Those first few months when beginning to exercise were BY FAR the most influential times I’ve had in the gym.
Looking back at those times everything
was a new stimulus to the body and that’s what made it so impactful.
I saw the most amount of change to my
body in the shortest amount of time, which now looking back, is to be expected
for someone just starting out. I am not saying that I did everything correct or
perfect but even just trying to copy all the stuff I learned from YouTube was
paying dividends to my body.
These changes made me CONSISTENT AS HELL in the gym, I would say even more so than I am right now, although I do have a few more responsibilities now compared to then.
MAKE A REALISTIC COMMITMENT
If you just watched some inspirational
videos and feel like you could tackle a marathon, please please please do not
make your exercise schedule in this state of mind.
Being consistent does not mean you have
to do something everyday or even every other day. It means that you will devote
a similar amount of time and effort to something over a long period of time.
DO NOT try to commit to 6-days a week programming when you know very well this isn’t feasible for the rest of your life. Make a commitment to the amount of time that you know FOR SURE can and will be achieved with your current lifestyle.
So take a step back, look at your
responsibilities, and find a schedule that will compliment your current
life!
MAKE SMALL GOALS
With almost every client that decides to
work with me, goals always seem to be things we disagree on at first. I would
never ignore a client’s long-term goals but we have to focus on the small
battles first to make things effective.
Smaller goals vary in a wide variety but
are in reach within an acceptable amount of time.
If I
get a client who drinks little to no water in a day, their first goal will be
to increase their water intake. This goal is easy to track, easy to achieve,
and effective as anything. Within the first couple of weeks of steady increases
in water the goal has been accomplished and we are on to our next one.
Small
goals will keep your focus on a single thing on the road to your ultimate goal,
but they will have you excited and eager to move to the next.
LOOK AT EXERCISE DIFFERENTLY
This
piece is not easy; changing your perspective on anything takes time.
This is
another area I tell people to take a step back and think about the things that
are making exercise a hassle for you.
Many
times it is because it is hard, when people aren’t generally “good” at something
we tend to gravitate away from those things.
So find the things that make it hard and work at them like a SKILL. If every time you have squats on your program and your dread them because how hard they are, then start practicing the movement instead of trying to make the movement harder by adding weight.
Go into the gym each day with a GOAL to get better at something. This could be getting better at a movement such as squatting & overhead pressing or it could be working on your stamina because you feel out of breath half the workout. Whatever it may be just take it as a skill and get better each time you do it.
Once you increase your skills with these things and they become comfortable it will be more enjoyable for you to get up and do this stuff.
These
are things I use with all my clients whether online or in-person and I find
they work the best for the majority of the people I work with.
Consistency is king when it comes to fitness so find the good in it and enjoy the process!
JNHealthandFitness@aol.com
