One at a Time

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I would like to simplify your path towards your fitness goals.  Sometimes when we look too far ahead and start focusing on all of the things we must do to reach our fitness goals, it can seem daunting and become overwhelming.  And then, if that mindset takes hold it becomes easier to never get started or not progress from where you are currently at.  What I suggest is to simply live in the moment, and focus on one thing at a time.  After all, you can only do one thing at a time anyway, so it is best to put your intention and focus on that one thing.  Furthermore, a simple way to proceed along your path is to progress by adding just one more at a time.  This could mean simply adding one more rep to your sets, one more minute to your cardio, one more day to your routine, and one more glass of water to your diet…

No matter how big or small a task you have in life, it cannot be accomplished without doing one small aspect first.  Think about it; if you want to read a book, you can only do so by reading one page at a time.  If you want to cook something, you have to follow the recipe step by step.  Traveling somewhere?  You have to following the directions one by one.  If you wanted to complete the book without going page by page, or to eat the meal without following the directions, or get somewhere without the journey it would not happen.  And the same is true with your fitness goals.  To reach your goals, you do need a plan; but that plan needs to be followed step by step, one at a time.  Don’t let the reaching the big picture intimidate you, rather focus on the individual step at hand.

And along the journey, to reach your goals efficiently, you need to constantly progress.  But the progression could and should come with small individual steps or increments.  For example, if someone had a goal of being able to do 50 push-ups, one way that they could reach their goal is by doing as many as they could but then strive for just one more rep every one week.  Similarly, if your goal is to increase your cardio performance, find out what your current level is, and then simply add one more minute (or level of elevation, or increase in speed) to what you are currently doing on a week to week basis. 

If you’re trying to clean up your diet, you can add similar types of “ones.”  It is easier to simply add drinking one more bottle of water a day, or clean up one meal of the day as opposed to making a complete overhaul of your diet.  The key to adding these ones is make them small enough that you can focus on just that one, as well as keeping up with it.  Then, you also need to progress by one more in a week to week, or month by month basis.  The cumulative effect will be noticeable, rewarding and sustainable as it will be due to a gradual change I your lifestyle.

Don’t let your final fitness goals seem daunting or discouraging as they are a ways away.  There is a road to get there.  But the same way you shouldn’t worry about the last 10 miles of a 100 mile journey just as you are setting out, you cant do so with your fitness goals either.  You can only deal with what is at hand.  Focusing on the here and now is the best way to accomplish that individual part.  And progressing by a one at a time approach will eventually get you there.  It will be more attainable to lose 12 pounds of fat, if you focus on losing only one pound a month.  Similarly, adding 30 minutes of cardio work will be more easily accomplished if you add just one minute a week.  Do you think you can add 30 minutes of cardio to your workout today?  Probably not, but how about adding one minute, just sixty seconds each week?  As long as you continue to progress by adding just one at a time, you will eventually get there, and do so in a very manageable way.  You can’t get to the top of a flight of stairs without taking one step at a time as it comes.  By approaching your fitness goals in a step by step basis, you will in a very sustainable way reach a fit new you!