The 3 things you’re probably not doing to be in shape By Paul Newell

The 3 things you’re probably not doing to be in shape

By Paul Newell

“DAMN!!!  I have to get in shape, it’s almost summer!!”  How many times have your heard that over the past couple of weeks?  

Think about it; has your gym been busier lately?  Do you see more people being active outside?  I always see a mad dash at this time of year to get on a fitness routine.  

But there are three things people are not doing to secure a fit and healthy body for the summer and all the other seasons.

Tell me if this sounds familiar?....You start a program, you go strong for 2 months, then this thing called life happens that may stress you out, or throw you a curve ball that knocks you out of your orbit for a bit.

This may be you, or someone you know, but regardless of who it is, this happens to the best of us.

I know this is true because I’ve been there, and recently went through a little roughness that knocked me out of my orbit.  

What was interesting about me observing my situation and the situation of others that were similar to mine, is thatwhen things get a little rough, we tend to abandon the things that nurture us the most.  Some will give up their fitness/physical activity (aka nourishment) and pick up other ways to relieve stress like emotional eating or drinking.

So if you are getting back into your fitness routine and getting active for your health, to look good, or to relieve stress, here are three things you must do to solidify your commitment to your fitness and health.

Do these three things and you will withstand anything life throws your way.  They helped me and I hope they help you as well:

Plan

Plan the work, then work the plan.  I don’t know who said it, but its brilliant.  We all have busy schedules, so if you take a look at you schedule, you always make appointments for the things that are important.  

So what the hell is more important YOU?!  We have to make time to take care of our original home, our bodies.  

When you start to plan, please be realistic and look at the whole picture.  Be specific about when you’re going to do your activity.  If you say you’ll get up at 5am, and you haven’t gotten up at 5am ever, you’re lying to yourself and may end up not seeing a gym again until January 1, 2014.  

Be specific with your planning and here are some examples:

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I’m going to get up an hour before I have to leave for work and walk up and down stairs for 10 minutes straight.

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I’m going to walk around my work block 3 times on Wednesday at 10am and Friday at 2pm.  

Now book your workouts into your schedule, iPhone, iPad, Droid, tablet, whatever you use, but schedule it just like anything else.  Spend time on a Sunday or Monday andplan your physical activity for the week.  

Psst….Here’s a tip, if you plan you workouts in the morning, you’ll get it over with and you’ll have a nice boost in the morning.  

Once its written, so it is.

Prepare:  

If you’re going to work out in the morning and you’re going to get up a little earlier that you normally would, prepare by having your workout clothes laid out, so you can get up, change, then go (please note, I do advise that you brush your teeth and wipe the coal out of your eyes before leaving your house, but to each his own).

If you’re going to work out after work, have a gym bag with everything you’ll need to go directly to the gym.  

Or prepare your workout or physical activity for the week.  As a Trainer, this is where I got stuck sometimes.  I would schedule time for workouts, then it would take me most of my allotted time thinking up a good workout.  I would get paralysis from analysis instead of just moving.  

What helps me through that, is making the time to preparemy workouts for the week at the beginning of the week.  Since I have my activity prepared, I can get quality work in during my allotted activity time.

Promote

This is a hidden gem so try this one, but first let me explainand you can thank me later.  

I’ve been a Personal Trainer for 14 years, and I’ve found that some people that want to get in shape may not broadcast their intentions to those outside of their close network of friends.  Most people don’t tell others about their fitness quests because they don’t want others to think they failed if they haven’t lost weight or if they’re you’re not excited about getting in shape anymore.

Telling others about your fitness intentions fostersaccountability and community.

When you broadcast that your doing a new workout or diet, people will ask how it’s going and/or how you enjoy it.  People want to know, and lets be truthful, it feels damn good when people say you look good and give you credit for your commitment.  And on the flip side when you don’t step your game up, you may feel like DOO-DOO!!!

Shoot this happened to me recently.  I learned the 5 Tibetans and was enthusiastic about practicing them for 40 days straight. So I told my clients, friends, one of my Brothers, people at work, and even a rabbit that occasionally shows up in my yard.  

Just for reference, I did 10 days straight, not 40, and one of my clients asked me how my practice was going.  How do you think I felt during that stretch of conversation.  But looking back on it, I knew at that point I had to adjust my approach to my practice to ensure my success.   I didn’t set myself up for success and I needed to plan and prepare to ensure I make 40 days straight.

I know this all sounds elementary, but if we all were able to do these things consistently do you think we’d have such an obesity epidemic?  Do you think most of our society would be grasping for the latest fitness infomercial craze or on the latest fad diet?

Nope.

When you break all the most successful fitness programs available, or hell if you’ve stayed consistent with your activity regardless of circumstance, I’m sure you’ve done these three things to stay successful.

If you haven’t tried these three tips before, do them for the rest of the month and let me know how it goes.  Follow me on Twitter (@tunein2wellness), Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Always remember, your success is in your hands and if you stumble on your path, pick yourself up and carry on.

Be well and Namaste