Blog Archives
Finding The Love
There are lots of reasons why people start working out and eating better, but there is only one reason why they will stick with a program in the long run – LOVE.
Sounds weird to say “love” though doesn’t it? But that is exactly what happens.
You either fall in love with the routine and how you FEEL. Or maybe both.
Because, if you don’t enjoy and love your new habits, they aren’t going to stick.
The motivation of a big event, a New Year’s Resolution or even a doctor’s visit saying you need to get your ducks in a row is only fleeting unfortunately. Amazing that it is, but that motivation doesn’t last.
So if you don’t love or enjoy what you are doing, you aren’t going to stick with a healthy lifestyle in the long run. And the long run is what matters.
People always ask, “How long do I have to eat this way for results? How long do I have to continue to workout?”
And the answer is, “In some form or fashion…FOREVER.”
You don’t just eat differently for a few months and then go back to old habits. Or if you do, you are bound to end up right back where you started even if you initial got results.
Plus eating well and working out don’t have to be miserable…actually the SHOULDN’T be miserable.
You should find a balance that you enjoy and include foods and workout routines that you enjoy.
Being healthy doesn’t mean giving up everything you love to eat lettuce and spend hours in the gym…heck I hate lettuce….now cauliflower on the other hand…
Anyway, I guess my point is that you have to do things because you enjoy doing them or find a way to fall in love with the lifestyle.
Because the motivation to look better for an event is fleeting. Plus, honestly, while it can get you started, it isn’t very good motivation because you aren’t addressing the real issues of FEELING BETTER about yourself and becoming more confident.
Falling in love with the program and setting other goals is what makes you stick with the healthy habits long-term – it is what makes the process fun.
If you don’t enjoy the journey, you aren’t going to stick with your program very long.
And, as I mentioned above, the long-term is what leads to true results and you not only looking, but also feeling, the way you want to feel.
So stop looking for a short-term solution and figure out something you love that makes you feel good. Because that is what eating clean and working out should do – they should make you FEEL BETTER and be more confident.
Shoot…They can also, and SHOULD also, be FUN!
So how do you strike a balance? How have you made the process of working toward your goals fun? How did you fall in love with the lifestyle!?!
What I hear when you say I CAN’T
I don’t mind complaining. I don’t mind whining….As long as you try!
But I can’t stand when someone says I can’t.
Because when you say “I CAN’T” all I hear is – I DON’T WANT TO TRY.
Or even I DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT MY GOALS.
Yup…”I can’t” really just means you don’t want to try.
And don’t start making excuses about how that isn’t the case…Because it is.
Most of the time we don’t say “I can’t” if we’ve worked really hard and given it all we’ve got and things just don’t work out. Then we say “I tried,” or “It doesn’t work.”
Not “I can’t.”
“I can’t” is just us giving up. It is us saying our goals really aren’t worth trying.
It is basically us making up an excuse to keep failing at reaching our goal.
It is you telling me that I am wasting my time helping you because you are never going to accomplish your goals because you don’t have the right mindset.
Harsh…Yea a little. But true.
You are also wasting your OWN time working toward something if every time you encounter a problem or hurdle you say “I can’t.”
So what advice can I give you? Decide if your goals are worth risking failure! Because results come when you put yourself in uncomfortable situations and do things you don’t normally do.
And honestly what is really the worst thing that can happen if you TRY? You fail? It doesn’t work and you’re still stuck at the same spot you’re in now?
Well, you definitely won’t move forward if you don’t give it a shot and instead just keep doing the same old things.
Because you can’t expect a different result doing the same old things.
So why not at least TRY!?!
Why say “I can’t” before you’ve even given it a shot? If you really want to reach your goals, you’ve got to be willing to TRY NEW THINGS THAT YOU AREN’T COMFORTABLE WITH!
So next time you think about saying “I can’t” consider what you really mean. Is it really that you “can’t” or is it more that you don’t want to or are scared to try and fail?
If you want it, you have to WORK
Despite being told hundreds of thousands of times, and our common sense yelling at us that there is no magic pill, we still hold out hope. We still believe that someone out there just doesn’t have to do anything and they look, feel and live the life of their dreams without ever having to suffer or sweat or work for it.
And I’m sorry but that’s just ridiculous.
At some time, in some way, everyone has had to work and sweat for their success. At some point they’ve had to sacrifice (even if they somewhat enjoy the sacrifice) and put long-term goals ahead of instant gratification and enjoyment.
Because the simple fact is that success means HARD WORK. It does mean some sacrifice. It does mean sometimes thinking long-term instead of simply living in the moment.
And it also means taking risks that could lead to failure. Failures that make you then reassess and adapt. That test your drive and dedication.
Failures that can make you better if you pick yourself back up and again…WORK HARD.
I know we’ve all seen the fitspo that say:
And honestly…It’s so true!
Often when we see people enjoying the fruits of their labors, we don’t think about all the work they had to put in to get there. We just see them enjoying their success and then assume it was easy for them.
But trust me. They worked. And they may not remember all of the sacrifices, and they may even romanticize the journey now that it is done, but they freaking worked hard.
Because achieving your goals really does means working hard. There is no magic pill. There really is no short cut. There really is no one that is just so lucky to have everything come easily to them.
So stop spending a lot of time and energy looking for a short cut. Apply that time and energy toward something beneficial…Like actually WORKING toward your goals.
And can I also say…This goes hand in hand with MAKING TIME FOR YOUR GOALS.
Let’s face it…There is never enough time in the day. But if you want something bad enough, you will make time. You will make it a priority.
So stop making excuses and searching for something that doesn’t exist. Instead get started working toward your goals before the New Year. Why not go into this New Year already moving forward? Why not WORK HARD and MAKE TIME for what you want!?!
Because if you want to succeed, if you want to make this next year an even better one, you will have to find the time to work hard at your goals. No Ifs, Ands or Butts about it!
Take Responsibility And Want It For Yourself
I’ve had to deal with this a lot as a trainer…I’ve had to deal with seeing the potential in someone, in investing a ton of time and energy into helping them succeed, only to see them fail because they didn’t truly want it for themselves.
Because no matter how hard I encourage, how many of the tools I give them, success boils down to one thing – How bad do YOU want it for YOURSELF?
Are you ready to take responsibility for your actions and make things happen?
Because no one else can want it for you. No one else can get you there.
No one else can help you stay on track or cause you to fall off.
You are completely in control whether or not you believe it…whether or not you want to take responsibility for the fact that only you can want and achieve your goals.
Taking responsibility is knowing that whether you succeed or fail is ALL UP TO YOU.
But it is hard to take responsibility because that means it is your fault if you fail.
It is way easier to blame external factors and make up excuses than it is to take responsibility and work hard for results.
It is way easier not to hold yourself accountable and to believe that things weren’t within your control.
The simple truth though is – YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR FATE.
Yea…Shit happens…But if you want something, you will find a way. If you fail, you will hold yourself accountable, take a look at your actions and make changes.
Because even though you can’t control everything or even plan for half of the stuff that happens, you can take responsibility for your actions and your reactions to life.
You can hold yourself responsible for how you handle situations and pick yourself up after you fall.
Success isn’t about perfection. It is about learning and growing and constantly improving. But to learn, grow and improve, you must believe you are in control. You must hold yourself accountable for the actions you take and the results, both good and bad, that occur.
Only you can truly make things happen for yourself.
It isn’t luck that makes people successful…It is freaking hard work and taking responsibility for their lives that makes them successful.
As they say….
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Most of us do not like trying new things or changing up our routine.
We like things the way they are EVEN if we don’t truly like things the way they are because we are, to some extent, COMFORTABLE.
But if you want to reach your goals, you’ve got to do things you aren’t comfortable with. You’ve got to do things DIFFERENTLY!
You’ve got to be willing to TRULY try new things. You’ve got to stop making excuses as to why you can’t do something or why something doesn’t work when it is really just that you don’t want to change or do things differently.
You don’t want to sacrifice or be uncomfortable. But you’ve got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and putting yourself outside your comfort zone if you want success.
You’ve got to do things you don’t want to do.
And sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Because getting a different result than you’ve been getting means you have to do things differently – it means CHANGE.
So how do you change when we are so resistant to change? How do you get comfortable being uncomfortable?
You have to take a step in a different direction.
It may be a big step or a small step, but you’ve got to do something you know is good even if you don’t want to.
Sometimes it means jumping in head first and just sucking it up. Other times it means making the smallest, least scary, change first.
In situations where you have lots of support and accountability, it may be easier to jump in head first. If you are going it alone, you may find that any drastic changes create backlash so taking a small step and adjusting to that first works better.
Either way though, you must first recognize that part of the reason it is hard to move forward is because it is uncomfortable.
Once you accept that you will need to be uncomfortable, you can general force yourself to do new things – whether it is a big step or small step forward, it is still a step forward.
And the best part is, when you get over that initial fear and JUST DO IT, new things become way less scary and uncomfortable.
So get comfortable being uncomfortable and take that step forward toward your goals!
MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE
I’ve harped on this before, but it is worth discussing again.
If you don’t measure, you will never know if you are progressing.
Because often we are too close to see results.
You see yourself every day and may overlook the subtle changes that are occurring.
You see the bad workouts where you don’t have any energy and don’t make any progress and therefore you forget the 6 days before where you did lift more or run faster.
You feel yourself still getting so exhausted by that same workout, but you don’t realize that you are actually pushing harder and doing more.
You DON’T see all the good things, all the progress, because you are so caught in the day to day.
That is why you have to take measurements…Not every day or even week, but every few weeks or months.
Those measurements will help show you all the small forward progress you are making each day. Even on days when you don’t feel like things are going right.
And when you take measurements, don’t measure in only one way.
Choose a few different things to measure to show your success. Because even though your scale weight doesn’t budge that doesn’t mean you haven’t lost fat!
For instance, if you want to lose weight, don’t just weigh on the scale and use that as your only measurement. Take circumference measurements as well.
And I even like to set a few performance as well as “habit” goals as well. These goals let you celebrate other successes that LEAD to you achieving your ultimate goal of weight loss.
For instance, if you set a goal to do more pull ups, you will be working out hard to achieve it. And those workouts to help you do more pull ups will also help you lose weight.
So even if you don’t see huge weight loss one measurement period, if you see yourself getting stronger, you know you are doing all the right things.
Same goes for “habit” goals. Habit goals are goals that you set based on simply DOING the right things. If you do the meal prep you set out to do or workout the number of times you plan to, you record it and even celebrate your success.
Because DOING the right things WILL ADD UP.
Plus it lets you know that you are truly following through with your program. (Often we “think” we are doing the right things when actually we aren’t truly sticking to our program. And then we wonder why we aren’t achieving results. These habit goals make sure we are ACTUALLY doing the right things!)
So if you want to succeed and SEE that success, make sure to start measuring!
What To Do When You Don’t Want To Do ANYTHING
There are going to be days when you just don’t care. When you just don’t feel like working out or eating well.
When you are completely stressed out, busy and unmotivated.
The question is, “How do you keep moving forward toward your goals when you just don’t care or have the time?”
Because the thing is, this lack of motivation…life getting in the way…it happens to everyone.
EVERYONE!
The thing that makes the biggest difference is how you handle it.
You can either give in and let the stress and bad mood derail all of your hard work or you can force yourself to push through. And when I say “push through” I don’t always mean going to the gym and getting in an intense hour-long workout.
Sometimes pushing through means picking one thing to focus on OR it means doing just a little of each.
Maybe it means you stick to your clean eating program but just don’t make it to the gym that night.
Or maybe it means doing an unscheduled short workout or even less intense workout because that is all you have the motivation for.
The point is to do something and not just allow excuses to derail your progress.
SOMETHING. Not the best thing or exactly what you planned to do or…Just SOMETHING.
Walk around the block. Eat that healthy dinner but have that cookie you wanted.
Find a balance.
There are going to be days when you are stressed out and life gets in the way. And you can’t control or even plan for them most of the time.
All you can do is take them in stride and make the most of them. Do little things to keep yourself on track.
And those little things may just get you motivated enough so that you do exactly what you are supposed to do.
For example, if you tell yourself you are even just going to stretch out and do a quick little workout, you may find that once you are dressed and moving, you want to do the longer workout you had planned.
Or maybe the 10 minute walk you set out as the compromise, since you didn’t want to do your workout, turns into a 20 or 30 minute walk.
The point is, if you can make yourself do something, that something will keep you on track and even help you find motivation to continue pushing forward.
Anyway, the point is MAKE YOURSELF DO SOMETHING….Because every little something really does add up!
“An Unconventional Sign Of Strength And Power”
The other day on Twitter I saw the following statement – “An unconventional sign of strength and power: Not being easily offended.”
Then today, I found this picture on Pinterest:
This one made me laugh…maybe cause it’s true!?! 😛
Are You A True Champion? How Shaun White Impressed Me With His Loss
I think champions are defined not by how often they win, but by how they go out and compete and how they handle failure.
Do they play to win no matter the situation? Do they blame everything but themselves when they lose? And do they bounce back after failure?
Last night, I saw the champion in Shaun White and thought to myself, “No wonder this guy has been at the top and so dominant for so long.”
Perception is everything
January is a time for many of starting over. Of New Years Resolutions, dreams and goals.
But it is also a month filled with unfinished goals. Unfinished goals because people’s motivation dwindles and their positive mindset falters.
Even when we’ve done the best planning possible, life can still get in the way.
And when life gets in the way the only thing that can keep us on track is our mindset.
Because let’s face it, there are going to be bumps in the road.
There are going to be setbacks.
But we can keep moving forward if we have the right attitude and can pick ourselves back up after a fall and get right back on track.
It truly is all about attitude.
And trust me…I know it’s hard.
January is one of the most stressful months for me. Right now I’m to the point of being completely and utterly overwhelmed.
Part of me wants to throw up my hands and watch chick flicks all day on the couch cuddled by Coconut eating ice cream and Reeses Pieces.
But the other part of me, the larger part of me, LOVES EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Because it is all in how I perceive things.
I can see things as overwhelming and stressful.
Or I can see it as a chance to help more people and make a huge difference.
No, 100% of the time I won’t see things in a positive light. But 70, 80, even 90% of the time I will.
And that is what it is all about – having a positive mindset. It’s about setting your mind to a goal and not letting life interfere or things get out of your control so that you don’t get frustrated and veer off course….At least not for long.
We decide how we perceive things.
Yup…It is your choice to be happy or sad regardless of the situation.
So when you are planning to achieve your goal, you’ve got to include MINDSET into your plan.
You’ve got to decide to be excited by the challenges and opportunities your new diet and exercise program have in store for you.
You’ve got to decide to not dwell on the failures and setbacks.
You’ve got to decide to give yourself a quick break when you get down and then get right back on track if slip ups do occur.
You have control over your attitude.
Stay positive and keep moving forward toward your goals!
Man Bicep 