What is Health & Fitness? 13 Reasons you are not reaching your Health & Fitness Aspirations

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​What is Health? What is fitness?

I strongly believe our idea of health & fitness has got a severe battering in the last 10 years in particular. Social Media and a huge increase of Fitness images has really been distorted significantly. What we think we should look like has been thoroughly turned on its head. The emergence of saturated sports coverage as well as such fitness pursuits like Crossfit and the Weekend Warrior has changed the image of what being healthy and fit is. The irony of it is, and I can talk about this based on personal experience and what I have seen over years of training people and meeting people burned out from things like Crossfit, is a lot of these people are actually not healthy at all. Internally, mentally and physically, they are often put to the pin of their collar to maintain their image. A lack of real top knowledge in a lot of the coaching in these pursuits often means that things like recovery and breaks and balanced nutritional approaches are not the norm. The fitness Industry (at least some of it is not) is not aimed at the 28+, married, kids, busy job, 60+ minutes a day in cars, sitting in an office all day type of people. Yet these, and the 55+ aging adult, are 2 of the most important demographics and are very often ignored or thrown in with the free of commitment 18-28’s. These people, the 28+ people with life commitments generally, are my PT clients on the whole. I train Athletes as well, and it’s a very different ball game with these. The more people I train these people the more I realise they are being woefully mis-informed.

​Firstly i'm going to set a setting for the guide line for what health & fitness is. Then I will give 12 reasons you are not reaching you goals and how you can reach them. Here are the 12 headings I want you to think about first as to why you may not be reaching your Health & Fitness Goals....




You....

1. Don't have a plan
2. Are not accountable to anyone
3. Believe that the key to Fat Loss and Health is running, high intensity training and severe dieting, all at the same time!!! And you are scared shitless of that. You are right. Its stupid.
4. You do not have a habit based behavioral change outlook
5. Think you can do it alone and figure it all out yourself
6. "Think" you have a good diet.
7. Go to the exact same fitness class for years
8. Are attacking too many goals at once
9. Still think "Weights" will make you bulky, and then will turn to fat when you stop.
10. Read, watch and listen to the celebrity trainers
11. Lack consistency
12. You undervalue walking
13. Are in too much of a rush

​What is Health & Fitness?

Many, many people are not happy with where they are with their health and fitness. This differs for everybody and people have all sorts of ideas on what health & fitness exactly is. While they are definitely intertwined they are still somewhat separate. Health is harder to measure than fitness. I give an example below in the "Finding your own fitness barometers" . I have learned not to obsess about them, but they give me an indication of where I am at.


Something we can have a look at is the Biopsychosocial Model. This is in relation to Health & Fitness and even Athletic Performance, but also how it relates to Health, Sickness and Disease. While some "Experts" are fond of reductionism and finding (or getting huge grants to pretend to find) magic bullets for serious diseases like Cancers, Diabetes, Heart Disease etc. For my money if there was magic bullets they would have been found long ago. Essentially what helps performance on the field or at work or helps prevent horrible disease is a nice balance of Biological luck?!? (your genetics), Mental Health and Social Wellbeing. I think anyone when they think about this would think that this makes sense to a large degree. Environmental issues and other bits of luck may also be an issue like living near a Pharmaceutical Plant, but for the sake of this article I will ignore those sorts of reasons. So just for the sake of argument lets use this model as a guide (nothing else, just a guide).

So Health & Fitness is not One-Dimensional. The person you see on Instagram with the 6-Pack may not really be as happy as you may think. Now maybe, and hopefully, they are very happy and I am not saying that all sculpted people are not happy. For many these are important goals for them, define them as people and that's 100% cool and some great goals to have once done in a healthy manner.

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But its just that there are so many other factors at play. We all know many people who do not fit the modern image of perfection physically who are extremely happy and content, and importantly generally healthy too. Not entirely, but these people seem to have a good Biopsychosocial balance. And of course these things are not linear, things go up and down somewhat as we go, but staying somewhere near the middle is generally good for you.


Here is what the WHO (World Health Organisation) describes Health as;


"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"


Jesus. Do they mean we have to be like that ALL THE TIME, to be considered "Healthy"? I hope not. Of course we want to be like that most of the time. We need to be realistic about life's up's and downs. Many of the downs or the stresses are often outside our control (although learning to cope is within). Someone makes your life difficult at work, your baby gets sick, the car breaks down, the baby sitter doesn't show. And on and on. How we work around them will determine how "Happy" we will be though. I believe there are a number of things that help us deal with these things, physical, social & mental activity and downtime being the most important. Our ability to cope though will be somewhat reliant on our physical fitness as we know that once we physically get tired then our cognition starts to deteriorate.


Lofty goals in the modern world. But all 3 main areas there (physical, mental & social) are very much part of one another.

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​Biological Factors in Health & Fitness - The Role of Genetics
​There is not much you can do about your genetics only try to find out who you are biologically as early in life as possible. A lot of people intuitively know what's good and not so good for them, what they enjoy and what they don't. This Is generally a mix of nature and nurture. We will gravitate to things we enjoy and/or find easier. In a lot of cases we may enjoy something because of social benefits but may not actually be genetically physically suited to it, team sports for instance. But the positives far outweigh the negatives here.


Other genetic factors to take into consideration are Family Health History. There is much study and debate on this subject, but here is an interesting if hard reading synopsis from the American Institute of Medicine;


"How that genetic variation is associated with particular disease risk is the focus of much current research. For common diseases such as CVD, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and many mental illnesses, there is a growing appreciation that different genes and different genetic variations can be involved in different aspects of their natural history. For example, there are likely to be genes whose variations are associated with a predisposition toward the initiation of disease and other genes or gene variations that are involved in the progression of a disease to a clinically defined endpoint. Furthermore, an entirely different set of genes may be involved in how an individual responds to pharmaceutical treatments for that disease. There also are likely to be genes whose variability controls how much or how little a person is likely to be responsive to the environmental risk factors that are associated with disease risk. Finally, there are thought to be genes that affect a person’s overall longevity that may counteract or interact with genes that may otherwise predispose that person to a particular disease outcome and thus may have an additional impact on survivorship."


Here is a link to the book where it goes more into Cardiovascular disease and the different reactions to Pharmaceutical use as treatments and the role that genetics play.


The more you know the better, but I don't believe it should be something to overly worry about. Apart from the counter-productive nature of worry. The basics remain the same, you should exercise, eat well most of the time, find time for yourself, hang out with friends and family, travel to places etc.


However if you have a family history of certain diseases then some small sensible precautions may be prudent.

Social Factors - What surrounds you?
There are many aspects to the social factors, but to make it easy we'll pick 3, Peers, friends and family.
Peers - This can be people you work with in various forms, people you share hobbies or interests in, people in your age bracket, social standing (I hate that this is a "thing", but it is), your background, qualifications etc. How you interact with these people is important for your own well being. How much you value these peoples encouragement or views on you depends, but the more you value it the more important it is to have a good feeling around these relationships. In the Strength & Conditioning, Sports Science, Medical Support and Personal Training world it is a sad fact that this is actually a real weakness within the industry. Far too many people spend a lot of time running down others. I can give personal experience of hearing back things said about me, by other practioners. In other cases I have contacted people to see if on some level they wanted to connect or to share info, no response. I find this disappointing and even a bit sad in some cases. This for me is unhealthy for both people, but especially the people too worried about what others do. This is a perfect example of an unhealthy peer situation. I am sure many people can understand through their own experiences within their own worlds.


Friends - Friends are obviously critical to our lives. Our friends play different roles and people have different types of friends. Some people love big groups and having loads of friends and loads of contact. This is important for them. Then there are people who are a bit more introverted and have less friends and often spend less time with them. However this is no less important. Whatever your needs the time is obviously beneficial.


One of the most common issues I have seen within relationships and as a barrier to health and fitness is when people get questioned on their health choices or encouraged not to follow their goals by others who are either jealous of their friends commitment or simply have not seen the benefits yet. In extreme cases these can be very toxic relationships. If someone does not accept your approach to health and fitness and discourages you from it, then maybe you should question that relationship, or at least tell them this is the way you are and they either accept it, encourage you or ignore it. In Ireland it manifests itself in someone being ridiculed for going drinking, heavily. That's a pretty sad state of affairs. That's not to say you should not go out and enjoy yourself with friends, but the balance and timing should be determined by you. If the person continues to stand in front of your goals or lifestyle they may need the flick, as hard as that may be.


Family - Fair enough, they can be a pain in the ass, we all know that. but that's just simple (in my opinion) because they 1) know you better and you can't fool them whatsoever and 2) you have spent a ridiculous amount of time in their company your whole life. If you are anything like me spending too much time with the one person or group gets very tedious. But having said that any disagreements or fall outs with family are definitely the most debilitating and the ones outside of maybe partner relationships that will hang on you the most. Dealing with these issues quickly will help you move on and get on with your day to day stuff free of stress and usually totally unnecessary.
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Psychological Factors 
A Healthy Mind
Now its true the 3 main factors really come altogether as a package, but in reality the most important benefit of exercise is a healthier mind. Exercise improves all of the following;

• Mood
• Reduces Stress
• Increases resilience and ability to cope with stress.
• Improved body image
• Less chance of chronic depression
• Increased energy
• And many other elements

Here is a article covering some of the suggestions above Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Exercise


The WHO says "Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community."


So are you doing all those things? Everyone is different obviously, but we all know many people who clearly are not reaching these definitions, in fact we all probably flitter in and out of not reaching these definitions. I'm not saying the WHO is the defining standard and everyone has their own expectations of what is needed to be mentally healthy. However if you are someone who would like to contribute to their community (join a club, coach a team etc) but can't due to work, does that by definition mean you lack a balance that will lead to mental well-being? I think it might. Are you working so much you miss a kids game or play? Are you not able to exercise because of work? Then you have an issue. We are never too busy for anything, we just prioritize one thing over another. Working yourself to the bone for "The Man" or in pursuit of material things never ends well from a health point of view.

Finding your own Fitness BarometersThis is very personal, and I believe these things should be a mix of achievable, realistic goals that won't hurt you (but will challenge you, which is key) and also that involve pursuits that you enjoy. For some people that may be being able to walk up a stairs every day at work without getting out of breath, or playing Golf every Saturday without pain in the knees. Where you are now to where you want to be is a start. In 6 months time those goals may shift. And that's fun, the same goals cannot last forever and for many people variety is crucial, especially in terms of physical fitness.


For me as an example this is pretty easy really in terms of targets. This is not what I am suggesting for anyone or everyone. These things are based around pursuits I enjoy and what my working life allows and the access I have to fitness and fitness equipment.

• Run 200M in 25-30 second range comfortably
• Single Leg Box Squat with 1/2 my bodyweight added (can't do this right now)
• Deadlift minimum double my bodyweight
• Bench throw half my bodyweight as a minimum
• Pull myself from under a bar (Inverted Row) 20 times as a minimum

Easy to measure and easy to achieve, as I already had achieved them and know where I need to be. It happened over a very long time of trial and error and never ending education. Some of these I lose reasonably easy without practice, especially the 200M and Bench throw. These are athletic goals in a way, but I think they are real life specific too. Lifting 150KG off the ground might save a life someday, running 200M at a reasonable pace for a 38 year old might catch someone who stole a womans bag or any number of things. Being able to push off half my bodyweight may help protect me in certain difficult situations like a crush at a concert or whatever. Having reasonable bodyweight Pull Endurance is a sign of decent upper body posterior strength as well as grip strength, both generally good health indicators. To reach these things is good for you, helps you look reasonably ok, keeps the belt buckle respectably short and they have some transfer to your life.

Social well-being - The value of relaxed Human Interaction
​Dealing with people at work is not social interaction. That is often something I hear "oh I deal with enough people at work". Going home from work and completely shutting off from the rest of the world is not good for you (can talk from experience), but its a very common thing in the Western World. Interaction with people in a relaxed setting is so important for our well-being and development. If you are only dealing with people in a stressed environment then people become stressful to you. You can zone out. We need to discuss "stuff" with people. And that may not always be a partner, in fact you may need to discuss your partner or you may not have one.


The Fix-All
One thing that jumps out that can help all these aspects is sport, and in particular team sport or group based pursuits like being in a band or an art group or a society with like-minded people. Or indeed Fitness Classes or group activities of any sort. They provide an outlet for all 3 main areas of health. But they are not for everybody either. So what can we do, and what maybe what should not doing as I strongly believe many thousands of Irish people think they are doing the right things for their health but are actually doing more damage than good.

Some do's and don'ts to start withHere are some do's and do not's of real Health and Fitness for regular people from an exercise perspective;


Do....
......some form of Strength Training. As I discussed here in this article here, strength underpins all physical activity and is directly related to your long term health. Have a balanced body in terms of stability, mobility and posture is critical to long term health. Strength Training is the best way to achieve this. Resisted Movements using bodyweight, bands or weights will help you to achieve this balance. But it takes time and it needs consistency. If you work at a desk for a living then you are going to be doing damage to yourself for the rest of your working life. So a 12 week "Greatest body ever" program is not going to cut it, and in fact may put you in a worse position as these programs generally take a huge physical and mental toll on people. These Programs are for young 20 something singles, people without kids and/or extremely vain people. Now I am not saying in any way looking well is to be frowned on, its absolutely not as the benefits mentally are very real. However a bit of realism and balance is needed for the people who struggle most with Fat Gain and physical changes, 30+year old men and 35+ year old women or women who have had children at any age.
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A lot of people don't like Commercial gyms and find them intimidating, well then find a small private one, or get a Personal Trainer to come to your house and get educated in doing the basics at home. Health is a use it or lose it deal, you have to build exercise habits, nothing else works. In the modern world structured exercise is a necessity for a healthy life for the vast majority of people.


Lifting weights are also better than virtually anything else for burning fat. Far superior to anything you can do on a Cross-Trainer, on the road or on a treadmill. Its also significantly safer than road running.


Having muscle raises your metabolism. So if you have a higher metabolic level it means you burn energy easier. In fact what it leads to is that when you are doing nothing your muscles are working, you have a higher resting energy expenditure (REE). So while you are doing what you do for most of the day, sitting at your desk, you could actually be keeping your body in a healthy state. Steady State long running will not do this for you. Couch to 5KM's (or god forbid a marathon) will not do this for you.


Make your body work for you on an on-going basis. Twice a week will be sufficient for most people and is unlikely to put on any "bulk".

Do NOT...
.....Go running on the roads without any preparation. In fact I would say unless you are training for a race on actual concrete then avoid it completely. I am always trying to convince people NOT to run marathons or any other middle to long distance races. They are not good for the majority of people and are not a safe way to lose weight. In fact the training needed for running a marathon could indeed be taking years off your life. Its not that these are un-doable, but a huge majority of people do them with completely inadequate preparation. 


People love the feeling of completing runs, the endorphin release and sense of achievement is notable. However if we put our practical "Risk-Reward" hats on what are we getting from it? Ok, you may get "fitter". But what damage are you doing to your back and your hips if you have weak glutes, tight hammys, tight hip-flexors, tight thorasic area? Because in modern life its entirely likely you have all these issues. I don't have a client that doesn't have one if not all of these. If you go out running while bent out of shape you are doing more unknown damage to yourself. You may be shearing your lower vertebrae (low back lumbar region) which will lead to pain, bulging discs etc.


This is the process I see all the time.

• Person decides they need to "get fit" and lose "weight"
• What they really want to do is lose Fat, not weight, and look better naked. Its important to be real about your goals. And looking better naked is an entirely legitimate reason to want to improve your health & fitness
• Surely going running is the way to do that!?! Running is easy to do.
• No I don not believe so, at least not initially. Learning to move well and becoming strong is no.1 port of call. Sorting your Coordination, Muscle Balance and Biomechanics (easier than it sounds) are miles ahead of running in terms of health improvement. Running might seem easier to do in terms of equipment, cost and variability of venues.
• They google some Couch-to-5KM running programs
• There is a lot of rubbish on the Internet. A lot of programs are written by experienced Athletes with little or no coaching or scientific background. They also have a tendency to look at running from their own perspective. Often these people ran from a young age in an Athletics club. Running is easy for them. That's a hell of a different place from where you are coming from.
• Off we go, we'll try 3 miles to start, that's not too far
• Its very far, especially for somebody who never did it before or has been inactive for a long time.
• No warm up
• So no activation of important muscles like glutes already weakened by sitting down for a living, so the wrong muscles help you run especially when fatigue sets in. Lumbar muscles become worked as movers instead of stabilizers and hamstrings get over worked.
• Fight through it with a few stops, but a self congratulatory slap on the back for "fighting" through it. Bit of soreness the next day, but sure surely "No Pain No Gain". Nonsense. You are not an Olympic Athlete or an MMA Fighter. Why would you hurt yourself? Would you stick needles in your eyes if someone told you it "might" lose you some pounds? No you wouldn't.

​Here though are the top 13 reasons you are not reaching your fitness goals, in my opinion.

1. You don't have a plan. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. It does not have to be detailed or anything fancy, but a plan is an absolute necessity. A weekly plan, a monthly plan and a 3 month plan. That's probably enough for everyone. Have your goals, make sure they are attainable and just do it. A plan helps consistency, as you will see below consistency is critical.
2. You are not accountable to anyone. If you are not on a team or you are not being coached by someone then you are only accountable to yourself. There is nobody we are better at fooling than ourselves. Personal Training obviously gives some real feedback and accountability, but if that's not in your budget then training with a friend or work colleague may be the way to go as you may push each other.
3. You believe that the key to Fat Loss and Health is running, high intensity training and severe dieting, all at the same time!!! And you are scared shitless of that. You are right. Its stupid. Long Running. On the Roads. It's wrong. You are most likely hurting yourself. I deal with it specifically in the article, as its something that needs special attention. I hear people say they want to lose weight and they will do it by training for a marathon. In some cases this is actually the start of the end of your Health & Fitness. Its difficult to intervene, especially if you are a terrible liar like me, as people can be so emotionally attached to the "idea" of running a Marathon. Remember the first person to run a marathon died. That's right, he died. High Intensity Training is fun and quite effective, but it needs to be brought in very slowly and after weeks and months of preparation and increasing a persons stability and mobility. It means the fitter you get if done cleverly the less time you have to spend at it. Add in a huge calorie deficit and you are at best going to give up, middling become a cranky irritable bastard and at worst get injured or hit a severe breakdown. This happens, we only ever see the success stories, we never hear about the guys who give up, or fail. Sometimes these people come back and try again, and again, and again. These people will succeed, but many, many fail and while there is a certain amount of personal responsibility on anyone for their own health, often its a PT or a Coach or someone who is supposed to help who puts the breaks on, even if they are unaware of that. 
4. You do not have a habit/behavioral changing approach - This really is critical to long term health and fitness. It is why many people Yo-Yo. They make ready made or programmed changes for a period of time. They have a goal, say lose 5 KG for my wedding, but once it is reached they revert to a crap lifestyle. Make the goal a process, and make it big. Like "I want a long life of health & vitality". Well thats not going to happen in 12 weeks now is it. But if you break it down and slowly and deliberately recognize, learn about and change your behaviours then you will reach your "goals" and beyond. I use modern technology and education with my clients and have been using Habit Catalyst with good success in recent times. Now i have decided to use the Precision Nutrition ProCoach approach, and this is very exciting and will bring even greater results for my clients. Clients have bitesize goals, educational and coaching support and a fantastic tracking system.
5. You think you can do it alone and figure it all out yourself. Nobody ever did anything alone. The notion of the self mad man is bull shit, it does not exist. Yes we have to have grit and determination to reach goals, yes we have to do the actual work, but we have or are getting support from others. If your health is very compromised you will not be able to fix it alone. And as i describe below, just joining a gym or getting a trainer alone won't solve it either, you need family, friend and peer support. The Internet is very useful, but also can be very dangerous. Its rarely clear where the context of an exercise or a program is obvious or explained. You may think you are similar to the person in the video, but are you? What is their support system like? If you copy what the star athlete does do you have the Phyio support, the S&C staff, the Massage therapists, the recovery tools? And have you had that support for years? Are you genetically suited to the program? The list goes on.
6. You "think" you have a good diet. This is an absolute minefield, what is good, bad or indifferent changes daily. However I meet a huge amount of people who think they have their diet in check. Yet on closer inspection or the eventual filling of a diary it becomes obvious they don't fully understand nutrition at all. Sugar and Fat are the most talked about parts of diet. But I find the biggest issue is what's NOT in somebodies diet or indeed the other social and psychological factors in their lives that can affect diet. If you are severely fatigued and/or mentally stressed (fatigue is a stress, a bad one, adrenal fatigue) then your diet and body will suffer. In fact you may even have a pretty decent diet and amazing discipline even when tired but the stress and fatigue compromises your body. We need as a people need to re-evaluate how we "think" and "why" we eat poorly. We have to stop thinking about the food items alone and more about what's driving us to this shit diet. Science only helps a little. The problem with science and the information out there is it is very often Ego driven. Its very much the same in Sports Science and Coaching, all the different disciplines have their age old approach (Physio, S&C, Old School Coaches, Sports Scientists, Nutritionists etc) and the whole thing gets very confusing for the ordinary Joe. Nutrition is arguably the most confusing as you throw in greedy big companies and pharmaceuticals and everyone is trying to get their message out there. All the different disciplines want their voice to be loudest. But the bottom line, if you are not getting fruit and vegetables into your diet regularly then it really doesn't matter what other food you eat, how hard you train or how disciplined you are, you are missing out and probably not reaching your goals. Simply putting Fruit & Veg in by-proxy takes other foods out, or at least reduces the cravings. You immediately (I would say less than 3 days) start to feel better by ADDING the right foods, and not trying to take foods away. This could be one of the major mistakes being made across the world. If you eat well and still believe you are fat, then you will have to look elsewhere. What other factors in your life could be creating these imbalances. Another major issue with diet is not eating enough food early in the day. I'm not necessarily talking about breakfast and many Nutritionists and Scientists now refute the "Breakfast is most important meal of the day" idea. If that's to be taken at value or not I cannot say for sure as I have not investigated both sides of the story yet, however I do know most of your eating for the day needs to be in the first half of your day. All eating after 6PM should be carefully watched. If you starve yourself you will still get hungry, and if you are hungry and tired poor decisions will result.
7. You go to the exact same fitness class for years. There is a point of diminishing returns on most pursuits. The body is a very clever organism, it adapts quick enough. If you are new to exercise or away a long time then anything works, absolutely anything. But after around 3-6 months the returns slow. Now a PT can adjust accordingly but it is very hard, through no fault of their own, for a Class instructor to accommodate 10-20 people individually. You body will adapt and eventually it fails to create any adaptations. This brings me back to running. When you adapt to 5KM's and you are getting diminishing returns what do you do? You run for 6-7-8KM. You have to keep running longer and longer and longer to get stimulation. That's more training, more time away from kids and partners, more miles on the road, more injuries, more long term biological damage. Think about a Spin class that you have been doing for 3 years. Its still 45 minutes long. Get the point? That's not to say you should completely abandon, but a break for 2-3 months would make a huge difference. Go back to it and it will be challenging again. Mix your training, set short and medium goals, but build a base first.
8. You are attacking too many goals at once. This is a huge issue, and unfortunately one promoted by a lot of my industry, the Health & Fitness Industry. "12 Week Transformations", "Best Body Ever" "You can only join if you are special and mental enough to turn your life upside down and pay me to copy shit off the internet and give it to you" Programs. This is essentially nonsense for a large pick of the population. I give "Programs", and sometimes they are 12 weeks long like the successful FitBlast Program. However its all about setting the participants up to have long term education on health & fitness, a controlled sensible approach where each day has a different focus and each month is a different phase. If you are 30+, have a job and kids then even turning up for exercise is a major step.After 4 weeks of consistently turning up then maybe you could throw an eye at one major Habitual change in terms of diet. The person will already have conquered a major lifestyle change by turning up 3 times a week. Sometimes people are also dealing with a nutritionist or Weightwatchers or similar, and this is generally fine as they are very structured programs that are easy enough to follow. A good nutritionist will not bombard someone with too much too soon. I have other Programs aimed at 20 something Men who do want to get in serious shape "Strong as a Bull, Lean as a Lion Program" in either 12 weeks or 6, however these guys are a completely different kettle of fish and what time they can afford differs greatly from most people. They also would have to be at least Intermediate level in terms of Strength & Conditioning ability and also realistically within reach of their goals. They will have micro managed nutrition and will train hard at least 4 days a week and literally do little else on their time off, include barely take a drink of alcohol. These guys want to look like Athletes, so they have to prepare like them. They need to be single (usually the reason for doing the program) or have a very understanding partner. That is clearly not for everybody. I have something similar for women, a "Superwoman" Program. Again, it needs manic detail and a real desire to get in ridiculous shape. Point is, you need time to change old habits, and it is very hard to change more than one or two at a time. Get real is a starting point.
9. You still think "Weights" will make you bulky, and then will turn to fat when you stop. Strength Training does not mean iron weights alone. The correct term is Resistance Training. Gravity is resistance, your body is resistance, the ground is, as is a wall and so on. It does not even have to be in a gym, training can be so so simple if it needs to be. However it must be remembered you may be in search of an Intervention. As in you want to get fitter or faster or stronger or lose fat or run further. That needs Training. So don't expect to do a small bit of yoga and a bit of pilates and lose (that much) fat. They won't start up the engine not to mind drive it down the road in terms of real change. They are excellent disciplines of fitness and compliment a healthy lifestyle, but they won't cut it in the short to medium term as an actual intervention. Another thing, if your body needs actual shape changing, well there is only one way to do that, build muscle. If you want a Bubble Butt ladies, then you need to lift weights, a few times a week. If an athlete wants to get faster, part of that process involves lifting weights, jumping around the place and sprinting. Just losing fat will make you look skinny, nothing else. And thankfully the world is realising that looking skinny is shit. Starving yourself is also shit.
10. You read, watch and listen to the celebrity trainers - This may be somewhat harsh on a number of people, but if a "Trainer" is really famous and on tv all the time then its likely they got there from clever marketing,  maybe some brown nosing or knowing the right people and not from years of training people or adjusting as they went with an evidence based approach like most decent coaches and trainers do. I would advise people, if you see fitness advice on TV, do the opposite at all, or no. Its that bad. The nonsense out there is phenomenal. One huge issue is the likes of the Biggest Loser and such shows. They make getting healthy look like torture. They promote passive aggressive trainers "coaching" (its not coaching, I can tell you that), roaring and shouting at already psychologically damaged people. Recent studies have shown that almost all participants in these shows revert back somewhere close to where they began before the show. An average increase in 30-40KG from end of show to 6 years later(study link here). That's the weight of a good sized Rottweiler. The humiliation of these people is disgusting, but it sells. But what the masses see is that this is the way to change. The clever use of emotional stories and "supportive" families are great sellers. They are very often highly staged events with little sense in their approach or sustainability.
11. You lack consistency - Being consistent is everything. This is not to say that you shouldn't miss a session here or there or eat a chocolate bar or a breakfast roll "every now and then". Its just that if you do, you get back up on the horse again and get back to it. If you are taking breaks for every night out or every christening or wedding (3 days in advance of the actual event) then you are either taking on too much or are looking for excuses not to exercise or to binge regularly. You are probably not ready to live healthy.
12. You undervalue walking - Walking as a form of exercise has been largely forgotten by the general population in the Athlete/Crossfit/Fitness Model Image saturated world we now exist in. I obviously enough, encourage strength training. But with Athletes or indeed PT clients i also encourage a High-Low approach. What that means is if you train hard on a Monday then you should train low on a Tuesday. Now that for the ordinary Joe can mean a walk in the park after work. Walking is undervalued because its not seen as a "Fat burner" or hard enough to make changes. This could not be further from the truth. How many fat Hill Walkers do you know? Seeing as we live in Ireland, rolling hills should not be too much of a stretch for us to find. The thing is hill walking in particular brings most people into a very good "Fat Burning" zone. A decent hill will bring someone easily into that 120-150 BPM range where your Fat Oxidation reaches its peak. And in fact Fat Oxidation decreases down to zero the higher the intensity. That's why sometimes hugely strong weight lifters who don't look after their diet and don't condition are often very strong and even quick for around 10-20 meters, but fat. Their main pursuit is lifting very heavy loads (High Intensity) a lot. That's not to say lifting heavy cannot help burn fat or change your body shape, its just that it works way better when part of a balanced regime. There is also recent evidence that fasted walking on a hill or an inclined treadmill is a high end fat burner. So if you stopped eating at 7PM on a Sunday night, got up at 7AM on Monday morning and hopped on a treadmill and hill walked for 30 minutes keeping your heart rate below 120 (or not getting to a panting stage) then there is reasonable recent evidence to show this is a great fat burner. The reason for this is due to fasting your body's fat is ready for use. Probably a tactic to be used by someone with a good 3 months training and adjustments made already. This would not be something a newbie should jump into diet wise. This is completely ignoring the mental benefits of walking. Going for a walk in the fields or in the woods or at the park has multiple psychological benefits, even if just for 30 minutes. What I would suggest, 30 minutes for refreshment and a break, 30-60mins for light exercise, 60+ minutes on the hills for a training adaptation. Walking is also a very useful tool for athletic recovery and the evidence emerging is that for some athletes it may be eve n better than pool sessions or light tempo runs that are often used.
13. You are in too much of a rush - Slow Down. Nothing worth having is easy or happens quickly. The journey to getting to where you want to get to does not have to be a slog and it does not need to be rushed. Yes 12 week programs can work, 6 week programs can work. But don't think in short time frames like that, play the long game. Yes you may need a kick start, but its a general overall healthy approach is what you are trying to achieve. 

In Conclusion

Of course this list is not exhaustive, but its a good indication of what most people go through and is also based on my 22 years experience in various coaching roles.
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Here is what I see all the time and the science supports in terms of "making progress";
2-3 weeks of consistent exercise intervention leads to you "feeling better"
4-6 weeks of consistent exercise leads to feeling even better and some physiological and biological changes. Sleep should have significantly improved and clothes will have loosened.
6-10 weeks of consistent exercise and an added few adjustments to diet and you will start to see more significant differences
10-16 weeks of consistency and you will slow in some areas but will be getting significantly "healthier" and "fitter" now. Depending on where you are coming from you may need more focus on nutrition or other Psychological and Social factors. But at this stage you will have built exercise as a habit. Also at this stage, generally, people will be able to do more "athletic" and maybe higher intensity training. Again this depends on your starting point, but exercise can become more and more fun.