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!