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You're back. You are ready to commit to yourself again. You are ready to make some serious changes to your physique. However, are you really ready to make these changes? Are you really ready to make them permanent? Before you even hit the gym take time to go through these five steps that will ensure you start off on the right path!
Step 1: Finding The Pain
In the world of sales, making a good sale revolves around knowing exactly the reason why people would buy your product or service. Often this is called, "finding the pain".
In fitness it is critical to "find the pain" because this is truly your driving force behind the training. If people say "they want to get in shape", the first question is why? Why now and what is motivating you to get "into shape"?
Many times you will find much more compelling reasons than even the person realized. It may be about being around for the kids, feeling more confident in their daily life, or even they are tired of being in pain and having their life so greatly compromised.
Step 2: Be More Precise
A kiss of death of any goal is being vague. Trying to say that you want to "lose weight", "get into shape" or many of the other typical "goals" people say, you will most likely achieve none of them.
Why? What do any of these goals mean? Losing 5 pounds is extremely different than trying to lose 60 pounds. What exactly does "getting in shape" mean? You see, by not clearly defining the goal we can not pursue and set forth the training appropriately.
Once you have clearly defined the goal then programming will follow. Too often people workout and do not train. The difference between training and working out is training is about exercising with a clear purpose.
The programs and time is devoted to achieving a very specific goal. Working out is very general training that usually leads to very little improvement in fitness and performance because there is no clear direction to the programs.
Step 3: Be Realistic
When people say they are willing to train every day, two hours a day, I guarantee they will fail. This is especially true when people are getting back into a fitness program. This is both unnecessary and unrealistic with most people's lifestyles.
Most people still assume more is always better. More time in the gym, more exercises performed, will lead to positive training results. This will almost always lead to overtraining in both great amounts of fatigue and overuse injuries. Outside of overtraining this plan almost always fails because very few of us live to train.
Our lives, if well balanced, will have time devoted to several different items. Time must be devoted to family, friends, rest, self-development, career, and exercise. When one of these items become out of balance usually happiness and productivity fall way down.
Sure, you may have improved your fitness a bit, but you are going to find that you are still unfulfilled. Fitness should enhance and not become your life.
Assuming that we have found balance, then there is only so much time in the week. Trying to plan training every day is bound for many to fail and become discouraged.
Finding what is realistic for your current lifestyle is key in maintaining consistency. Missing a few sessions especially in the initial stages will lead to frustration and often people continue to miss only more training days.
In the early stages of fitness programs I recommend people adapt either three- or four-day-a-week programs. This allows for "life to happen" and still be on track for their training goals. In addition, rest and recovery are going to be programmed into the training and allowing better growth and development to occur. Be realistic that life is going to throw training off once in awhile and find out how to schedule it into your current routine.
Step 4: Keep Journals
Everyone says it, it isn't new, keeping a journal enhances success. Why? Three main reasons...
Keeping a journal makes one more accountable. It allows you to show people what you have done as well as your habits.
Step 5: What Do You Like And Don't Like
In the initial stages of getting back into a fitness program, knowing what you like to do and don't are very important. If your program is full of things you dread and absolutely hate, your chances of creating a healthy habit are very low. Starting with training methods and exercises you enjoy can often get you off to the right start and allow you to slowly integrate other means.
If you love to strength train, have weights dominate your workout and have mini-sessions of cardio and stretching. If you enjoy yoga, make more time for this and create short weight routines that provide the best of both worlds.
Every type of training has a benefit and cost. By combining different methods you can minimize the costs and enhance the benefits. This results in a long-term plan that is successful and keeps you healthy.
Yet, by finding forms of training you enjoy, you can get past the biggest obstacle many face which is negative feelings towards exercise programs. As your exercise program becomes a habit and a part of your daily life you can begin experimenting with varying training methods that can speed up your progress and success.
Step 1: Finding The Pain
In the world of sales, making a good sale revolves around knowing exactly the reason why people would buy your product or service. Often this is called, "finding the pain".
In fitness it is critical to "find the pain" because this is truly your driving force behind the training. If people say "they want to get in shape", the first question is why? Why now and what is motivating you to get "into shape"?
Many times you will find much more compelling reasons than even the person realized. It may be about being around for the kids, feeling more confident in their daily life, or even they are tired of being in pain and having their life so greatly compromised.
"Finding the pain" makes the training more meaningful, therefore, the level of consistency greatly rises. If there is true meaning behind a goal then achieving this goal has far more impact as well.
Step 2: Be More Precise
A kiss of death of any goal is being vague. Trying to say that you want to "lose weight", "get into shape" or many of the other typical "goals" people say, you will most likely achieve none of them.
Why? What do any of these goals mean? Losing 5 pounds is extremely different than trying to lose 60 pounds. What exactly does "getting in shape" mean? You see, by not clearly defining the goal we can not pursue and set forth the training appropriately.
Once you have clearly defined the goal then programming will follow. Too often people workout and do not train. The difference between training and working out is training is about exercising with a clear purpose.
The programs and time is devoted to achieving a very specific goal. Working out is very general training that usually leads to very little improvement in fitness and performance because there is no clear direction to the programs.
Therefore, your goals must be well spelled out and must have meaning behind it. If you wish to lose 15 pounds of fat then you must also answer how this will improve your life. This will take you to step 3.
Step 3: Be Realistic
When people say they are willing to train every day, two hours a day, I guarantee they will fail. This is especially true when people are getting back into a fitness program. This is both unnecessary and unrealistic with most people's lifestyles.
Most people still assume more is always better. More time in the gym, more exercises performed, will lead to positive training results. This will almost always lead to overtraining in both great amounts of fatigue and overuse injuries. Outside of overtraining this plan almost always fails because very few of us live to train.
Our lives, if well balanced, will have time devoted to several different items. Time must be devoted to family, friends, rest, self-development, career, and exercise. When one of these items become out of balance usually happiness and productivity fall way down.
Sure, you may have improved your fitness a bit, but you are going to find that you are still unfulfilled. Fitness should enhance and not become your life.
Assuming that we have found balance, then there is only so much time in the week. Trying to plan training every day is bound for many to fail and become discouraged.
Finding what is realistic for your current lifestyle is key in maintaining consistency. Missing a few sessions especially in the initial stages will lead to frustration and often people continue to miss only more training days.
In the early stages of fitness programs I recommend people adapt either three- or four-day-a-week programs. This allows for "life to happen" and still be on track for their training goals. In addition, rest and recovery are going to be programmed into the training and allowing better growth and development to occur. Be realistic that life is going to throw training off once in awhile and find out how to schedule it into your current routine.
Step 4: Keep Journals
Everyone says it, it isn't new, keeping a journal enhances success. Why? Three main reasons...
Keeping a journal makes one more accountable. It allows you to show people what you have done as well as your habits.
- Writing a journal makes things more real. It has been show that those that write down their goals, dreams, and so forth have more success in these things coming true than those that do not write down in journals.
- Journals let you know what works and what doesn't. If you aren't on path of achieving your goals then simply examining your journal will allow you to determine what factors need to be changed so that you can get back on the positive path.
- If journals work then why do so few use them? Flat out, LAZINESS! It is great that you are willing to do whatever it takes, but the truth is if you can't even keep a journal, achieving success is relatively unlikely. You can often determine one's level of seriousness in achieving their goals not by their workouts, but their willingness to do the little things such as keeping a journal.
- A journal doesn't have to keep track of just sets, repetitions, and weight. You should be keeping a food, workout, and recovery journal. This can show things such as your eating habits, progress in the gym, and how much sleep and stress you are getting. All these factors are important in long-term success!
Step 5: What Do You Like And Don't Like
In the initial stages of getting back into a fitness program, knowing what you like to do and don't are very important. If your program is full of things you dread and absolutely hate, your chances of creating a healthy habit are very low. Starting with training methods and exercises you enjoy can often get you off to the right start and allow you to slowly integrate other means.
If you love to strength train, have weights dominate your workout and have mini-sessions of cardio and stretching. If you enjoy yoga, make more time for this and create short weight routines that provide the best of both worlds.
Every type of training has a benefit and cost. By combining different methods you can minimize the costs and enhance the benefits. This results in a long-term plan that is successful and keeps you healthy.
Yet, by finding forms of training you enjoy, you can get past the biggest obstacle many face which is negative feelings towards exercise programs. As your exercise program becomes a habit and a part of your daily life you can begin experimenting with varying training methods that can speed up your progress and success.
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