There is no denying it. When we see an unbelievable before and after picture, we cannot help but feel admiration for what that person has accomplished. Sure you may make some comments to make yourself feel better such as:

“They look too thin.”

“I think that is too ripped.”

“I don’t think I want to get that lean.”

“That can’t be healthy.” (as you stuff your face with your third takeaway for the week, on a Tuesday!)

Deep down, you know that individual has worked extremely hard and you wish you could do the same. It’s OK, we are not judging as we are inclined to get defensive about a topic we are sensitive about.

Either way, what many don’t see are the stories that go behind the transformation and more importantly, all the other benefits that come with changing your physical appearance for the better. If you haven’t, check out all the transformation stories we have here as this will give you a glimpse into how everything we do goes far beyond the physical only.

In this article, we are going to dive into some of those aspects more deeply and aim to give you a greater understanding and a more powerful reason for wanting to embark on your transformation.  This goes WAY beyond a before and after pic.

Let’s dive in!

Generational Health

Children can be heavily influenced by the actions of their parents meaning what your child sees you doing, they will more than likely follow suit. In fact, this study took 120 children aged between 2 and 6 and instructed them to select foods in a “mock” grocery store and found that 70% selected unhealthy foods which also corresponded to the food choices their parents make.

Quoting the conclusions of the paper:

“When presented with a wide array of food products, young children chose combinations of healthier and less healthy foods and beverages. The data suggest that children begin to assimilate and mimic their parents’ food choices at a very young age, even before they are able to fully appreciate the implications of these choices.”

The ramifications of this are huge and can partially explain the obesity epidemic over the last two decades. If you are overweight/obese, the chances of your child becoming obese increases by 12 fold in comparison to healthy weight children through genetics but more importantly, through behaviour and lifestyle. We have written about the unfortunate consequences of gaining too much body fat in the first place here. Our bodies are extremely efficient at creating new fat cells to accommodate excess body fat that can never be lost, only shrunken in size. To make matters worse, those “emptied” fat cells still have an impact on appetite regulation meaning that someone who has gone from 100kg to 70kg will feel more hunger than someone who has been 70kg for most of their adult life. 

Obesity researcher, Dr Kirsty Spalding has demonstrated that individuals accumulate the majority of their fat cells from infancy to their mid 20s. This is also why individuals who were lean growing up, have a much easier time staying lean in adulthood. They simply have less overall fat cells leading to better appetite regulation, less inflammation and higher levels of NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) that allow them to maintain a healthy body weight with relative ease.

Therefore, your own physical transformation has huge generational implications for your entire family for decades to come. If your children see you eating healthy, being active, looking after yourself and coping with stress effectively, they will follow suit subconsciously and end up in a much better place because of it. Check out how Harps & Anand did exactly this here, perfect illustration of leading by example.

It’s also worth noting that 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. One of the most common issues we get when members first sign up is the shame they feel in not being able to be the parent they know they should be. This can not only seriously tarnish the relationship with the children, but also the spouse and the rest of the family.

Luckily, super couple Jay & Delia knew they had to be at their best if they wanted to bring their newborn up in the right environment. Within four months of their son being born, they knew something had to change as they were just not physically nor mentally in the right place.

Get Fit And Boost Your Career

The impact that a true transformation can have on your overall job career and satisfaction is quite astounding. Whether you want to run your own business or be an employee, being able to produce quality work consistently is going to be pivotal for your success. 

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. Carrying high levels of body fat leads to high levels of circulating inflammatory markers which consequently not only predispose individuals to an array of metabolic disorders, but also impact the brain in a negative way via “neuroinflammation”.

Or in more fancy terms (taken from the paper referenced above).

“Circulating cytokines, free fatty acids and immune cells reach the brain at the level of the hypothalamus and initiate local inflammation, including microglial proliferation. This local inflammation likely causes synaptic remodeling and neurodegeneration within the hypothalamus, altering internal hypothalamic circuitry and hypothalamic outputs to other brain regions.”

These factors transcend many other areas of the workforce too. Obesity in many western populations is indirectly costing the economy billions of dollars each year 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.

You simply cannot perform at your highest level if you are not in good physical condition. Employers know this, coworkers know this and most importantly, YOU know this. Is it really that surprising that leaner people get better job opportunities? This has nothing to do with vanity, but everything to do with productivity and the stats. If you have two people with the same skill set and prerequisites for the job, the leaner person would always be the most intelligent choice as they will be likely to produce more and cost the company less.

Please be aware that we said the same skill set and prerequisites. Discrimination in the workplace is a huge problem and research does show a lot of this going on, especially amongst the obese. If you are great at what you do, your appearance should not matter at all but without getting too political here, it’s safe to say that all else being equal, YOU being in the best shape of your life vs being overweight/obese will improve your chances of progressing in your career.

Bijal, already a high performer at work, joined RNT Fitness to feel and perform at her best. Through her RNt journey she has dropped 30kgs which has given her the impetus to push higher and faster in her career, not to mention how fabulous she feels in her own skin!

Healthy Body, Healthy Relationships

When it comes to overall health and life satisfaction, it is without question that deep and meaningful relationships with others and being part of a community play a massive role.  Unfortunately, cultivating these relationships appears to be getting more difficult despite being as connected as we have ever been. A lot of this is down to perceived loneliness vs objective isolation but either way, everyone wants to be part of a collective or tribe in some way.

One of the most common things we hear from RNTers who have truly transformed is how their relationships have drastically changed as well. Not only with others but more importantly, the one they have with themselves. It’s quite eye opening to see who your true friends are when you start transforming as it becomes quite apparent who wants you to succeed vs the people who secretly want you to fail. 

The ‘friends’ who are giving you a hard time for trying to make healthier food choices at a restaurant.  Or calling you a “grandpa or grandma” for staying in on a Saturday night because you want to feel fresh on a Sunday. Or telling you that “you’re getting too thin” or that you’re “no fun anymore”. 

For the members who truly transform, it’s not uncommon to see all of these people audited from their lives for good and when looking back, realise just how much these same people were holding them back from truly excelling. As Jim Rohn says, you are the average of the five people you hang out with most and there comes a point where you just need to either find a new tribe (you can meet like-minded, committed people on RNT Pro) or seriously limit the time spent with these people. 

Either way, your own transformation has illuminated the quality of relationships you want in your life and you will not settle for less.

Higher Standards Across The Board

To achieve a jaw dropping transformation requires an immense amount of action done over a consistent period of time. For this to occur, certain aspects of your life must change to make “taking action” so habitual that you can nail all of your 3Ss, regardless of how poorly you slept, how stressful work is getting or whatever situation you find yourself in.

“True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character's essential nature.”- Robert McKee

When you realise what you’re truly capable of, your tolerance for mediocrity in the important things in your life diminishes greatly. You hold yourself to a higher standard in everything you do and this shines through your work, your character, the quality of your relationships and your ability to stay in shape forever. 

You are not someone who turns to food when stress is high. You have higher standards than that.

You don’t skip workouts because you feel tired. You have higher standards than that.

You don’t skip steps because of the weather. You have higher standards than that.

You don’t settle for a poor romantic relationship because you’re scared of being alone. You have higher standards than that.

“Set high standards for yourself and don’t settle for anything less. You are the best judge of yourself and your capabilities.”- Tony Robbins

RNTer Oliver completely transformed his career and won the prestigious ‘Property Entrepreneur of The Year’ award after his phenomenal journey with us. Before RNT, he had a few less than desirable habits with respect to his food and alcohol intake. He was struggling to find enthusiasm in his everyday life. 

During Christmas 2020, he was gifted an RNT transformation package, that was the turning point and today he is a completely new individual. 

Confidence & Attractiveness

It goes without saying that a physical transformation has the potential to improve confidence and self esteem to a great degree. 

This has little to do with you “looking” physically better (though it does help) and more so with how you carry yourself. What we are addressing here is the person you needed to become to achieve that physical change. 

When you really think about it, how you look has very little to do with your success over the long term in other areas of life. Getting a six pack or a toned butt does not magically make you happier forever, fix your financial problems or give you anything tangible (unless you’re planning to be the next “fitfluencer”) . Where the real magic shines is how the physical change impacts your overall attitude, personality and communication skills which then gives you the confidence to tackle the real problems in your life.

If you have always struggled with making romantic connections because of your insecurities about your physical appearance, you will find it much easier to meet people. Not because you all of a sudden have abs, but because you now act like a different person. You act like someone desirable, like someone who is attractive, like someone who is sure of themselves and these factors are what make you successful.

Longterm RNTer Shyam always struggled with speaking in public and was so self-conscious, he would choose to change in the disabled changing room to escape any attention. Today, he is self-assured and confident, has no qualms speaking in public and has no reason to hide away any more. 

Delayed Gratification

In a world where we hardly have to work for any sort of pleasure, it’s not surprising that the ability to delay gratification has been lost on many. At the click of a button and virtually on demand, you can have food delivered to your door, interact with friends and family, watch your favourite show, listen to your favourite music and get updates from what is happening around the world. 

It wasn’t too long ago where you actually had to leave your house to eat food, meet people or wait a whole week to watch the next episode of your favourite TV show. The best TV experience I ever had was watching Game Of Thrones and a huge part of it was because I had to wait a whole week (or an entire 6-12 months between seasons) to see what happened next. Yes it was an incredible series but compared to the shows we have access to today, there are shows that are just as good but because of their immediate access they lose that “x factor”. 

Technology has done absolute wonders for making our lives that much easier but unfortunately, it has also created a world full of instant gratification meaning many of us have lost the ability to sacrifice in the short term to reap the benefits in the long term. 

One of the very few things left in this world that cannot be given to you is your ability to physically transform. You can have all the money in the world, the best chefs, the best trainers, the best support system and be part of the greatest transformation platform (RNT Pro) in the world yet still not get the change you want. Why? Because YOU still have to do the work. You cannot pay/outsource someone to eat your meals, train hard, get your steps in or prioritise your sleep. 

Because of this simple truth, you have no choice but to learn how to delay gratification. To get the body of your dreams, you need to put in the work each and every single day to eventually get the pay off a year, two years or ten years from now, depending on how far you want to take things. 

As hard as this may be initially, you will actually learn to appreciate the simple pleasures in your life once again. Imagine getting the same rush from eating a well prepared bowl of oats mixed with protein powder as you would have got with eating chocolate chip cookies, pizza or burgers? It’s amazing just how good food can taste after a hard dieting phase where you have really pushed your boundaries. This is especially true when you’re grinding hard and your level of sacrifice is at an all time high but you understand that the short term sacrifice (eating less, moving a lot more than you may like, not going out as much, feeling worse) is worth the glory at the end.

“Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.” – Richard G. Scott

Self Actualization

Everything we have discussed today ultimately leads to what Abraham Maslow would describe as the final frontier of a person’s psychological development, self actualization. 

To Maslow, self-actualization meant the desire for self-fulfillment, or a person’s tendency to be actualized in what he or she is potentially. To achieve this state however, many other factors had to be taken care of first which can be seen below.

Each level builds upon the next and as we can see, we simply cannot make the most of our friendships, sense of connection, intimacy or time with our family if we are physically not capable of doing so. 

A very prominent example of this is when Jordan Peterson, one of the the most intelligent, productive and industrious authors in the world right now was completely bedridden due to recovering from an addiction to benzodiazepines. He was barely meeting his safety and security needs for over a year but throughout that time, realised just how important physical activity and proper nutrition was. These days, he is extremely active (walking up to 10 miles per day along with resistance training 4-5 times per week) and has found to be critical to his overall productivity.

Fundamentally, you cannot achieve self actualization without prioritising your health and physical body. It is “the vehicle” that navigates you through all of the stages as you build more confidence, improve your social connections, enhance your career, gain respect from others and finally, realise your true potential in all areas of your life.

“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”- B.K.S Iyengar

Conclusion

If you can get into the shape of your life and stay there, there is no reason you cannot achieve other big goals you have set out for yourself. Many of the characteristics that go into a transformation such as ruthless consistency, managing time, keeping high standards, staying organised and delaying gratification can be applied in all walks of life. 

Are you ready to transform? Click here to find out how!