Losing weight — whether to get back your health on track or to achieve a glow-up — is something that tops almost everyone’s new year’s resolution list. As January rolls in, people rush to the gym in hordes to sign up for the annual memberships. By around March, they realise that maybe the gym isn’t for them since they haven’t been going regularly/are barely noticing any changes in their body.
Tanmay was no exception and experienced the same thing when he restarted his
What did Tanmay do differently?
Fat loss can often seem daunting, especially when juggling a busy schedule, high stress, and social pressures. Like many of us, Tanmay tried various diet trends, tried eating healthy and even joined the gym. But around three months into it, the YouTuber decided that he simply did not like lifting weights. Instead, he would do some sort of physical activity that he could actually enjoy while ensuring that it kept him moving.Using Playo, he booked a badminton court for every evening and began to consistently play for an hour. He found that he was enjoying himself and this gave him the motivation to do more.
The art of habit-stacking
Once Tanmay had mastered playing an hour of the sport he liked, he leaned into something called “habit stacking”, a term author James Clear coined in his bestselling bookWhat Tanmay did was that he set aside another hour to lift weights either before or after badminton — stacking this new habit over his already existing one. He spoke of how this made being regular to the gym more achievable to him.
Setting aside “me” time
One hurdle that keeps a lot of us from working out consistently is the lack of time. We end up prioritising everything but our physical well being, resulting in the “I don’t have time” excuse. So how did Tanmay circumvent this?Speaking to Kumar Varun, the 37-year-old YouTuber said that he started prioritising his health over everything else. Now, Tanmay devotes the time between 5 PM-7:30 PM to his workouts every day and refuses to attend to anything else in that time frame. He has managed to structure his day in a way where he can afford that time to himself.
While this may not be possible for everyone, finding even a tiny time slot that works for you and taking it from there might be a good place to start.
Reducing friction between yourself and the habit you’re building
Tanmay emphasised on the importance of limiting the resistance between your thoughts and the actions. He suggested that if you want to go for a jog every morning, then keep your running shoes right under your bed — so it’s the first thing you see every morning.Most notably, he stressed that the decision to be healthy is hourly. You must make conscious choices that support your goal at least every hour of the day, say no to temptation and yes to what’s good for you. This may sound like it’s easier said than done, Tanmay asserts that it is the way to master your mind.
Today, Tanmay Bhat has already lost around 50 kilograms and is showing no signs of slowing down. While it is certainly inspiring, we can benefit from the example Tanmay sets. His fitness journey also serves to show the difference small, consistent habits that accumulate over time can make. And as he explains in his own non-preachy way — all you need to do is focus on building resiliency, mastering your mindset and establishing healthy frameworks.