April 5, 2016

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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