- Oct 18th, 2010
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- written by Chris Buckley
OK, I’ve been a big slacker bum the last month. I know you got used to these blog posts every week, and they’ve been few and far between for a little while now. Writers block…that’s all I can say. Hey, I’m entitled to a little time to clear my mind right? Heck, all you need to know about my fitness thought process is located right here in this blog, so if you’re new to it, take a little time and read some of my previous posts. Now, onto business….
I’ve had a lot of success training clients over the years, but I have to be honest…not one of them would have been successful if they individually had not had their heads on straight. I have very little in the scheme of things to do with this (university psychology class was a joke), other than pointing out things you might be forgetting. You’ve heard of the old clichés like…”Fitness is 90% mental and 10% physical”, or whatever % you want to put on it. Doesn’t really matter, even if the breakdown was 90/10 physical/mental, not having the mental would ruin you. I got to thinking about it, and came up with a list of things other than my staple rules about how to eat and how to exercise. Here they are….
1) Stay off the scale! – This is not helping things. The stress alone will hinder your progress, and that’s a scientific fact Jane! Funny thing how your body has a tendency to gravitate to the weight its comfortable, and that means in good times and bad. It’s good to be motivated, but sometimes it’s to a detriment. If you are fixated on scale weight, you will NOT do the things you are supposed to do to actually get it off. (even though you intuitively know deep down you are sabotaging yourself) Example…it was suggested to you that post-workout nutrition will aid in your recovery and improve your overall performance in your workouts, but you refuse to address this important cog in the fitness wheel because you were told that carbs are bad, regardless of fact that you were told that they have a different post-workout effect. That’s just one example, there are countless.
2) Keep a food and exercise journal – I’ve recently given myself a new nickname…”Broken Record”. It’s a nice nickname, but I’d rather have the nickname “Jerk” or “Hardass”
3) Ask for help – I don’t know of any successful person in this world who hasn’t gotten some good help along the way. (and most get frequent help) You know what I’m getting at here, but taking it a step further….your family and co-workers can help you too (even without knowing it). Not telling ya how to run your family and work life, but it’s OK to say NO every once in awhile. Be your own CEO and delegate wherever possible.
4) Make the most of your workouts – You are taking the time to come to a workout, most of you early in the morning. So let’s maximize your workout time. What do I mean by this? Push yourself. In the beginning of your program, we talked about pushing yourself to your max. Many of you who haven’t exercised like this before aren’t really sure what this means. Simply put…if you are not walking out of your workout completely spent on whatever body part(s) we are working, then Houston, we have a problem. There are limits to how much an out of shape body can push itself, but hey, if you’ve been at it for more than a couple of months, and still ain’t feeling the burn….talk to professional to show you how to get there.
5) Stop thinking of your workouts as “something else you have to do” – Here’s what I mean…proper exercise should be challenging in the moment. Yeah, it’s hard, but it becomes a real drag after awhile if you are looking at your workouts as the most miserable part of your day. When you start to look at your workout time as “time for me”, then it becomes a bit more bearable. (and who knows, you might even become fit enough to be a fitness junkie!…and that’s a nice place to be)
6) Be honest with yourself about your current habits – (or take some time for some serious soul-searching) – You’re falling into your old habits again, ain’t cha? Hopping on the scale every hour, skipping meals, low carb all day, taking bits and pieces from different diets and trying to piece together some semblance of a meal plan. I’ve seen it all. Don’t remember who said it, but someone famous said that your destiny is shaped in your moments of decision. Something to keep in mind every time you find yourself falling back into old habits, or forming new bad ones.
7) Schedule some me/mom time – Easier said than done, but look, I don’t know of any family expert that would tell you that that is a bad idea. News flash! Your schedule ain’t lightening up, buddy. You can keep telling yourself that I’ll do this/that when INSERT TASK HERE is over/ends, but you and I know something else will always come up. Might as well have a little sanity in the midst of all the insanity.
Schedule your workout time – This also goes along with being honest with yourself about your current habits. You might be doing well with going to all your boot camp sessions, but what about off days? Here’s the deal…you should be doing some sort of high moderate to vigorous exercise at least 6 days a week to see massive results. Going to boot camp 3 days a week and throwing in one day of cardio will NOT be enough. I wish I could keep tabs on all of ya at all times, but that might be a bit intrusive. So, schedule a time on your off days to fit in your cardio, or it might not get done.
There you have it, 8 tips to keep perspective about your fitness journey. I’d like to hear about some of the things you like to do to keep focus and consistency. Your thoughts and best practices can help one of your fellow bootcampers. Have a great day!
Chris
Chris Buckley, B.S. Exercise Science, is a certified Fitness Trainer and exercise physiologist, graduate of the University of Florida and fitness professional located in Roswell, GA. Buckley is the owner of BodyBack! Women’s Fitness Boot Camps…serving Roswell, Woodstock, Milton, and NE Marietta, and has posted more information on his website, www.RoswellBootCamps.com. To try a trial week of his fat churning, calorie burning boot camp…click on the registration link at http://www.roswellbootcampsforwomen.com/roswell-boot-camp-registration.html
