Why do we settle for average? This is going to be some real talk on what I see going wrong for people. Hoping it will inspire some change.
The biggest part of my career, and the thing I enjoy most is putting on seminars for workplaces. Getting everyone excited about health and a life full of energy and mental clarity. The other part of my life is the actual in the trenches personal training and group training. I fire people up then I help them change. It's great.
It never fails. Someone gets inspired by TV, seminar, or a friends success and they go out and buy a membership, new workout clothes and have the best intentions. Those best intentions turn into a schedule that never gets followed. I see the same mistakes over and over again.
The rut -- You go to the gym with the intent of trying something new. Functional training, sprints, and anaerobic training. The stuff that gets results. Before you know it, you are in the rut of 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer and 15 minutes of abs. That won't get you results.
The Diet -- Day one you change everything, all at once. Through will power, you last 10 days or the first shopping trip. Then you start to think of all the things you are not eating anymore. You start realizing you are on a "restrictive diet." You day dream about all the things you used to eat, and forget to think about all the stuff you could be eating and the benefit. Instead of being positive change, it turns into a negative situation.
The excuses -- The morning bootcamps seemed like a great idea. But you sleep in and miss the start. You work late and need the extra time to rest. Or the drive is too far. Worse, you bought something before you tried because it worked for a friend. You hate it, It's not for you, and you think exercise won't fit your life ever.
The "Self Lies" -- You have in your schedule four workouts in the week. You don't realize or write down the fact that you went to two because you had legitimate excuses. That continues for a few weeks, along with diet going bad, and when you don't lose weight you blame the workout routine and diet.
Here's how to combat all of this. I understand it's difficult. For me fitness is easy, everyone has their area that's tough. It can be in managing friendships, finances, or family. Everyone has issues. The trick is to highlight them, acknowledge them and then start fixing them.
Fixing the Rut -- Try a bunch of new things that test your limits safely. Don't jump into anything too difficult. You need to work with you body and your current fitness level. Use a trainer for a go too, doesn't have to be every workout, and it doesn't need to break the bank. It's there to keep things fresh and for you. It will get results.
Fixing your Diet -- This has to be something more people focus on. It's not what you can't have, it's how great you can fuel your body. If you want a can of pop, have it. Sounds strange coming for a trainer, but you can't go through your life restricting and constantly feeling shamed for having things here and there.
Pick your battles, and start to remove things slowly and educate yourself as to why. You don't want sugar spikes, you want energy. You don't want empty calories, you want nutrient rich foods to keep you in the prime of your life longer. You want to fuel yourself. Think that each day, and don't focus on not having treats all day. It will take some adjustment, but finding whole foods to fill you up, and fuel you is the best medicine in the whole world.
Fixing the excuses -- Stop making them. It's really that simple. It's time to take ownership of your health. The best way to do this is to actively decide to do things for your health. Plan your workouts, diet, and life around the fact that you need to be healthy to give the most back to this world and your family. If you don't take the time for yourself you aren't your best. Start finding things that work for you, and then stick to the plan. Bring in friends and family to make sure you conquer this thing.
Fixing the Self lies -- Keep an honest journal and a calendar. When you don't workout, write it down. Then review at the end of each week. If your diet included a lot of treats, and things that don't benefit you, write it down. Those things will keep you honest, and make it impossible to lie to yourself. There is a huge difference between saying you're changing, and taking the time to actually change. Make sure you are actually doing that things you need to do. You will get results if you stick to a plan.
Your challenge, if you really want to do this, is to find the right people in your city. Connect with Doctors, nutritionists, physiotherapists, massage therapists, councillors for mental health, whatever you need to get this done, and move forward. Create a support system. Changing habits is hard, get all the help you can. Make this nation healthy again, One Fit City at a time.
