Despite being time-strapped, juggling conflicting priorities, they knew what they wanted:
Daksha, a mother of two, had never got the results she'd always wanted.
This challenge gave her the impetus to take even faster action.
Her husband, Devin, is also crushing it - and due at checkpoint in a few months!But the results don’t only belong to those who’ve hit checkpoints.
For a checkpoint, you need to accumulate many small wins along the way to create the secret sauce of results:
Momentum.This is the belts getting looser, the new number on the scale, the compliments, and of course…
The never ending clothes shopping!
“The End Of The Beginning”
What’s been awesome to see through this all is the transition to the next phase.
As RNTers have hit their checkpoints, they’ve switched gears to the most critical period:
Consolidation.
The checkpoint is only that - a milestone in your journey.
It’s not the end. In fact, one RNTer recently labelled it as “the end of the beginning”.When you’ve been in the yo-yo diet washing machine all your life, what you’re really after is two-fold:
Get into the best shape of your life
Stay in shape for life
That’s it!
Which is why we put even more emphasis on what comes next.
The Big 5 Obstacles
At every stage of the journey, there are always 5 obstacles in your way:
Time
Life
Work
Socials/holidays
Fear/embarrassment
The first four are straightforward. There is going to be a pull and shift on your priorities.
You will have to change the way you eat, socialise and act in stressful situations if you want to see tangible results.
Work gets busy? Double down on meal prep.
Life event happens? Double down on accountability.
Lots of socials? Be very meticulous with what you say yes or no to. In fact, you might need to get used to saying no to things more.
Why?
Because you’re trying to change decades of bad habits.
You can’t expect life-changing results living the same way you did before.
What’s cool is every single RNTer who’s crushed this Summer Shred has battled each of the first four.
And every time you beat the obstacle, you build a trait we all wish for more of:
Confidence.
Fear - The Hidden Root
The first four obstacles are tangible.
But the reason they even hold any power is because of what I like to call the hidden root:
Fear.
Whether it’s a fear of failure, unknown or judgement…
Fear is why time, life, work or socials will become an obstacle.
But leaning into this with an “all in” mindset is the only way to beat the shackles.
Tim Ferriss has a fantastic Ted talk on an exercise called “Fear-Setting”, which I’d recommend checking out here.
In a nutshell, he asks you to confront a few hard questions (taken directly from the article):
What is it costing you—financially, emotionally, and physically—to postpone action? Don’t only evaluate the potential downside of action. It is equally important to measure the atrocious cost of inaction.
If you don’t pursue those things that excite you, where will you be in one year, five years, and ten years?
What are you waiting for? If you cannot answer this without resorting to the previously rejected concept of good timing, the answer is simple: You’re afraid, just like the rest of the world.
To maximise your answers, try writing them down (don’t just think about it). This will create your power to beat the first four obstacles.
Then all it leaves is execution…
And results!
6 Harsh Statistics Of Inaction
After thinking of “Fear-Setting”, we decided to dig out a few harsh statistics of inaction.
Especially when it comes to high performers who are carrying 10-30+kg of excess body fat.
The statistics are astounding:
Obesity increases the risk of premature death by 1.45 to 2.76 fold and shortens lifespan by up to 20 years.
If you are overweight/obese, the chances of your child becoming obese increases by 12 fold in comparison to healthy weight children. Both through genetics but more importantly, through behaviour and lifestyle.
Side note: Being in the shape of your life will allow you to spend more quality time with your children due to higher energy levels, improved mental clarity and overall drive in life.
The risk for knee osteoarthritis increased by 36% for every 2 units of BMI (5 kg) of weight gain.
In the research, it is clear that losing excessive levels of body fat (going from obese or overweight to healthy) improves cognition, memory and other aspects of high mental performance.
Modest weight loss (5 to 10%) is also associated with improvement in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and HDL cholesterol. With all these risk factors more weight loss produces more improvement.
Obesity in many western populations is indirectly costing the economy billions of dollars each year. This is through increased sick leave (obese individiuals are 62% more likely to miss work days in comparsion to healthy individuals), lower productivity, unemployment, disability, early retirement and workplace injuries.
RNTer Dhiren, for example, was pre-diabetic and told by his doctor if he didn’t lose weight he’d have a heart attack before 60.
With a newborn, that was enough to hear to spur him into losing 50+kg at 50 years young.RNTer Kalyani, a working mother of two in her 40s, was starting to suffer knee pain any time she walked. Now 70lbs lighter, she’s turned back the clock 10 years!
Generational Health
An interesting theme I’m noticing in our RNTers is the desire to build a legacy with generational health.
When you transform your body the RNT way, the ripples spread wide.
And I love it when I see or hear stories from RNTers sharing new ways of living as a family.
Like when their kids start mirroring their new habits.
Or when the family picks up a new activity together.
Or when parents of the older generation step foot in the gym for the first time.My dad always said to me education is king.
No matter what happens, or where you are in the world, no one can take it away from you.
That’s why the transfer of healthy habits through the generations is one of the most powerful gifts to give.
A 365 Way Of Living - What’s Next?
RNT is a 365 way of living.
The skill of being able to navigate your health through the seasons and events in a year is core to being able to break the yo-yo cycle.
When you master your physical being, life has an uncanny way of falling into place.
At RNT, the first year is all about getting into the best shape of your life.
And depending on the speed (dictated by how much you have to lose), you’ll shift gears to learn how to stay there.
The years after are all focused on one thing:
Building a lifestyle solution to feel, look and perform at your best year round.
With minimal effort.
It’s about making health and fitness an ingrained part of your behaviour, mindset and identity.
Because if it took 12 years to walk in the woods, you can’t walk back out in 12 weeks.
However, 12 week micro challenges in the context of a 12 month macro cycle, can be extremely powerful.
Which is why we’re sharing for the first time…
The Christmas Cut - Prices Going Up 15%!
Our next cohort begins on September 25th, exactly 13 weeks before Christmas Day.
This will be the last time to start at our existing rates, after which prices will be going up by up to 15%.
If you’d like to secure current pricing on our World Leading Transformation Programme, I’d recommend booking a call with my team by clicking here.
Once we fill positions for September 25th, the new rate will be applicable for our next intake on November 6th (our final one for 2023).
If you’re reading this and yet to start your RNT Transformation Journey, take action now.
The first is to scroll up and revisit the “Fear-Setting” exercise.
Complete the answers then see where you land.
The second is to take a free 5 minute quiz I’ve put together for you here.
It’ll test what I call the 3 Transformation Keys:
Commitment
Consistency
Coachability
If you have these 3 in place, you’re ready.There’s nothing worse than looking back in 5 years thinking, “I wish I did RNT earlier”.
I don’t want that regret for you.
So whether it’s time, life, work or socials that’s in the way right now…
It’s important to remember, life will never stop. It’s designed to be in the way.
At some point you gotta decide: do you want results or excuses?
I’ve seen people transform under remarkable circumstances, which is why I don’t buy into “I’m just waiting for the right time”...
Or worse, “I’ll do it when I’m less busy”.
Life doesn’t work that way.
If you're busy now you're gonna be busy a year down the road.
Instead of thinking about "finding the time", think about what you want to prioritise and where you want to be a year from now.If the answer is a fitter, healthier, energetic and more confident person, then it’s time to invest in yourself.
I promise you, it’ll be the best decision you ever make!
Akash Vaghela has spent 10+ years transforming bodies and lives around the world, and in May 2017, founded RNT Fitness to serve this purpose. His vision is to see a world transformed, where ambitious high performers experience the power of the physical as the vehicle to unlock their real potential. He’s the author of the Amazon best-selling book Transform Your Body Transform Your Life, which explains his unique and proven five-phase methodology, is host of the RNT Fitness Radio podcast, has been featured in the likes of Men’s Health and BBC, whilst regularly speaking across the world on all things transformation.
Akash Vaghela
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Aug 31st, 2023
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