Two Out of Three

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to give you a few tips that will help to encourage you to reach your fitness goals.  It is one of my core beliefs that even if you have the strongest intentions, and the best written plan to get to where you are going, it will be easily compromised if the plans are too unrealistic to be maintained.  Fad diets only work for so long for this reason; they will help you cut calories initially, but they are too demanding to be maintained over the long haul, and not the way to achieve a healthy lifestyle.  And if you look at your starting point, or simply the place you are now, you want to get somewhere further down the path and you are looking for an edge. So that tells me that what you are currently doing isn’t quite getting you there.  I find that discouragement is often what keeps us from staying on the arduous trail to our fitness goals.  Often the discouragement comes from not meeting your own expectations…for example, people get discouraged when they aren’t getting to the gym as much as they would like, or even miss just one day.  The key to reaching your goals is to not focus on what you haven’t been able to do, but to zero on your successes.  Instead of being discouraged by what you haven’t been able to do, be encouraged by what you have done and can still do.

One of the harsh realities with obtaining fitness goals is that they can only be accomplished with hard work that needs to be done day in and day out.  This is why maintaining your health needs to become a lifestyle and not just something you do for a few weeks of the year.  Fitness achievement only comes after keeping up with a routine, and can only be maintained by sustaining what you have been doing already and most times having to do even more going forward.  We know it isn’t easy, but we also know the results are well worth it.  We can all dream about where we want to be, but we have to constantly work to get there.  The trick is to stay positive and encouraged along that demanding path.

As I started to say in the introduction, one way to stay encouraged along your fitness quest is to commend yourself for your successes and focus on your achievements rather than knocking yourself for succumbing to bumps along the way.  I always go back to the analogy of the dentist.  Every dentist tells you to floss every single day and some say to do it every time you brush your teeth.  While I am sure there are some people out there who actually keep up with that, I am just as sure that they are in the minority of the population.  This is similar to a trainer telling you to get to the gym every single day and to make every single meal clean and healthy.  Again, I am sure there are some people out there who actually keep up with that, I am just as sure that they are in the minority of the population.  What I want you to keep in mind is that just as you wouldn’t stop brushing your teeth because you are not flossing as much as recommended, you shouldn’t stop trying to reach your fitness goals because you can’t get to the gym and/or aren’t eating as healthy as you should.  Anything you do positive for your health is just that…a positive!

A simple way to both get started and keep you going by focusing on your positive steps is to make a list of three daily goals that you want to keep.  Instead of having a long list of everything you should and could be doing better, focus on just a few.  For example, you might have drink more water, be active during a work break, and get to the gym.  It could be any three things that you know would make you healthier.  Having them laid out will help you focus on them.  Then, be happy that you have done any or all of them.  There is a song that goes “Two out of three aint bad” and it applies here as well.  In baseball if someone even goes one for three all of the time they would have a Hall of Fame career.  Yes, you should want to and try to meet all of your goals.  However, if you have done any of them, you have acted with your health in mind.  And let what you have done encourage you to be healthy.

There are enough haters out there to sling stones and try and knock you down.  No one needs any more discouragement, and it certainly shouldn’t be self-imposed.  So don’t get yourself down when you are trying to lift yourself up.  Look at all of the positive things you have done to improve your current level of health and be proud of that.  Let that pride in what you have accomplished be the fuel to encourage you to do even more.  Improving your health one small step at a time, and being happy about it, is the positive way of reaching a fit new you!

Law of Diminishing Returns

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to help you push through the point in your fitness quest where you feel that you have “hit the wall.”  No matter what point we are at on our fitness journey, beginners and veterans alike will eventually get to a place where they feel like they have hit their limit.  But what you need to realize is that although you may have come up against a wall, that wall isn’t attached to a ceiling that you cannot over come, rather it is simply the face of the cliff that leads to higher ground.  It can be even more discouraging when hitting that wall comes after a lot of hard work.  There is a Law of Diminishing Returns, which basically states that you eventually get smaller and smaller returns for your continued efforts.  However, in physics, there is also the Law of Conservation of Energy, which says energy cannot be destroyed.  So this is one of those times where you need to remember that you do get out what you put in…and the harder it is to get past that wall, the greater the view will be at the top.

D.J. is a soccer player that I have trained throughout his high school career.  He was a smaller than the average player his age, but that just meant he had to work harder to achieve his goals of making the team.  And when he decided to go to a prestigious private school with very competitive team, he had to work harder than ever to make that team.  As hard as he had to work to make the freshmen team, he had to work even harder to make the Jr. Varsity team.  The same was true for him when he tried out for the varsity team, he knew going in he would have to train even harder than ever.  But, when he made the team, it was his greatest triumph!

No matter what your fitness goals are, you will eventually come up against that proverbial wall; the point where you feel you have reached your limit.  However, the body doesn’t work like that, the body is designed to adapt and evolve to challenge.  As long as you keep putting in the effort, you will eventually reach a higher ground.  A great visual of this is the winners’ podiums at the Olympics.  Notice how the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners are staged on podiums of differing heights with the best being on the tallest podium.  The best effort is the one that has attained the highest ground.  So when it comes to your own training be encouraged, not discouraged, that you have to work harder to see additional results after hitting your plateau. 

The Law of Diminishing Returns can be a bit discouraging if you think that you will get less reward for more effort.  This simply isn’t true though.  The extra effort that you put it will take you to the next level with greater reward.  When it comes to fitness you get out what you put in.  Those higher walls lead to greater heights as is the case with the winner’s podium.

Whatever point you are at along your fitness journey know that you will encounter walls that will have to be overcome.  The further along you get, the harder they may seem to overcome.  But remember that as you move upward, the results attained will be higher and higher.  And if you are only just starting out, be encouraged that those first few walls are the easiest to overcome.  You will reach new heights with your health and state of fitness if you continue to increase your efforts.  Continuing to push for higher ground is the winners’ way to achieve a fit new you!

What You Know

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to slightly change directions from what I have suggested over the last few previous posts.  Where the last few posts I have suggested tapping into the mind-body connection to motivate you to keep at your fitness goals, in this post I am going to suggest doing the opposite.  Well, not exactly.  In the previous posts I had suggested how to use your feelings to motivate you so I am not saying ignore what I said.  What I am suggesting you do here is to take your emotions out of it completely.  Sometimes when it comes to keeping on the fitness track, whether hitting the gym or watching what you eat, you just don't "feel it."  We all have these days from time to time.  There are times when what we actually do is not what we know we should be doing.  Those moments where you say to yourself "I know I should be going to the gym, but..." and you wind up doing something else.  Or in a similar situation where you see something decadent on a plate that doesn't fit in your nutrition plan and as you reach for it you say to yourself "Well I know I shouldn't, but..."  This idea of how we do things we know we shouldn't be seems like a no-brainer.  And it is just that...it is us acting without truly considering what is best for us.  Our actions in these situations are usually driven by our emotions or how we are "feeling" at that time.  So take the emotion out of it...just do what you know you should!

          There have probably been times in your life where you needed to make an important decision, an in order to take your emotions out of the decision you used the phrase "Let me sleep on this."  In order to be more confident in your decision you gave yourself some more time to think about it.  Similar to this notion that our emotions can affect our thought process in a negative way is when we use the cliche "let cooler heads prevail."  In both situations the idea is to take your emotion out of it, and let your rational thought help make a better decision.  This is the main idea of what I am suggesting to you...to take how you are feeling out of the equation and do what you know is the right decision.  I am not saying if you are debating going to the gym or need help with making a healthy food choice that you should wait until the next day to come up with a choice.  I am saying that rather acting on your feelings, do what you know is the right thing.

        Some of the "feelings" that keep us from making healthy choices include: "I am not feeling it today," "I don't feel like going," and "I feel tired."  And people will also make unhealthy food choices as a reaction to how they are feeling; think "comfort food."  In these situations, there is usually some internal debate about what they should do before they take action.  However, sound reasoning doesn't win out and people make a poor choice.  There is usually a very quick response after the choice has already been made that they shouldn't have made that move.  The follow up saying of "hindsight is 20/20" applies here.  Although making the choice of whether or not you should hit the gym isn't going to be a completely life changing event that needs days of consideration, it is a decision that is in fact important as it obviously affects your health.  The decision might not be a single big one that dramatically affects your life, but it is an everyday one that cumulatively will definitely affect your life. 

          You don't need a Master's degree in an exercise science field and / or nutrition to have the knowledge of what you should do to be healthy.  Concepts that keep us fit and healthy are usually common knowledge and universally known.  And since we know what it is good for us, we need to act on that information.  It is perfectly acceptable to let your feelings motivate you, but if they are going to hold you back it is best to revert to what you know is good for you.  Acting on what you know is good for you is the smart way to achieve a fit new you!

Something New

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  I apologize for not getting a new post out sooner, but I have been busy getting ready for the start of another new school year.  And as I was preparing for the year, I found inspiration for this post.  As I welcomed many new students to the start of the academic year, I thought about all of the new things they will learn.  This in turn made me think about all of the different and new things that occur in the fitness industry on a regular basis.  There always seems to be a "hot" new style of class, an innovative piece of training equipment, or something else that is fresh and new.  Incorporating these fresh additions are a great way for both beginner and veteran fitness buffs to invigorate their training routines.  While I do stress the importance of keeping a regular routine to achieve your fitness goals, that routine doesn't have to be stale.  So with this month bringing a back-to-school to school mentality for many of us, I suggest that everyone learn something original and add it to your normal routine.  Doing so will not only allow your muscles to develop past where their memory is currently at, but it will also add fresh perspective to your routine.

          The IDEA Health and Fitness Association is in my opinion one of the leading advancers of fitness in the industry.  Not only do they put on some of the biggest fitness conventions every year, but they also publish a monthly fitness journal.  And every month their journal is jam packed with new trends and sources of information for the exercise and nutrition minded.  One of my favorite sections of the journal is a paragraph called "What people are talking about"  This short little section provides leads to the most innovative and original ideas, practices and philosophies.  It provides a great jumping point for those looking for something new.  The information is great for novices and experts in the field.  What is important to note is that there is this constant influx of new material...this is because the addition of new education isn't just important, it is essential.

         One of the reasons many people fall off of the path towards achieving their fitness goals is because they become bored with the routine.  As the program starts to get stale, it becomes easier to make up excuses of why you cant adhere to the rigors of trying to reach your goal.  It is much harder to get excited about something that just isn't exciting anymore.  Think about something fun...a vacation, a thrill ride, or anything of the kind.  Quite often the longer you stay on it, the less enjoyable it becomes.  There is usually that "sweet spot" of enjoying something for a certain about time before it starts to become less enjoyable.  And this is true from a physiological stand point as well.

         When learning any new physical activity/ movement it takes a certain amount of time and repetitiveness for your brain and body to become accustomed to it.  Trying a physical activity one time might be fun, but it has to be repeated in order for the body to be able to adapt to it.  Your brain and body needs to "learn" the movement.  Typically, as we repeat a movement, our brain grows in response to it, and the movement becomes easier and easier as the brain makes adaptations to perform it more efficiently.  Then, as the movement becomes mentally more efficient, our muscles will change as a response to it as well.  In a classroom, this is similar to a teacher giving multiple examples of new material, and often homework, before a student is tested on the material...there needs to be sometime for the learning process to take place.  However, once our bodies have adapted, you need to change the movement in some way for continued development.  One of the easiest ways of adding change is simply by incorporating something new.

        In order to for your body to change and develop, you need to do something different and new from what you are currently doing.  Change begets change.  Just as students are required to learn new subject matter each year to further their education, the body needs to try new things to overcome muscle memory and have something to adapt to.  And equally as important, doing something new keeps the routine from becoming stale and boring.  Both the body and mind need to try fresh things in order to continually develop and progress.  So learn something new!  Try a different class or pick up a new-to-you piece of equipment next time you go to the gym.  Learning something new is a progressive way to reach a fit new you!

Flatter Yourself

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to give you a similar motivational tip as I did last week, but this time I want the focus to be on you.  If you read last week's post (and if you didn't you should now) you know that I suggested that by helping and doing things for others, that you would feel better about yourself emotionally, and that would caused you to feel better physically.  Feeling better in both of these ways allows you to become more motivated to continue feeling good, and it allows for a positive cycle to take place.  And as I said last week, it is best to think about helping others first...however, this week, I want you to do something for yourself.  When you do something for yourself, you increase your sense of self-worth.  Furthermore, you can make yourself feel better and happy, and that allows for that same increase in physical feeling...another positive cycle.  One goal that most of us who are exercising regularly, making healthy food choices, or at least trying one of those two have is to feel better with how we view ourselves when looking in the mirror.  Although we all might not quite be where we want to eventually get, we can all agree that wearing one particular piece of clothing or another is more or less flattering. We probably all have a shirt, pair of pants, dress, etc. that we know flaunts our "good" parts.  And you know that when you wear that piece, your confidence goes up a little, because you do feel good about yourself.  So this week, instead of going out and doing something for someone else, (or you still can but now in addition) I want you to go out and purchase a new piece of clothing that flatters you.  It is back to school season, and there a lots of stores having sales, so it shouldn't be an expensive endeavor.  Whatever you do spend, the worth will be in your increase in self-worth when you feel yourself looking better than ever.

         I am someone who is not "cheap" but is frugal and needs to watch how I spend my money.  I have my indulgences and it doesn't take much arm twisting by my kids to get them something off of the list while at a store.  However, one thing that I carefully budget for is clothing.  If I have any fashion sense, it could possibly be considered utilitarian.  Most of the clothes I purchase are based on necessity and requirements of my job's dress codes.  I am not one of the people who have a pair of shoes for every single different occasion.  In fact, the way I work my sneakers is I have a "good" pair of sneakers that I wear to school (on Phys. Ed. days) and the gym.  Overtime, as these shoes become more and more worn, they become my "work" sneakers, which are the ones that become the pair that I can wear to my construction-type summer job.  Usually, I can get the one pair of sneakers to last the entire school year, and then they become the work sneakers, and by the end of the summer, I can purchase a new pair for the new school year.  The same is true for my gym shirts.  I will by a handful of new shirts to wear for personal training, and as they become worn, they become my workout shirts.  Eventually they wear out their use and they become either the new workout shirt, or meant for the trash.  But even for me, someone who is not all concerned with how I look from a fashion sense, when I put those new sneakers or shirts on, I do feel good about the way I look.  I am often replacing stains, and holes...some quite unflattering aspects.  And starting with new, nicely fitting clothes, I feel both better about myself from an increase in self-worth, but also because the clothes are often more flattering.

          Times were tough for my family when I was growing up, and I often had clothes ought at flea markets or attained through hand-me downs.  Now I am not talking about being vain in any sense, but I do remember feeling a good sense of pride when I was able to purchase clothing that was new and sized for me.  Not only did they make me look good, but they made me feel good.  I also don't want you to get too wrapped up in the sense that you have to go out and spend money in order to look good (think again about my frugality) because that can lead to an unhealthy mindset.  What I am simply suggesting is that if you get yourself a new shirt, sneakers, outfit or whatever for the gym, you will be inspired.  You wouldn't buy and wear something that you don't think you yourself look good in, therefore when you wear what you purchase you are already starting with a positive attitude.  But what is more important is the motivation that will come from that increase in self-worth.

          People who suffer from depression often have a poor self-image and vice verse.  A negative cycle can be created that is hard to break; someone doesn't like the way they look, they become embarrassed about how they think they appear, they rather people not see them, so they don't go to the gym, and then by not working out, they feel even worse about how they look.  Do you see how that can become a negative cycle?  The opposite of this is the positive cycle; someone likes the way they look, they are confident in how they appear, they want others to see them, they get to the gym, and they train hard.  See how that can be beneficial?  Now the real results of following a regular exercise routing and maintaining a healthy diet are earned over time.  What I am suggesting today is that if you wear something that you think you look good in, you will feel good about yourself, and you will jump start that positive cycle.  Leading a healthy lifestyle is something that has to be maintained regularly.  I am just giving you a way to get you there on the fast track.

          As noble as it is to be concerned with and want to help others, you have to remember that you too have needs, are very special and should have a tremendous amount of self-worth.  So it is more than acceptable to splurge on yourself from time to time.  Getting yourself something nice to wear is an expense that will pay dividends if you think you look good in it.  The better you think you look, the better you will feel about yourself.  The increase in confidence will cause you to be more motivated to do what you need to do in order to stay there and/or get tot he next level.  So splurge on yourself and find something flattering.  The positive cycle that results from this will be well worth the financial cost.  Looking good, to feel good, to look good is a positive way to reach a fit new you!