Starting is the easy part...Visions of improved health and physical fitness are good catalysts, but weak motivators.
Here are some battle tested (best practices) that athletes use to stay on track. You can benefit from them too:
1. Enjoy Yourself and the Process. In addition to your focused training efforts pick some sports or activities where you can thrive and enjoy. Bring out the old athlete in you. Pleasure produces long term sustainability. Join a rec league. Attempt to do fun, competitive activities year round. Use the training you diligently engage in to support your activities. You will create a pursuit to get better because of your new activity schedule. The rest will take care of itself whether it is weight loss, improved athletic performance or anything else.
2. Create a Fitness Foundation. Lack of time is lack of planning. Plan your workouts like business meetings or birthday parties. Schedule your 2-3 sweat sessions this week and make them recurring events in your smart phone's calendar. Eventually you will expand to a higher frequency of workouts (3-6). Use progression (seek help). Being too ambitious too early can bring your house of cards down quickly. Develop one strong habit (start with scheduling) and then that will become a platform for you to build from in the future. 1 change a week is 52 changes a year. That is a heck of a lot of change!
2. Create a Fitness Foundation. Lack of time is lack of planning. Plan your workouts like business meetings or birthday parties. Schedule your 2-3 sweat sessions this week and make them recurring events in your smart phone's calendar. Eventually you will expand to a higher frequency of workouts (3-6). Use progression (seek help). Being too ambitious too early can bring your house of cards down quickly. Develop one strong habit (start with scheduling) and then that will become a platform for you to build from in the future. 1 change a week is 52 changes a year. That is a heck of a lot of change!
3. Be a Champion. The point where nothing deviates you from your fitness plan is a "championship moment." You know that internal voice that tells you to get to your scheduled workout versus the one that tells you to go to happy hour? A championship moment is when you take control of the mental conversation that tugs at you. The positive and dominant voice trumps the weak negative voice with ease when it is consciously put into practice (daily).
4. Con Yourself Out. Now and then you just need to outsmart yourself. If you can get to the parking lot (90% of the work) of the gym even when you are tired chances are you will go inside. Cross the finish line. 90% of it is showing up.
5. See Success Vividly. You don't need Yoga, Tai Chi, Enya music or a dark room to use visualization to your advantage. Success is as much a "thinking through process" as it is a creation of mental imagery. Examine the chain of events that create championship moments! During that process you may never even think of the negative voice that has been holding you back for so long. You are too busy focusing on the positive. You are a champion.
Your mantra this week: hot never stops...
No comments:
Post a Comment