Be a Machine

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I want to help you reach your fitness goals by giving you a role to play.  With Halloween being this week, a lot of people, young and adult, try to decide who they want to pretend to be for the holiday; a superhero, a monster, a mythical creature.  I want you to be a machine...be a robot!  If you can envision yourself as a robot, as a machine, you can have a mental edge to assist you with reaching your fitness goals not only on Halloween, but all year.  In reality, I am not asking you to paint yourself silver and / or wear a costume made out of boxes.  But what I do want you to do is become machine-like in your exercise and nutrition habits.  I want you to act as if you are programmed to complete the task of reaching a healthier, fitter new you.  I'm asking you to take the thought and emotion out of your fitness quest and start acting as if making healthy choices is your job, as if you are wired to do so.  Be a machine!

          Machines are calculated; they are programmed to do a job.  Machines don't think about what they need to do from an emotional stand point, they just go out there and do it.  This is what you need to do with your fitness requirements.  "Program" yourself to exercise regularly and continually make healthy food choices.  Tell yourself that you are wired to move every hour, to get to the gym several times a week, to keep your body moving.  Make these the tasks that you as a machine are responsible for.  When you are looking at a menu, read it as if you are a robot that has the job of finding the most ideal and healthy food choice for your body.  Think that acting on a healthy lifestyle is the task you are programmed to do.

          Machines are automatic; press the "power" button and they are "good to go".  While it is true that many machines require a warm-up or to be primed before starting, just as we do, machines are relatively ready to perform at the go.  They don't come up with excuses about why they cannot achieve their task.  Just like the machine, you need to have a "power" button in your head, that once it is pushed, you aren't stopping until your task is done.  You can envision your alarm clock as your power button...once you shut the alarm off, you turn on and are activated for the day.  A much clearer example could be the power button on the cardio machine you want to use...once you turn the real machine on, you get powered up as well.  Or, you can imagine that the dumbbells are the key to turn you on; once in your hands, you're engine is started and you are ready to work.

          Machines are deliberate; the term mechanical refers to deliberate and precise movements.  Machines are often employed to do repetitive tasks that need to be done exactly the same time and time again.  When you are training in the gym, make each repetition that you perform mechanically deliberate.  Pretend that you are machine performing the movement, making each rep perfect using muscle not momentum. 

          Machines require maintenance; nothing works better than a "well oiled machine."  Without proper maintenance, machines can wear down and break prematurely.  A metal machine left sitting in the elements can rust and bind up.  You are like machine in this way as well.  You need to stay lubricated by drinking plenty of water.  Arthritis and aches and pains can creep up if you don't keep your parts moving.

          If you're thinking about what to be for Halloween, consider being a robot or a machine.  And think about being one for the rest of the year as it can help you achieve your fitness goals.  The pre-programmed, automatic, systematic ways that machines operate to complete their tasks can be copied by you to stay on task to reach your health aspirations.  A fun part of Halloween is pretending to be something you are not.  Acting like a machine can help you become something that you want to be.  Thinking of yourself as a machine with the one goal of being healthier is treat way of becoming a fit new you!