Hello and welcome back! Today we’ll talk more about the three qualities I brought up yesterday. If you didn’t read yesterday’s post you can find it here:
What I want to do is make sure you know some ways to make what I talked about yesterday applicable to you.
Let’s get started.
1 – Consistency. I mentioned yesterday you’re not going to get anywhere without consistency. Of the three qualities this one probably seems the most overwhelming but it’s crucial to realize that it doesn’t have to be. Here’s an example of what someone might think they need to do.
“I have to go the the gym three times a week, do some cardio twice a week, cut out all bread and sugar, drink 8 glasses of water a day, get rid of all the bad snacks at the office, bring in some healthy snacks and get 8 hours of sleep a night.”
As a matter of fact I’ve had clients tell me nearly all of that in one 20 minute nutritional meeting. The problem is that while all of these things might be good to do, most people would find it overwhelming and impossible to make all of these changes at once. The end result of that is they don’t make any changes at all.
The key here is finding just one thing that you can improve on and work it. That’s right.
One thing!
That’s all!
Here’s an example: “I’m going to go to the gym twice a week. I will schedule it into my calendar each week and it will not be negotiable.”
After you put something down ask yourself one question AND BE HONEST AND UNEMOTIONAL ABOUT YOUR ANSWER.(I put that in italics, caps and underlined it for a reason). The question is this:
“On a scale of 1-10 how positive do I feel about performing this habit?”
If the answer is any less than a 9 then make it easier. For example, go down to one day or pick something else entirely. The key here is to build on success. If you don’t feel you will be successful you probably won’t be. The key idea here is progress not perfection. Once you get that first thing down, pick another one.
2 – Effort. There is no excuse for going to the gym and not giving an effort. Having said that, there are many ways to push yourself. You can focus on increasing the weight you lift, you can try to do the same amount of work in a shorter period of time, you can try to do more reps, you can do the same exercises with better form. Work with a trainer to figure out the best way you can improve in a consistent, sustainable and safe way if you don’t know what to do here. Again though, the key phrase is “progress not perfection”.
3 – Love. This quality is the least tangible but in many ways it’s the most important. You have to love yourself and understand that you’re doing these things as something positive for yourself, not as a punishment or to make yourself OK. The most common thing I see here is people giving everyone else their time and attention first (usually kids and husbands) but I can say for sure that the people you’re neglecting yourself for want you to feel good about yourself, too! You just have to give yourself permission to do it and know that it’s OK. After that it’s magic.
To help with this just do one good thing for yourself every day. Even if it’s just taking 10 minutes to sit and relax or go for a walk. I guarantee that everything will be fine when you get back.
I hope these things help you out and make everything seem much more manageable going into 2016. If you have any questions the best thing to do would be to come to the FREE seminar I’m giving this Saturday the 9th. It’ll take place at noon at Dr. Rob Katona’s office at 21715 Redwood Road in Castro Valley. Dr. Katona and I will be going over some easy ways to make sure that you get off on the right foot this year. We will get as detailed on what you need to do as you like.
If you’d like to come just send an email to me at MitchRFitness@gmail.comand I’ll put you on the list. It’s FREE! What have you got to lose (except whatever is holding you back!)
Mitch Rothbardt, CPT, PN Lean Eating Coach, FMS
2861 Grove Way in Castro Valley
510-754-7113
MitchRFitness@gmail.com