Get it, repeat it, beat it!

Today I would like to recommend a simple training philosophy that you can incorporate into your workouts to help you achieve your fitness goals.  As a personal trainer, a large percentage of how I help clients reach their goals is by motivating them to stay on course.  Another large percentage is by bringing the appropriate knowledge to the proverbial table.   There are a lot of people who commendably get into the gym to work on their health and fitness; but many of these people don’t know how to appropriately exercise.  They either have little clue, such as simply lifting the weights that are on the rack, and / or they have done only a little bit of research and are trying the exercises that they picked up from the latest internet post or fitness magazine.  While I do believe doing something is better than nothing, as long as it’s done safely, I also strongly believe that doing the appropriate exercises efficiently will be much more rewarding both physically and mentally.  And all it usually takes to make the exercises you are doing better is to add some sound training principle.

Dean is in his twenties; when he was in high school, he was an athlete familiar with training.  But now out of school, the majority of his physical activity comes from working out in the gym.  Although he is no stranger to work outs, he has never really studied the training principles necessary to achieve his current fitness goals.  So, his workouts change every few weeks and are usually based off of whatever the latest action movie’s star had done in preparation for the film.  Following these

fad-type of workouts, he has grown frustrated with never seeing the results he is aiming for.  When he came to me for advice, I told him to ditch these fad workouts, and start training using sound principle.

Many efficient training programs involve the principle of progression, where you need to keep pushing the body to its limits by either increasing weights and / or repetitions, so the muscles are adequately challenged.  Good personal trainers will base your workouts using this principle.  But without proper technique, it can be confusing and even unsafe figuring out how and when to progress.  So here is an easy saying that you can use in your own training programs to help you get a handle on simple progression:  Get it, Repeat it, Beat it. 

         I use this saying in my own training when I start a new training routine.  Here is how to use it.  When you have chosen an appropriate exercise, such as squats to improve lower body strength, select a weight and repetition combination that you can “get it”, meaning you can actually do it.  Use that weight for at least one workout.  The weight should be enough that you can perform the exercise with proper form for the appropriate reps.  Then, in your next workout, see if you can “repeat it”.  Your goal should be to do the same weight for the same repetitions.  Repeating it allows your muscles the time and opportunity to adapt to that stress.  The final step is to “beat it.”  You can beat what you were already doing by either doing the same weight for more reps, or doing a heavier weight for the same number of reps.  Either way you “beat” what you already had been doing, allows for the progression that your muscles need to develop. 

The best ways to efficiently achieve your fitness goals is to follow sound training principles as opposed to the latest fad-type workouts.  While you might not need a full physiology class to understand how muscle works, a simple understanding and implementation of training progression will efficiently get you to a fit new you!

Through a Doorway

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to give you some advice on how to stay motivated and on track to maintain a healthy lifestyle when we feel too busy and burdened by life’s responsibilities.  Many studies show that the average work day and work week gets longer and longer.  Unfortunately, we are often putting our own needs and health on the back burner, and sacrifice our own goals until we find more time to get to them.  But, when we do this, it often becomes “out of sight out of mind.” We get off of our fitness track because we could not stay focused on it.  However, people often start diet and training routines at times such as New Year’s Eve, reunions, and weddings because those events become the focus.  So what you must do in order to maintain that focus on a regular basis is to constantly bring your focus back to your fitness goals.  What I suggest you do is use a symbol to help remind you of your fitness goals and to keep you focused on them.  I recommend that every time you walk through a doorway, you think about what your fitness goals are, what you are doing to meet them, and what you can do to reach them.

Several of my clients only come to the gym when they have a scheduled training session with me.  The facility is an open gym, and if they have a membership they can train on their own as often as they would like.  But, for one reason or another, they only come in for their sessions with me.  While I am slightly flattered, I know that they would have an easier time meeting their fitness goals if they were in the gym on a more frequent basis…even if it isn’t with me.  I’ve noticed that these clients have the idea that the hardest part to achieving their fitness goals is just getting through the door.  It takes them a lot of effort to get to the gym, and although they give me maximal effort while training, it’s usually the task of getting to the gym which is the hardest.  Managing my own busy schedule, I can sympathize.  But what almost every one of my clients agrees with is that they all feel better after they have exercised and stretched, and leave the gym in a much better spirit.  Walking through the door can therefore be used symbolically.  If you are the type of person who finds getting to they gym to be the hardest part, know that once you get through the door, it only gets easier.  Be one of the many people who know that when they are done with their workout, they feel better about themselves as they leave.

But I would like you to also take it one step further.  I want you to use the doorway as a symbol that you can use to remind yourself that you are on a pathway to your fitness goals.  Every time you walk through a doorway think about entering somewhere new on your path.  Use that as a symbol as a reminder that you are on a path to a healthier lifestyle.  As you walk through the doorway, remind yourself of your fitness goals.  Ask yourself “are you doing the things needed to reach those goals?”  Think about what you have planned that day to reach those goals.  Every time you step through a doorway you are on a path to somewhere new.  Use that passage as a way to keep your fitness goals in focus and not out of sight out of mind.

There are many clichés which suggest that stepping though a doorway is the beginning of a new journey.  Think about your fitness goals in a similar way, as a pathway.  It does take some time, effort, and work to get there.  People often fall off of that path when they lose sight of their goals by losing focus.  When you walk through a doorway, use it as a symbol of a journey you are on to your fitness goals.  If you remind yourself of your fitness goals and focus on them every time you pass through a doorway, you will be stepping towards a fit new you!

Daily Diet

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to give you a mindset that will help you to reach your nutrition goals in an extremely manageable way.  Although I am not a fan of fad diets, eating plans that restrict what you eat, I do understand that many people start these “diets” in order to change their poor eating habits.  However, one of the problems with these diets is that they have an end date, such as a certain amount of weight loss.  The problem with this is that as soon as the diet stops, so does the weight loss, and when you revert back to your regular eating habits, the weight eventually comes back.  Another problem with these diets is that they are often too restrictive and too different from what you normally do.  This makes them often too ambitious and hard to maintain.  In turn, this leads to people never reaching their goals.  What I propose is to instead adopt a healthy eating routine that can be maintained as part of an overall healthy lifestyle.  While finding what works best for you might take some time, research and possibly a consultation with a nutritionist, there is a very simple way to get started.  All you really need to do to start eating healthy, in a much more manageable way, is to address what you eat one day at a time.

Edwin is a member at the gym who has had a difficult time maintaining a healthy body weight and is on a different fad diet at any given time.  Eager to get to and maintain a healthy body composition, Edwin realized the importance of not only exercising regularly but eating well.  However, when it comes to his diet, he is constantly trying the latest fad diet.  Every couple of months he will come into the gym and tell me about the new diet he is on, which he had seen either on TV, online or in a magazine.  And the more drastic the diet’s requirements are, the more ambitious he becomes.  But sooner than later he falls off of the diet because it becomes to hard to maintain.  Fortunately, when he finally took my advice of simply trying to eat healthier one day at a time, he was able to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

I am constantly reminding my clients that maintaining a proper diet is just as important to achieving a healthy body composition as is regular exercise.  And I do understand that doing so can seem as difficult as finding the time to get to the gym.  But if you take a simpler approach to eating healthy it will not be as difficult as it appears.  What I suggest is to simply take a look at your food choices one day at a time…or even one meal at a time.  Instead of worrying about what you can and can’t eat for a set amount of time, just think about what is your healthiest option at that time.  Also understand it is easier to make healthy food choices if you have previously planned for them, for example it easier to choose a healthy meal option if you had already shopped for it.  But you can get started eating healthy right away, in a less intimidating way, if you make healthy choices one day at a time.

Don’t let making healthy food choices overwhelm you.  Simply think about what you want to achieve and think about how your food choices will affect reaching that goal.  When you are deciding what to eat, ask yourself "Am I making the healthiest decision?"  If not, change it as best you can.  Thinking about that one decision will be much less overwhelming and therefore much easier to keep up with over a fad diet. All of your decisions, if made as healthy as possible will add up to a healthier you.

Keep the task of eating healthy a meal by meal challenge.  As you make a food choice, ask yourself how it will affect your fitness goals.  Doing this will get you to your fitness goals much quicker and actually become easier as you do it.  This is how you form a healthy lifestyle, by continually making good nutrition choices instead of finding and failing at fad diets.  It’s this simple decision making process, taken one day at a time, which will help you reach a fit new you!

Focus on the Success

Welcome to afitnewyou! This week I would like to give you a way to stay encouraged while on your path to your fitness goals.  It can be challenging enough to find the time, energy and drive to work towards your goals everyday; and it can be even more difficult when there are naysayers trying to bring you down.  When negative thoughts come your way, it can be very discouraging.  When those thoughts get into your head, you can be your own worst enemy when it comes to staying motivated.  In order to prevail, and stay on the path to fitness, it’s important for you to focus on the positives and successful steps you take along the way, no matter how small they may be.  Stepping stones that get you to your final goal are just as helpful.  Focusing on your successes, no matter how small, will help you stay positive, motivated and on your way to reaching your fitness goals.

Noah is a college student that trains with me whenever he is home on break.  I’ve gotten to know him and some of his family members that I also train quite well over the years.  He is labeled as the laziest in the family with the most heart-felt intentions that only sibling rivalries can explain.  The running joke is that when Noah goes back to school he stops training as much as he should, gets “soft” and has to start from scratch when he comes home.  Despite the negative label, his family knocks him as a way to motivate him.  However, I don’t believe that this is the best motivational technique.  On the other hand, positive reinforcement works much better.  While I agree with them that Noah should be working out a lot more during his time at school, and would be so much more beneficial to him, I do see how much progress he makes when he thinks about what he has done well, as opposed to what he hasn’t done.  For example, when he has particularly good sets, lifts or hits new personal bests, he feels really good about himself and works much harder.  Also, when he focuses on the great shape he has gotten in after training regularly while home, he goes back to school more motivated.  It isn’t his family’s nagging that pushes him…it’s seeing his well earned results that fuel him.

Different people are motivated in different ways.  But positive reinforcement works for most people.  Don’t let a bad set, a missed day at the gym, or a meal you cheated on derail you from reaching your fitness goals.  We as humans are all flawed and will hit bumps along the way.  You will reach your fitness goals both more quickly and more enjoyably if you focus on what you have done well.  Focus on your success!  Think about the days you dragged yourself to the gym even when you were exhausted.  Reflect on the times you made a healthy food choice when you had some lesser options in front of you.  Whether reminding yourself of that one set you performed really well, or the time the scale moved in the direction you wanted it to, focusing on the positive is much more uplifting and therefore motivating.

We all want to be recognized for our achievements.  The same is true for us with our own personal goals.  When it’s difficult enough to find the time and energy to get to the gym, or to choose the healthiest food option, don’t let negativity and criticism bring you down as well.  Focus on the positive, particularly the successful steps you take along the way.  It’s your health and your fitness, so embrace what you have done well along the way.  Allowing your successes to light the way is a very rewarding way to achieve a fit new you!

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