Motivation

Written by Ryan Flint, NSCA-CPT, Sports Nutritionist

I’ve read about this very interesting Harvard University study about exercise multiple times in the past, but I was just recently reminded about this study again while reading the fascinating book called 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman.

Pay attention, because this actually shows a pretty powerful trick that you can use to literally make ANY workout or exercise program a LOT more effective and results producing.

According to the book 59 Seconds, here’s how this study was carried out:

Researchers at Harvard University studied over 80 hotel room cleaning attendants from 7 different hotels.  The hotel room attendants naturally received a lot of exercise from their daily jobs, which included cleaning an average of 15 rooms per day at about 25 minutes per room.  This work involves a good deal of exercise in carrying things, scrubbing, lifting objects, vacuuming, and so on.

The researchers knew the hotel maids led an active lifestyle from their work, but also questioned whether most of the maids may not realize that their work was actually good for their health.  The researchers set out to study the effects on the hotel attendants of making them very aware of how beneficial the exercise they got while working was for their health, and to see if this increased the results that they actually received from the exercise.

Basically, the question was… Would telling them that their work was great exercise improve their health, lower their blood pressure, and help them to lose weight compared to the hotel attendants that didn’t realize their work was in fact “exercise”?

The hotel attendants were split into 2 groups:

1. This group was informed about the benefits of exercise and told how many calories they were burning while doing their hotel cleaning work each day. They were specifically told how many calories activities such as changing sheets, vacuuming, and scrubbing bathrooms were burning each hour.

The researchers also wanted this information to stick in their heads daily, so they gave the attendants a handout showing the quantities of calories they were burning doing each activity of their jobs.  They were also shown a poster daily that reinforced how many calories they were burning.

2.  The control group of hotel cleaning attendants was simply informed of the benefits of exercise, but we’re NOT told how many calories they were burning doing their work, and also were NOT told that their work actually constituted a good form of exercise.

The researchers studied the existing lifestyles of all of the participants in both groups as well as giving them various health tests, including weigh-ins.

The study was conducted for 4 weeks.  The researchers made sure that none of the participants had actually changed their exercise habits, smoking, or eating habits outside of work.  This assured that there was no external lifestyle factor that could have accounted for the results of the study.

In addition, the hotel managers assured that the workloads of both groups stayed the same throughout the entire experiment.

Here are the VERY interesting results:

It turned out that the group of hotel cleaning attendants that was informed daily about the calorie-burning effects of their normal work routines ended up losing a significant amount of weight, lowered their body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio, and decreased their blood pressure.

The control group of hotel attendants that was not told about the calories they burned while doing their work showed NONE of these improvements.

Wow… very interesting huh! 

Remember that each of these groups received the SAME amount of exercise and did not alter their lifestyle, eating habits, drinking habits, smoking, or anything else.  The only thing that was different between the 2 groups was simply that the one group was constantly being reminded of how beneficial the exercise during their work was for their health and how many calories they were burning, and therefore their minds were busy believing in the benefits of it.

This actually doesn’t surprise me… this is classic placebo effect at work here, and reinforces how powerful our brains are in relation to the results we get from exercise, food, supplements, etc.

How to use this info to burn more fat in your workouts, build more lean muscle, and improve your health more from exercise and nutrition

There’s a good lesson in this study.  If you strongly believe in your mind that the workouts that you are doing are drastically improving your body, your results will increase dramatically from those workouts. 

The trick I’ve used over the years is to really “get mental” during your workouts and believe strongly that the exercise you are doing is transforming your body into a lean chiseled machine.  So, if you want to burn more fat, not only do you need to work out intensely (for your individual capabilities), but you also need to mentally visualize the results you’re getting, the body fat you are burning, and really strongly believe in how powerful the workout routine that you are doing really is for your body.

Along the same lines, if your goal is to build more muscle, then you really need to strongly believe in your mind at how powerfully your workouts are helping you to build muscle.

And this can be applied to your food intake too!

Don’t underestimate how powerful your mind really is… If you are eating healthy foods such as those detailed in our client binders and nutritional guide, make sure that you are also actively thinking in your mind about how those foods are dramatically helping your body, making you stronger, making you leaner, improving your energy and health, and so on.

Don’t ignore this… this will drastically improve your results if you actively think about how truly healthy the foods you are eating every day are and how they are changing your body.  This is assuming that you actually are eating truly healthy foods every day.

Another benefit of this “mental programming” is that it trains you to actually want to avoid junk foods, because you want to be able to think about how everything you eat is improving your body instead.

So there you go… an interesting study that shows how you can legitimately increase your results from your exercise and nutrition by just actively thinking about the benefits of both every day!

Last week we went over the first 5 steps in becoming excuse free in your pursuit of Lifestyle Change.  This week we continue.  If you haven’t read the first installment, I would encourage you to do so as a good preface to what you will read here.

 Step #6:  Remember it is NOT as hard as everybody tells you!

We have been cultured since our youth to believe that “change is hard”.  I would like to challenge this conventional (false) wisdom.  I want to present this to you by first having you sit down in a quiet place and have you visualize EXACTELY what your ideal lifestyle looks like.  Be very specific.  How do you feel?  What do you look like, what is your energy level like, ECT?  Now I want you to shift back into your current state and examine the exact same things.  Now contrast the two lifestyles and you tell me which one is harder to live?

The point is that we think about how hard it is to change…and yes change can be hard but it is NOT any harder than the grief our present lifestyle presents to us on a daily basis.  Obesity, low energy from lack of exercise, poor nutrition and a host of other personal habits MAKES OUR LIVES HARDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE!  So to rectify this I propose that you take a big breath, be confident and bold as you change your habits

Step #7:  ACTION

We all know that sitting around and thinking about our goals, our plan of action and roadmap will do nothing to promote lifestyle change.  You must get off your butt and start moving as planned.  Remember your plan of attack was step # 4 from last week, now it is time to actually execute it.  You may be uncomfortable or not confident in doing it as first, but don’t fear…that will change.  Your self confidence will grow and you start to see the small changes in your life. 

Step #8: Never Blame Anything or Anyone…EVER AGAIN!

This is one of the most crucial steps you can implement.  You may be saying to yourself “well, I don’t blame anybody or anything”.  While that may be true, chances are that you use the “blame game” more than you think.  Blaming others is an indication of your maturity level.  The more you blame, then less proactive you are in changing your own life and you surrender your own ability to make choices.  Your character is dinged every time you blame.  When blaming starts, you essentially surrender your God-given ability to make choices for yourself and not be acted upon by others.  Nobody can ever take away your agency.  So if you find yourself constantly making excuses for your failures or blaming others for them, it is time for a fresh start.  You ARE in control and have the ability to make wise independent choices for yourself.

 Step #9: Positivity Activity

This can be a life changing activity if you let it be.  I want you to take the next 30 days and write down every negative comment that comes out of your mouth.  On the opposite side of you paper I want you to write just the opposite…I want it to the positive opposite.  You will be amazed at how addicted you are to negativity and pessimism.   Remember to succeed long-term you must have a positive mindset.

 Step #10: Recondition your Subconscious Mind!

This single step will take me a whole blog, so that is exactly what I will do.  Next week I will write on this subject in an easy to understand format.  Suffice it to say right now, if you can apply these first 9 steps you will already start the process of re-programming your subconscious mind.

Well there you have it my friends!  I am excited to have you try these steps.  They are rooted in timeless principles that if applied can change your life.  This is my sincere hope. Until next time remember that…

Life is good!

If you have been at Lifelong Fitness for more than a month, I can almost guarantee you that you have heard the phrase, “nutrition is eighty percent of your success”.  The good news is that that statement is 100% true.  The bad news is also that this statement is 100% true.  As you may well be aware, nutrition is the hardest part of any lifestyle change and we are aware of this fact.  However it can also be a fun journey if you take the time to make it such.  I am writing this foreword with the intent of clarifying what characteristics will be necessary for you to succeed.  I am excited for your success and look forward to hearing about your lifelong change.

#1:  Start from the END

 This principle is so important it is at number #1 for a reason.  I want you envision EXACTELY what kind of nutritional lifestyle you want to live.  Be very specific.  I want you to then write it down.  You can even get descriptive pictures to go along with it if possible because it will help you visualize your end destination.  The net effect of this exercise is this: you are painting a very vivid picture in your mind of what you want to achieve and allowing your subconscious brain to take note of this.  Once this happens, your subconscious brain will help you in your thought patterns and help you stay within a positive state of mind.  Please do not take this lightly as it has the power to change your habits.

#2:  Recognize that Lifestyle Change takes hard work and consistency

The bottom line is that there are no shortcuts.  What we are promoting here at Lifelong Fitness is lifestyle change, and lifestyle change can be a daunting task for some.  My advice is to meet your challenges face to face and never back down.  For example if you have been accustomed to eating just the way you like with little to no discipline, you will find it hard in becoming more regimented and healthy.  Please know that this is something that you should accept and embrace from day 1.  Your trainer is here to help you with any and all of your challenges, but at the end of the day it is YOUR responsibility to eat well and be healthy.   You should take solace in the fact that it does get easier.  As with any habit, it might be hard at first, but after a while it will become second nature to you.

#3:  Stay Positive

Many clients begin their sessions with me with a chip on their shoulder and a preconceived notion of “how hard this is going to be”.  My advice is to remember step #1 and stay positive no matter what.  If you are a pessimist you will find this challenging.  If you are sneering right now, I guarantee this will be a challenge!  J Here is an exercise that I want you to do for the next 3 weeks for your new lifestyle change.

A) Take note of every time you say something negative about your fitness or nutrition.  I would invite you to take this one step further and do it in general.  When I say take note, I really mean it…take physical notes.  You will be amazed at how many negative and pessimistic things come out of your mouth.  This is important because it will help start the process of changing your vocabulary.  Your vocabulary is extremely important because it influences your subconscious mind and your subconscious mind is responsible for changing your habits.

B) Every time you slip and make a negative comment, do just the opposite and write down a positive comment.  Sounds cheesy I know, but please do it…you will thank me later.

#4: Enlist the support of your family and/or peers

The more support you can garner the better…trust me!  I have seen people fail because a spouse is not on board with support.  I have seen other fail because their friends are constantly ridiculing them (albeit in a friendly manner) about their new lifestyle.  Avoid this sabotage by informing your friends and family about your new lifestyle change.

#5 Drop the EXCUSES!

I want you to go and buy a book right now.  It is entitled Excuses Begone, by Wayne W. Dyer.  This book will change your life and aid you in your quest to change your nutritional lifestyle.  Excuses are nothing more than an option out of the lifestyle you would like to have.  Time is always going to be short.  Your kids will always be demanding.  Your teenage son will always test your patience and increase your desire for comfort foods.  This is where steps 1 & 2 come in real handy.  I am going to be very bold in this next sentence so please bear with me.  If you are here to lose weight, get in better shape, learn how to eat better, or any other reason…you are here to learn how to STOP MAKING EXCUSES!  For they are what got you to where you are in the first place!  I would encourage you with every ounce of sincerity that I possess to take inventory of your excuses and then do away with them.  This may take some prioritizing and schedule re-arranging, but there is always a way to accomplish what you want.

#6 Keep it fun!

I can hear the sighs right now!  Yes, it can be fun!  A few of the key ways to keep it fun are as follows:

A)  Be Creative.  Switch up your nutrition often.

B) Be proactive.  Get on to the internet and get some healthy recipes.  Go to the book store and get a clean recipe book.  Join a healthy eating club.  Ask your trainer for recipes and have them write you a menu

C) Involve other people.  Enlist as many people in your cause as possible!  This will serve to give you much support and it provides valuable synergy in your mission.

#7 Be Consistent!

If you can never be consistent your will never succeed in the long term period.  I have seen many a client fail because they let their excuses get in the way.  Consistency is never obtained and results fly out the window.   Inconsistency as it pertains to nutrition is actually harder on your body, so make the decision now to be consistent.  If you fall down pick yourself up and do better the next time.  Consistency is a learned habit so take it one day at a time.

#8 Drop the “All-or-Nothing-Syndrome”

Here is a little dose of reality.  Just because you ate 2 cookies in the morning that added up to 300 calories does not justify and additional 5000 calories of junk food in the name of “well, I messed up so I might as well eat crappy for the rest of the day”.  Laughing aside I have heard this countless times and it is an absolute death-nail to progress.  Please do not fall for this load of nonsense.

#9 Know that we support you!

We are here to ensure your lifelong change, so please use us a resource!  I think you will find that we want your success more than your want your success until you catch the vision of lifestyle change.  You will only understand that last sentence after you have fully changed your lifestyle and we are here to help you along with that mission.

In my nearly 10 years of service in the health and fitness industry I have seen a common thread among those who fail at changing their lifestyle.  That thread I am referring to is that of excuse making!  We all have them and we all know deep down that they hinder our efforts to succeed in every way. 

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer in his book, Excuses Begone! states that excuses if used enough become a reality within our own minds even if they are not true.  He call’s these states of mind, “memes”, named after a branch of Psychology called Memetics.  Memes are nothing more than a certain perception, understanding, view, or paradigm that we hold in our mind that we treasure as truth.

Memes can be good or bad.  For example, in my own life I choose to entertain the meme that I am a “work-horse” and my actions follow through on a daily basis.  If kept in proper balance this meme serves me in a positive way.  On the other hand I have seen many people suffering with negative memes.  I will list a few of them below as they pertain to achieving and maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle.

• “I just don’t have time to workout”
• “I am way too busy to get to the gym or go running today”
• “I am too stressed to eat right”
• “Eating clean is too time consuming”
• “Eating healthy is expensive and time consuming”
• “I don’t have the self-control to reach my fitness goals”
• “I have failed in the past so why try now”
• “That’s just the way I am”
• “I can’t lose weight because of my genetics”
• “My family does not support my efforts so I cannot succeed in my goals”
• “It’s just my luck”

I could go on for four more pages of excuses and memes but I think you get the point.  I can hear many of you thinking right now…”well those aren’t necessarily excuses; those are merely realities to be dealt with.  Ok, I will not disagree entirely with that contention, BUT what I want to point out in the following recovery program is that ALL of the aforementioned excuses are memes…that is they do not have control over us, and they are not foregone conclusions.  I really boils down to what our priorities are and what we need to do to change them.  In this weeks blog I will share the first 5 and next week I will conclude.

 Step: #1  Recognize that an excuse in just that…an excuse! 

This sounds simple enough but it is the hardest step of them all.  It is hard to get past our ego’s that constantly stand on guard and try to defend our self made realities (excuses) as though we are merely helpless victims that have no say in what happens to us or our ability to change our lives for the better. 

Step #2:  Recognize that your excuses are barriers to changing your lifestyle.

Once we know that we are making excuses (step #1), we are then able to be proactive and realize that our excuses are actual barriers standing in the way of our health and fitness success.  This is a step of realization and reality check.  Please use this step as an opportunity to change your perceptions of your “false realities”.  Take each excuse in isolation and put it under an magnifying glass…ask yourself how this particular excuse has helped you succeed in the past and then be honest enough with yourself to recognize that it hasn’t.  This may sound cheesy, but I encourage you to give it an honest effort…you will find this to be extremely helpful in weeding out the excuses in your life.

Step #3:  Be the opposite!

Here is where I want you to be proactive.  I want you to literally write down every excuse that you can think of.  Write it on a piece of paper with a line down the middle.  In the first column write down your excuse, and then in the second column write down the exact opposite.  For example, if you use the common excuse of “I don’t have any time”, you would then write down the opposite of, “I am creative and capable enough to find time to workout”.  The real key here is to act on the opposite statements that you are writing down.  Your subconscious mind will only start to believe the opposite statements if and when you start to live that way.   Please do not skimp on this step…it is vital to your progress.

Step #4 Create a success road map.

Now that you have all your excuses written down and you are actively trying to do their direct opposite, you will now benefit by putting together a plan of attack.  A synonym for this might be goal setting. I suggest the following steps for your road map.

            -Step #1:  Begin from the end.  What do you ultimately want to accomplish?  Take a picture of somebody you would like to look like.  Keep in mind if you are over 50 and you pull out a picture of a 25 year-old bodybuilder you are setting yourself up for failure.  Please remember to stay realistic.

            -Step #2: Have a plan A and B and Possibly C.  This is where preparation is paramount.  Say for example fast food is a weakness of yours because you like the convenience.  To overcome this you would plan your healthy meals the night before OR you can plan to eat somewhere healthier instead of a fast food joint.  Prepare daily!  There truly is no substitute for this!  I promise you that you need to have back up plans for the tough times.

            -Step #3:  Plan around your weaknesses!  It makes no sense to plan for your strengths…that is why they are your strengths!  It is your weaknesses that impede you every time!  So when making your goals plan, your attack plan directly targeted at your weakness!   For example, let’s say that you are a mid-night snacker, and it is contributing to weight gain.  A sensible plan would be to make sure that you are prepared in the day time and that you are eating more healthy frequent meals so that you don’t feel famished by the night time.

Step 5: Switch Paradigms! 

Remember that your current mindset is filled with excuses that have kept you where you are at right now…in a stagnant state filled with no victories!  What I want you to do, is to start thinking differently.  Steps 1-3 will help you with this immensely!  Be positive rather than negative.  Be optimistic rather than pessimistic.  Be happy rather than depressed!  Sometimes we like to think of ourselves as helpless little victims that have no choice in the matter when in fact we have all the say in the world.  Even your mood is a decision you make.

I promise you that you have the ability to change your mind so that all of those tired, worn-out excuses do not make it into your mind!  It will take time, discipline and hard mental work but you must do it or you will fall victim to your current mindset that has gotten you nowhere so far.

Well there you have it my friends!  Next week I will delve into the next 5 steps that can effect positive changes in your life.  Until then stay positive and APPLY what you have learned today.  Remember that life truly is good.

In good health,

Griff

Beginning in the 1960’s numerous surveys from the Federal Government have been issued to the general population about exercise.  One of the questions that have been asked from that decade forward is regarding why people DO NOT exercise.  The #1 reason each and every year from that time forward is time.  We just can’t seem to get enough time and to make it worse we seem to get more and more busy each and every year.  We can all agree that time is hard to come by but we can also agree that exercise is very important and should not be edged out in the name of being “busy”

I want to offer some simple suggestions that I have received from my clients over the last 10 years that has helped them overcome this barrier and get them to the point of permanent lifestyle change…where time is no longer a constant issue.

Suggestion #1:  Ask yourself the question (disclaimer…the following exercise may make you uncomfortable if you are new to this lifestyle but it will help)   Have I made my new fitness/nutrition program and absolute PRIORITY in my life?

This is where you need to sit in solitude and really search you soul…sounding cheesy?  This is an absolute necessity!  This is a time for you to dig deep within yourself and discover your readiness to make a lifelong change.  If you find that you are hesitant, doubtful, fearful, or indifferent to making this change then you need to stop and re-evaluate your priorities.  If you find that you are indeed able to make time to exercise on a daily basis then go for it and never look back.  The bottom line here is that you absolutely cannot start a new lifestyle while sitting on the fence.  If work/life is too busy and too important for this change then back off for a while and wait until you are in the doctor’s office dealing with Diabetes…you will then understand that this truly is a priority not just a luxury to be enjoyed at your convenience.

Suggestion #2:  Map out a Plan!

This is where 95% of Americans fail in there endeavor to exercise…they never schedule in a time to exercise.  I have two suggestions here.  Make a hard copy of your schedule and make a softer flexible one.  Many have a set schedule and others do not but we all have a general sense of what we are going to be doing from day to day.  On your hard copy write out what days and time during the week you will be working out and keep it on you at all times.  On the soft copy, which could be a planner, an I-Phone, or other electronic device, you can write out your week and schedule exercise in.  If you need to be flexible do it!  The key point here is to make sure that you are making a plan and sticking to it.  It is now more than a wish; it is plan of attack, your roadmap, your compass to get you where you need to be.

Suggestion #3:  Take an inventory of your EXCUSES and then throw them out the window!

This is a great exercise that is imperative to do before starting your program.  While still in the same solitude of soul searching I want you to physically write down ALL of the excuses that you have that stand in the way of you accomplishing your goals!  Each and every last one of them!  I don’t care if you think they are “valid” or not, write them all down.  I am not saying that you are not busy…please do not misunderstand.  What I am saying is that all of these excuses are just miss managed priorities.  Nobody is telling you to quit your job or abandon your family…quite the contrary.

Suggestion #4:   Re-Prioritize!

Now I want you to write down your Daily schedule.  I understand that it may fluctuate…that is not the point.  I want you to FIND the time that will work best for you to exercise and make that your permanent time if possible.  If your schedule fluctuates you are going to have to make some omissions to make time for exercise.  Not possible you say?  NONSENSE!  I want you to be a grown up here and MAKE EXERCISE A PRIORITY!  Stop fooling yourself with every excuse that you find yourself making. Do you see what I am saying here?  All of those excuses may be important but if they are more important than exercise then what you are telling me exercise is not important and I cannot buy that one.  It is time to make a paradigm shift and make exercise a priority.  One last thought…do not skimp on writing this one down!  Physically writing it down into your planner will give you the psychological benefit of knowing that you are indeed making it a priority!  Write out your Dailey and weekly schedule with exercise included. Now I want you to RESPECT it!  I don’t care how busy you are, when it comes time for your exercise time it is time to put those important things aside temporarily and fulfill your obligation period…no excuses…just do it. 

Suggestion #5: Realize that you really DO have the time! 

In the governmental surveys mentioned earlier, it was concluded that time was the major barrier to exercise.  But subsequent studies have proven that NOT to be the case.  What the studies found is that people really have the time if they want it, but they don’t know how to manage their time and they also found that they do not know have to manage their emotions.  In other words millions of Americans come home from work each day and they feel tired…so they then opt not to exercise.  Another common situation is that we feel stressed so we opt for more leisure or comfortable activities to the expense of exercise.

Well there we have it my friends.  I apologize if I get a little too passionate about this topic, but I do know that there is ALWAYS time for fitness if we allow it.

Hello all! 

Please let me clarify this title if you find yourself confused.  Two days ago I posted a posting labled “The absolute Must Nutritional Checklist”.  This particular blog was talking specifically about nutritional guidelines as it pertains to things that you should and should not eat.  This post is talking more about guidlines that will keep your nutrition clean and consistent…two very important points to  remember.  These guidelines are indirect but ironically just as important as the nutritional guidlines as they work hand in hand with one anot

1- Am I Consistent?

If you are good one day and then bad the next you will NEVER succeed in a lifestyle change.  It is absolutely critical that you are consistent in your efforts.  Please approach your new nutritional way of life as a permanent lifestyle change.  Also if you fall, please do not take the “all or nothing” approach and bomb.  Pick yourself up, and get going again.  Remember that you are trying to form habits that last a lifetime!

2-Do I use my Trainer as a Motivator and a Resource?

Remember that this is what we are here for!  If you have an issue that is preventing you from your goals PLEASE let us know so that we can help you.

 3- DO I Track My Food for my Trainer to Review?

If you answer no to this YOU WILL FAIL. Please let me repeat that one more time…YOU WILL FAIL!  This is especially important to those of you that have not achieved a lifestyle change and are still in phase 1-3.  You will be surprised at the difference of what you think you are eating, and what you are actually consuming.  This is also your greatest opportunity to learn, as your trainer will critique your every nutritional move.  To tough you say?  Well then do not be disappointed when you do NOT get the results you are looking for.  Log on to www.fitday.com for your tracking purposes.

4- Am I Prepared?

Life happens and there is a litany of excuses available to explain away our poor eating choices, but if you truly prepare your days, you will find success because you will not be tempted to make bad choices when good food is not available.  Pack cooler with good food Buy some good protein bars.  Pre-make some homemade meals for the week!  Whatever you do, be sure that you are prepared for when life happens.

5-Do I make Excuses?

NOTHING will kill your success faster than this single item.  Remember that excuses are nothing more than an option out of the lifestyle that you would like to live.  I have found that in nine years of doing this that those that make excuses fail and those that do not succeed.  Simple.  Stop your excuse making, and come up with solutions instead.  That is the only way to truly succeed in the long run.

Late last month I posted the first addition to this posting.  I used a hypothetical scenario between a trainer and a beginning client.  You may have noticed that this particular client named “John” was super motivated to begin a new fitness program initially…and then the excuses started to pour in.  This is what I want to touch on today.

Have you ever been in John’s shoes?  Have you ever been super charged and motivated to change your lifestyle only to have your motivation supplanted by your busy schedule? Maybe you are in a high pressure situation at work?  Or maybe you have screaming children demanding your attention or the overwhelming temptation to rest and veg in front of the TV after a long days work?  Whatever your life may look like it is easy to edge exercise out in the name of being busy.  I contend that every time we use an excuse such as “I am too busy” to exercise we might as well say to everybody in the room that “exercise is not a PRIORITY to me yet”. 

Listed below is a checklist that you must be able to answer affirmatively to BEFORE you start your lifestyle change program: 

1-   Have I made my new fitness/nutrition program and absolute PRIORITY in my life?

This is where you need to sit in solitude and really search you soul…sounding cheesy?  This is an absolute necessity!  This is a time for you to dig deep within yourself and discover your readiness to make a lifelong change.  If you find that you are hesitant, doubtful, fearful, or indifferent to making this change then you need to stop and re-evaluate your priorities.  If you find that you are indeed able to make time to exercise on a daily basis then go for it and never look back.  The bottom line here is that you absolutely cannot start a new lifestyle while sitting on the fence.  If work/life is too busy and too important for this change then back off for a while and wait until you are in the doctor’s office dealing with Diabetes…you will then understand that this truly is a priority not just a luxury to be enjoyed at your convenience.

2- Take an inventory of your EXCUSES and then throw them out the window

This is a great exercise that is imperative to do before starting your program.  While still in the same solitude of soul searching I want you to physically write down ALL of the excuses that you have that stand in the way of you accomplishing your goals!  Each and every last one of them!  I don’t care if you think they are “valid” or not, write them all down.  I am not saying that you are not busy…please do not misunderstand.  What I am saying is that all of these excuses are just mis managed priorities.  Nobody is telling you to quit your job or abandon your family…quite the contrary, read on.

3.  Re-Prioritize!

Now I want you to write down your Daily schedule.  I understand that it may fluctuate…that is not the point.  I want you to FIND the time that will work best for you to exercise and make that your permanent time if possible.  If your schedule fluctuates you are going to have to make some omissions to make time for exercise.  Not possible you say?  NONSENSE!  I want you to be a grown up here and MAKE EXERCISE A PRIORITY!  Stop fooling yourself with every excuse that you find yourself making. Do you see what I am saying here?  All of those excuses may be important but if they are more important than exercise then what you are telling me exercise is not important and I cannot buy that one.  It is time to make a paradigm shift and make exercise a priority.  One last thought…do not skimp on writing this one down!  Physically writing it down into your planner will give you the psychological benefit of knowing that you are indeed making it a priority!  Write out your dailey and weekly schedule with exercise included. Now I want you to RESPECT it!  I don’t care how busy you are, when it comes time for your exercise time it is time to put those important things aside temporarily and fulfill your obligation period…no excuses…just do it.   

4. Commit and Burn your Bridge

A fabled general was once said to take his army across the sea to fight a battle of enormous importance.  As he reached the shore, he gathered his troops rallied them and lit the ship on fire.  He continued, “As you can see we have no way of retreat now, we either conquer or perish”.  They won.  Why did they win?  Because they knew they had no other choice.

So how can you burn your proverbial bridge with your new lifestyle?  Here are a few suggestions.

-Inform your family, peers, and friends.  Be specific and tell them when you are starting and what you are doing.  Enlist them as allies and help them help you stay on track.  Make no secrets and make every intention known.  Essentially what you are doing is setting up a convenient accountability system that will make it very hard to fail.

-Set SMART Goals:  The S stands for Specific.  The M stands for Measurable.  The A stands for Accountability.  The R stands for Realistic, and finally the T stands for a Time Table.  This is a great way to make and keep goals that will help you change for the rest of your life.

-Never let the words “I will start tomorrow” leave your lips:  You have committed and you do not have the luxury of turning back now!  If you slip a day, pick yourself up…you are not off the hook, but rather recommitting to the goals that you have written down.

5. Adopt a mindset of Permananency! 

Even though I just advocated SMART goals that call for a time table, your overall goal and focus needs to be set on changing your lifestyle permanently!  If you are getting ready for a cruise great…that is great motivation but what I am asking you to do is adopt a mindset that transcends time limits.  This is the way you are going to be living for the rest of your life!  Five, ten, twenty five years from now you will still be living this healthy lifestyle. 

Well there you have it my friends!  I enjoy a quote from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer stating, “Excuses are nothing more than an option out of the life that you would like to live”.  Please do not short change yourself with tired, worn out excuses that will do nothing more than hamper your efforts to succeed long term.  You deserve better.  God speed and good luck!

In my nearly nine years of service in the health and fitness industry I have noticed a common thread among those starting a fitness program for the first time or the first time in a long time.    I have seen many people start gleaming with hope, enthusiasm, anxiousness, and even fanaticism.  I have also seen some of those same people crash and burn in as little as 3 weeks into their program.  As a point of clarification this is not always the rule.  There are many people that start with that kind of zeal and they continue to maintain it for a very long time.  But for those of you that have not found this kind of success, the common self-defeating thread that I am referring to is a negative state of mind.  It is your mental readiness for exercise. It is the excuses that you make. It is your self-perceptions and confidence to name a few.  In short it is all the mental barriers that you create and manifest as your reality. 

Today I want to speak to those of you who have started an exercise program enthusiastically (or heck…maybe even hesitantly) only to crash and burn later.   We are going to talk about making excuses in particular. I want to speak to you as if you were here in my office right now getting ready to undertake a new lifestyle.  You are hiring me as a Lifestyle coach and Personal Trainer to help you along the way. The rest of this article will reflect that point of view.  For the sake of simplicity I want you to pretend that your name is John and that I am having a conversation with you about your desires to start a new exercise/nutrition program.  We will also see how it pans out in the first 3 weeks.

John:  I am so excited to get started on this program!

Trainer: I am excited for you as well.  John tells me what your main goal is in starting this fitness program?

John:  I just want to change my lifestyle.  I am a white-collar worker who is behind a desk all day and I eat too much junk food.  I have a family and I find myself taking them out to eat too often.  I find myself making bad food decisions because I am so busy.  Heck, my life is so busy sometimes I find myself eating just as a means of dealing with stress.

Trainer:  Ok, so you have a busy and stressful lifestyle and you want to change that right?

John:  Yes.

Trainer: Why?

John: Because I want to get back into shape and have more energy for the things that I enjoy doing!

Trainer:  That’s awesome…so what are you willing to do for that kind of lifestyle?  Are you willing to set aside one hour  of time per day to exercise, track your food and bring it to me, and hold yourself accountable to not only yourself but to me as well?

John: Of course that is why I am here!

Trainer: OK, then let’s get started

The trainer then proceeds to write down John’s goals and commits him by contract to follow the prescribed exercise and nutrition program.  The following conversation is held 3 weeks later in the same office as a follow-up visit concerning Johns exercise program.

Trainer:  Looking at my records it looks like you have only exercised about 25% of what I prescribed for you John?  It also looks like you have turned in 4 days of the last 3 weeks in nutrition food logs?  What seems to be the problem John?

John: I am so sorry about that.  I have had the best of intentions in getting this program started properly but I have found myself in a whirlwind at work and my family has been involved in a community service project for my son’s Eagle Scout. When I get a spare moment I just can’t seem to muster up the motivation to exercise!

The sad part about this scenario is that I see this pattern being repeated over and over again.  When John comes to meet with his trainer in 3 more weeks, if he actively hasn’t tried to change his priorities  the chances for a successful report are dismal.  People like John are always convinced that they are too busy to exercise and that too many important things keep popping up. 

The truth of the matter is that exercise has not become a priority to John YET…that is the ROOT of the problem.  As excited as John initially was, it was not enough to carry him out of his habitual daily routine.  As each day passes the motivation grew dimmer and dimmer and his hopes started to go down the drain. John sunk right back into his comfortable unhealthy and physically unproductive lifestyle.

Today I wanted to paint a picture of what your life may currently be like.  You may share some things in common with John and don’t know how to deal with those barriers.  In the next few weeks I want to share some strategies that you can use to overcome the excuses and barriers that stand between you and your fitness goals.  Next week I will begin to talk about shifting paradigms.  The way you see yourself (in shape/ out of shape/ capable non-capable) and the confidence that you have to succeed in a fitness endeavor almost completely DETERMINES WHETHER YOU WILL SUCCEED OR FAIL!  It is that important.  Stay tuned.

What I want to talk about this month is staying mentally positive. I have devoted myself and the mission of Lifelong Fitness to helping you improve your lifestyle in the realm of fitness and nutrition. The #1 BARRIER to achieving your goals lies in between your ears, and it is called your BRAIN! I am going to offer you a challenge this month that I want you to abide by and YES it will require some effort on your part, but it will pay off and your fitness and nutrition will benefit immensely from it.

Challenge:

I want you to take a note pad and write down EVERY negative thought that you have in regards to fitness and nutrition (if you want to make it even more effective write down all of your negative thoughts period), and I also want you to write down your positive thoughts. At first you will probably notice that the list is stacked favorably towards the negative column. The goal is to quickly neutralize your thoughts and eventually allow the positive thoughts to dominate the column. Do this for ONE MONTH SOLID. No exceptions. No excuses.

The Reward:

The payoff for doing this simple exercise is that you will begin to see things differently. Your outlook will begin to change because you will be able to see how negative you truly have become. Our society today is negative…end of sentence, PERIOD! We have become a nation of pessimists and have suffered the consequences as a result. I have a hard time being around negative people but I thrive around the positive ones. My challenge is to change your attitudinal ways and switch into positive mode…you will thank yourself for it and life won’t be so overwhelming for you.

Top Four Reasons for Exercise Drop-Out

I pulled this article from The New Hartford.

Unrealistic Expectations. Blame it on the media, dishonest marketing schemes or human nature; Americans want results and they want it NOW. In a country where you can ingest 2,000 calories in the matter of a few minutes and have the oil changed in your car immediately, some expect exercise progress to be seen daily. Attempting to generate visible physical improvement after a few weeks of training is unrealistic and frustrating, however, long-term fitness improvement requires a personal commitment to engaging in a process.

Time Management. We, as a nation, are busy people. Work, recreation, family and even sleep are crammed into every nook and cranny of our day. Unless exercise is prioritized and scheduled with the same sense of urgency as other important activities, exercise dropout will be the norm. Most successful exercisers work out early in the day, before any other activities get in the way.

Knowledge. Most beginners and many exercise veterans simply do not know what to do or how to organize an effective program. Exercise prescription requires a basic understanding of the body’s physiology, proper sequencing of exercises and most important, the specific needs of each individual. Many beginners think nothing of paying a trained automobile mechanic generous sums of money to repair their car but balk at paying a similar fee for a trained exercise scientist to prescribe their individualized fitness program.

Boredom. After about six to eight weeks of engaging in the same fitness program, most people get bored and drop out. It is essential that your exercise program be modified every few weeks. Your initial six to eight weeks involves actually learning the movements and results seem to come easy. From that point on, muscle fibers actually have to adapt by becoming thicker and stronger in order for results to be recognized. For that reason alone, exercise protocols need to be changed periodically.

I particularly appreciate #1. Remember that the ACSM recommends a MAX of 1-2 lbs per week. If you are trying to lose more than that you are compromising your progress. Think of it this way…if it took you a while to put it on, it will take you a while to take off, so please stay realistic and it will ease your mental burden and allow the process to take place without the undue expectations.

You guy’s rock and I appreciate ALL of you! Please contact me with any questions.

Your ultimate goal is to obtain a lifestyle that will serve you well for the rest of your life, providing you will energy, passion, and a genuine love for life.

In order to change anything in our life we must first change our HABITS, yes habits. That is the good news. The bad news is that our current habits can be downright hard to break as they are thousands of times STRONGER than our current desire to change. Think of that for one moment… your habits are thousands of times stronger than your current desire to change. That means that even if you have the most exciting and stimulating thoughts of changing BUT you never act on those thoughts nothing will ever change!

The Solution: Stay consistent to your goals. This means persevering through the tough times that can and will come as you endeavor to change your lifestyle once and for all! The problem that I see time and time again is that people will get super motivated, hit the gym hard, do fantastic on their nutrition all for a brief exciting period. Then, as their old habits come knocking on the door they eventually succumb to their old ways of no fitness and bad nutrition. If you truly do persevere through your hard times day after day, those hard times will eventually turn into easy times because your habits have changed and you don’t even have to think about your new way of life… you’re in a blissful state known as auto-pilot!