Categoriesmindset Motivational personal training

4 Tips I’d Give Myself on Day 1 of My Fitness Journey

As I type these words on my keyboard I am aboard an Irish Rail train en route to Galway. We just spent the past five days in Dublin being tourists making the typical pit stops at sites like Trinity College, the Temple Bar neighborhood, and I even had a Guinness at the renowned Gravity Bar atop the Guinness factory.1

We still have several more days lined up exploring the sites of Ireland with everything culminating in Belfast where we plan to hit up the Titanic Belfast Museum as well as the Giants Causeway and a few filming locations of Game of Thrones.

#nerdlife.

Suffice to say I am in no mood to write new content. Thankfully my man Paul Levitin was thoughtful enough to send me a guest post before I left on my trip. He’s written a handful of excellent posts in recent months and this one no different.

Enjoy!

Copyright: nithid

4 Tips I’d Give Myself on Day 1 of My Fitness Journey

After working in a gym for nearly a decade, and collecting every certification under the sun, it’s easy to become jaded and say “everyone knows this stuff.”

Factually, most people do not.

Today, instead of thinking about where I am now, with 10 years of experience, I want to go back.

It’s easy for me to say “I don’t count calories anymore,” but that’s because I counted calories for nearly a decade, and I have more nutrition labels memorized than I do phone numbers at this point.

So If I had to start from scratch, if today was day 0 of my fitness journey, where would I begin? 

Knowing what I know now, what would I do to most leverage my time and energy? 

via GIPHY

One thing is for sure: When I first started, I had no clue what I was doing. I wasted a lot of time, literally years doing the wrong things. I wasted money, buying useless supplements and other gimmicky products like sauna suits.

So if i could travel back in time to the first day of my fitness journey, here are my 4 tips that I would give my 17 year old self:

1. Don’t Overlook the Simple. Don’t Overvalue the Complex

Some things are so simple, so easy, I just couldn’t understand how they might be helpful

Things like, parking farther away at the parking lot, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the store instead of driving.

Like, yea, I get it, you get some steps, but could the hundred steps it takes to get from one end of the parking lot to the other, or the extra two minutes it takes to walk three flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator really make a difference?

It turns out that yes, yes it can. 

via GIPHY

Most people think that exercising, whether it’s lifting weights or doing cardio or anything else, represents a huge amount of calories being burned.

In reality, an hour of even the most high intensity exercise will only burn a few hundred calories, a small percentage of your daily calorie intake and burn.

The vast majority of your calories are spent each day simply living. Between bodily functions, like keeping your blood pumping and keeping the lights on in your head, to doing daily tasks like walking, eating, typing, and everything else you tend to do.

It makes sense, since simply proportionally, even if you spend an hour in the gym five days a week, that’s only five hours out of 168, which is 8.4%. Just logically, we have much more opportunity during the remaining 91.6% than we possibly could in the exercise time, no matter how hard we try to push it during those 4 or 5 hours.

A key step towards health then becomes trying to do more in your non exercise time. That walk from the end of the parking lot here, taking the stairs there, getting off your train a stop early and walking, or deciding to explore a new city on foot rather than take an Uber, these things can seem trivial, but over days, weeks, months, and years, they add up.

They keep you moving, they keep you burning, and it’s a key habit that all healthy people adopt, either consciously or unconsciously.

2. Eating for Health and Eating for Weight Loss Are Not Necessarily the Same. Exercising for Health and Exercising for Aesthetics Are Not Necessarily the Same

This one throws people through a loop. It definitely took me some time to wrap my head around.

I saw countless clients as a nutrition coach, as well as myself, getting frustrated saying “I’m eating so healthy, but I’m not losing weight!” That’s because these goals are not one in the same, and taken to extremes, can actually be counter to one another.

The problem comes from the ambiguous definition of “healthy.” To many people seeking to lose weight, they use the terms interchangeably.

A doctor, nutritionist, or health blog however, might use the term “healthy” to mean more nutritious, with more healthy fats. This however might mean more calories, which means that a big bowl of almonds every day might be hurting your weight loss, more than helping it.

Nuts in assortment, Walnuts, pecans, almonds and other. Healthy food snack mix

Or, some “naturalist” type, might say “healthy” to mean less artificial ingredients. To them then, a 200 calorie kombucha would be “healthy,” but a zero calorie, zero sugar diet coke, would not, even though the latter would result in less calories consumed, and thus more potential weight loss than the former.

The same can be said for exercise. Hang around any heavy duty lifting gym for long enough, and talk to enough jacked and shredded bodybuilders and powerlifters, and you know what you’ll hear?

Stories of torn rotator cuffs, blown out backs, and bad knees. Probably some disordered eating as well, and quite potentially, the use of some illicit substances.

People might look “good” (whatever that means), but their health is actually suffering because of it

Now, does this mean these things are mutually exclusive?

Of course not.

You can eat in a way that is both healthy and ideal for weight loss, and you can exercise in a way that makes you look and feel sexy af, while also improving your overall health and longevity.

I am simply saying that this is not inherently the case, and the sooner that you come to grips with that, the less frustrated you will be.

That brings me right to the next point…

3. Optimal Is Only Optimal if You Do It. Don’t Optimize Yourself Out of Consistency

For a long time, I tried to force things,

I was a personal trainer, so I studied the science. I studied the studies.

Squats are more optimal for muscle development than leg press. Cool, no more leg press, only squats.

Girl doing back squat

The optimal weekly routine has you hitting each body part 2 to 3 times per week, that means more focus on big muscle groups like back and legs, and less on arms, abs, and anything smaller.

Optimal cardio is low intensity steady state, those HIIT days are killing your gains. Ok, no more HIIT, only walking. (Jury is back out on this one).

As time went on, I continued to optimize and tweak and adjust, until where I started was nowhere at all where I began.

Now, this in and of itself, certainly isn’t a bad thing. It was the constant learning, optimization, and tweaking that allowed me to achieve the results that I had, like reaching a 500lb deadlift or sub 10% bodyfat.

But that was me. I was a personal trainer, spending seven days in the gym, eating, breathing, and sleeping fitness and nutrition information. It was my life. I was uniquely dedicated, and there was nothing that was going to throw me off course.

Often, people would see what I was doing, be it friends, family, or clients, and try to do the same. Unfortunately, they weren’t me (Sad, I know).

What I mean is, they weren’t coaches. They had lives outside of the gym, they had responsibilities, they had families, they had limited time.

Because of that, often what the science might have said was the most OPTIMAL workout might not fit with their lives.

Beyond that, what is more important, is that what is OPTIMAL does not take into account what is ENJOYABLE.

I was nut, I was going to do whatever it took to get lean and strong.

Normal people, which you might consider yourself to be, might want to, oh, I don’t know, enjoy their exercise routines?

Eat food that doesn’t look like it could be fed to a rabbit?

Traditional Russian dishes, sweets and vodka

Crazy huh?

The thing is, in the quest for optimization, individuality is lost.

If we are assuming that there is ONE optimal way, (which we can argue about, and people on the internet surely will) that means that anything other than optimal is inherently deemed “wrong” or “worse”.

That can be disheartening for people who are already struggling with just getting to the gym or getting off the couch, now they are being told they are doing it wrong too.

So while I do think there is a time and place for doing what’s best, not if it comes at the expense of actually doing the damn thing.

So many people these days hear that strength training is the end all be all of exercise. And for good reason, it’s the bee’s knees, the benefits are basically endless.

BUT, if you’re someone who loves Zumba and going for long runs, should those be poo-poo’ed because they aren’t as optimal as lifting weights?

If you try to force yourself into a box, there’s a chance you might fit, but there’s always also a chance you might get claustrophobic and go crazy

This takes experimentation, and some knowledge of self

I’m not saying don’t try to optimize or ever do what’s best. Just saying, tread carefully, and a non-optimal workout routine done consistently for years is infinitely better than the most scientifically optimal workout that you do for 6 weeks then quit because you hate it

Which, brings me to point four,

4. In the Long Game, Consistency Wins. This is the Long Game, Whether You Like it or Not

When I was 17, I cared about one thing, and one thing only: looking good. More specifically, looking good right now. If I absolutely had to wait, I would accept results tomorrow, but beyond that we were really starting to push it.

Unfortunately, at the time, I was living in this dumb stupid super annoying place called “reality.”

It really was the worst.

Every day, I’d go to the gym and do abs, then lift my shirt up, and NO ABS. It was like a cruel joke.

Now you might be saying, been there Paul. And if you have, maybe you know what my next step was: obviously, logically, it was, more.

  • More abs!
  • More cardio!
  • More more more!

Looking back now, I can see how the logic might have been a little flawed. What I’m not doing isn’t working? Hmm, let’s do more of it!

Poor exercise selection and actual workout programming aside, this route couldn’t work for one key reason: it was unsustainable.

I’d sit doing abs in the gym for 2 hours some days, and be so sore the next day I couldn’t move, or so tired and lethargic I’d skip the day’s planned workout.

And simply logistically, there was no way for me to do 2 and 3 hour workouts like that consistently.

The problem was, I was looking at everything with a short-sighted view. Life, on the other hand, is long. So all my plans revolved around getting results as fast as possible, even though I was a teenager, and barely even started my life

And this is unfortunately how most people look at exercise, eating, and health in general. It’s all about now. Some people think about longevity, but it’s an afterthought at best

The thing is, life is going to happen, whether you want it to or not. You are going to get older. You are going to be 30, 40, 60, 80, whatever, at some point. So for better or worse, you might as well start thinking about it now.

Internalizing these 4 tips will help you create a lifestyle that works for you, and you can keep up with. That way, you can be healthy and enjoy it, not for weeks, or months, but years and decades.

About the Author

Paul Levitin spent a decade as a personal trainer & strength and conditioning coach, becoming the number one trainer in his entire company, while collecting over 30 certificates (CES, CSCS, PRI, PN1, FRC, & many more).

Wanting to better serve his training clients, he began to study behavior change, and eventually became a Board Licensed Health & Wellness Coach (NBHWC). This led him to create his education and mindset coaching company “The Healthy Happy Human Academy,” where he now helps clients deal with things like self-sabotage and perfectionism, to allow them to build a healthy, happy life.

He seeks to bridge the gap between the worlds of fitness and nutrition, and the frustrated, overwhelmed masses who just want to move more, feel better, and live a little longer.

https://www.instagram.com/paullevitin/
The Healthy Happy Human Podcast
The Healthy Happy Human Academy FREE Facebook Group

 

Categoriesmindset Motivational

Quitters Are Winners: When Is It Okay to Give Up?

Hello, hello!

I know. It’s not lost on me that I’ve been an abject failure on the “writing new content” side of things. If it’s any consolation I’ve also been lackluster on a few fronts:

  • Calling my mom.
  • Avoiding pizza.
  • Not (not) being jacked.
  • Hugs.

My free time has been monopolized by what can only be described as entrepreneurial shenanigans. That being said, this afternoon I have a few hours of free time and will be working on a new T-Nation article! That’s something, right?

RIGHT?

Nevertheless, thankfully I have a few people willing to pinch-write for me of late and to provide some excellent content for this site.

Today is another gem on “goal setting” via Paul Levitin I think will resonate with many of you reading.

Copyright: chupakabrajk

Quitters Are Winners: When It It Okay to Give Up?

“Quitters never win, and winners never quit”

It’s the motivational cliche to end all motivational cliches.

You’ve heard it before, hell, I’ve said it before.

There’s a lot of truth in that statement. It’s true most of the time. It’s true, except for when it’s not.

The unfortunate reality is, the only fundamental truth of life is that nothing is set in stone. The one rule that will always hold true, is that there are exceptions to every rule.

Woah, how’s that for a mind fuck?

via GIPHY

I do agree with the sentiment behind the “never quit, never give up” mentality. I love me a good David Goggins or Andy Frisella rant as much as the next guy.

It gets me going!

I mean, it’s just the truth.

Gonna be pretty hard for you to win a race, if you stop running before the finish line. It’s going to be pretty hard for you to be the past person standing in the battle, if you give up and sit down.

If you don’t quit, eventually, you will find success. “Consistency is key,” is a law that supersedes fitness, finance, relationships, and all life success in general.

But what about when it doesn’t?

If there are exceptions to every rule, that means that there are times where quitting is necessary. Not only is it not simply something you should avoid, but in reality, when the time calls for it, quitting is the only logical choice, and to keep pushing forward with a plan of action that ISN’T working, actually can be detrimental. You end up spending time, energy, possibly money and other resources, on something that even if “successful,” doesn’t get you the desired result.

That’s no bueno.

via GIPHY

In reality, it’s not “never quit! Quitters never win!” but more “Most of the time, quitters never win, and winners seldom quit. Except when they do, which isn’t as often, but it definitely happens, and is certainly worth mentioning.”

The latter just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as nicely.

So never quit, except when you should. Giving up is bad, except for the times when it’s the smartest thing you can do.

The question is, how can you tell the difference?

Here are three key questions to ask yourself to know if you should soldier on, or give it up and move on to your next pursuit:

1. Is It Impossible, or Improbable? 

Often, we confuse one for the other, but they certainly are not the same. Improbable can FEEL like impossible, but that doesn’t make it so. However, some things just are impossible, and no amount of wanting it not to be so, can make it that way.

via GIPHY

For example, if I want to play basketball at a high level (not professionally, just becoming a good player), that would be hard. It would mean me, at the age of 32, picking up a sport I’ve never played, learning skills, building athleticism. Those are challenges, but if I am dedicated enough, and I put in the time, energy, and effort necessary, I invest, I get the coaching, I could see it happening.

It would probably take years, but it exists in the realm of possibility. 

If however, I wanted to become a 6’7” jacked brick-house black man, and rename myself LeBron Levitin, I might be in for some disappointment. Even if I have been training for years already, fighting for an impossible goal doesn’t make it any more likely.

This is known as a “sunk cost”. (listen to me talk about sunk costs here)

2. Is It a Bad Goal, or Is It Just Hard?

Sometimes when you set out for a goal, you don’t realize just how hard it’s going to be. Often you can’t, it takes diving in with both feet to really get the full magnitude of the experience. What comes next is usually a feeling of regret.

“Oh shit, what did I sign myself up for?”

“This is dumb, I can’t do this!”.

These feelings are natural, and the harder the endeavor, the faster they’ll come on, and the more intense they will be.

You don’t want to do hard things. No one does. Even if consciously you do, at a subconscious level, all living things have bred into one key desire: survival. At a purely biological level, anything that is hard for us to do, that makes us struggle, or really in any way uncomfortable, sets off alarms in our brain and body.

These alarms say “STOP THAT! Get to safety, quick.”

Stop sign

When you feel the desire to quit then, you have to be able to discern: am I wanting to quit because this goal is actually not ideal for me, or is it just hard?

The latter is your biological defenses coming in, and need to be disregarded in most circumstances.

  • Some goals though, just don’t work out.
  • Some projects that you start aren’t worth finishing.

That’s ok, as long as you are sure that you’re stopping because it’s actually going to benefit you in the long run, not because it’s hard or scary or uncomfortable.

3. Have I Given It Enough Time?

Time heals all wounds. Time is our most precious resource. I have father time tattooed on my forearm, because time is an infinitely interesting concept to me. We don’t want to waste time on things that aren’t beneficial, however it also takes time for things to play out, and for the trees of our labor to produce fruit.

If you’re thinking about quitting something, you need to be honest with yourself and ask: is this really not working, or have I simply not given it enough time.

via GIPHY

If you’ve been doing a workout program for three weeks and not seeing your ripped abs yet, then chances are you just haven’t given it it’s fair shot, and you need to stick it out a little longer (shiny object syndrome anyone?).

If however you’ve been working on the same program for eight months with no results, and are thinking “maybe month nine is when the gains kick in!,” then it might be time for you to reevaluate.

Unfortunately, there is not one rule for how much time to give.

It matters what the goal is, and in what area of life.

If it’s a fitness goal, a few months is usually enough time to judge. But if it’s business, or a relationship, sometimes it can be years or more.

Refer to questions one and two and decide if it’s something worth sticking it out for. If it’s an impossible goal, or a goal that isn’t worth reaching even if you get there, then move on. If it’s just really freaking hard, like frustratingly hard, but you still think the goal is worth working for, then stick it out.

This is a good time to recenter yourself with your why (Find your “why” here).

Final Thoughts

My point today is simple: you are not broken for wanting to give up or quit.

It’s human nature, and 100% of the time, it’s going to happen.

You can persevere, you can do hard things.

Sometimes though, the answer is to move on, and explore other opportunities. You don’t have to feel bad about it, and you definitely don’t have to just stick to things because “quitting is for losers!” Be honest with yourself, and be open to exploring the deeper questions of why you’re wanting to quit and move on, and I’m quite sure you’ll know what the right answer truly is. 

About the Author

Paul Levitin spent a decade as a personal trainer & strength and conditioning coach, becoming the number one trainer in his entire company, while collecting over 30 certificates (CES, CSCS, PRI, PN1, FRC, & many more).

Wanting to better serve his training clients, he began to study behavior change, and eventually became a Board Licensed Health & Wellness Coach (NBHWC). This led him to create his education and mindset coaching company “The Healthy Happy Human Academy,” where he now helps clients deal with things like self-sabotage and perfectionism, to allow them to build a healthy, happy life.

He seeks to bridge the gap between the worlds of fitness and nutrition, and the frustrated, overwhelmed masses who just want to move more, feel better, and live a little longer.

https://www.instagram.com/paullevitin/
The Healthy Happy Human Podcast
The Healthy Happy Human Academy FREE Facebook Group

 

Categoriesmindset personal training

The Hard Truth About Back Pain

Happy Labor Day to my American readers.

Happy Monday to everyone else…;o)

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of TG.com regular, Shane McLean. Most will be able to commiserate because it deals with an annoying topic most of us are very familiar with: Cross-Fitters low-back pain.

We can seemingly do everything perfectly – lift with impeccable form, do our mobility work, even do an extra set or two of deadbugs & birddogs – and yet still be clotheslined by a bout of back pain.

It stinks no matter which way you look at it.

But it’s not a death sentence.

Copyright: belchonock

The Hard Truth About Back Pain

Google back pain and you come up with about 1,550,000,000 results.2  There’s no shortage of information about back pain, the symptoms, the different types, how to treat it and how to prevent it. When you’re suffering from back pain, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with all this info.

Plus, not to mention all the conflicting advice because various treatments and exercises work for different people. What worked for me might not work for you. Pain and healing are highly individual things, I think.

Back pain causes loss of income, loss of mobility, stress,  large medical bills and costs employers big money because of sick leave, health insurance etc.

Back pain is a big deal, no doubt.

You can do all the right things, diet, exercise and move right but back pain doesn’t care. It can rear its ugly head at any time you move suddenly, bend down to pick something up off the floor or when you’re wrestling with your kid.

Then you’re in a world of hurt.

There’s a school of thought that suggests back pain is preventable if you strengthen your core, have good posture, get strong and not sit or stand too much. But back pain doesn’t care. You control what you can control and let the chips fall where they may.

Truth About My Back Pain

The truth about my back pain is it was my fault.

See, I love to deadlift, but I was doing it all wrong. Rounding the lower back while pulling a barbell from the floor repeatedly is NOT a recipe for a healthy spine. Eventually something had to give. And it did.

Around nine years ago I felt a ‘snap’ in my lower back and didn’t think anything of it. Some low-grade pain around my lower back and I ignored it like any gym meathead would, hoping over time the pain would go away.

But the more I ignored it, the worse it became, to the point where lifting, playing with my kids and sleeping didn’t happen. The pain had taken over my life and it was all-consuming. To cut the world’s smallest violin story short, I had three herniated disks.

Now the disks have healed but my pain has not. More on that later.

When You’re In Pain

If you’ve ever put your back out, you’re probably thinking you’re the only one who’s suffering (because pain is all-consuming) but this is not the case. 80% of the population of the US, at some point will suffer from chronic or acute back pain.

And about 2% to 10% of people who experience low back pain develop chronic back pain.

A lot of people choose to go under the knife to fix this because of their doctor’s recommendation, but this doesn’t always work, as shown here. Plus, I’ve encountered many people who have had multiple back surgeries and they’re still in tremendous pain and their quality-of-life sucks.

Sometimes the solution causes more problems.

Get Back On The Horse

You’ve heard the saying ‘get back on the horse’ when you’ve been knocked down.

Get up, dust yourself off and go again.

You cannot change what happened. Dwell on it, yes but you cannot change it. Better to wipe the slate clean and go again.  And this is usually great advice but for back pain it’s a little different.

via GIPHY

The countless times I’ve come back to the deadlift after injury there’s a real fear, I’ll do it again. The more I focus on correct form and set up doesn’t make this fear go away. But this fear is a two-way street. It forces me to do it right, which is a good thing.

But I lose confidence in my body to perform because of this fear and this is a bad thing.  You may think this is mumbo-jumbo, but injuries have both physical and psychological consequences, and a common post injury response is elevated fear of re-injury. (1)

The loss of confidence is real and is a little talked about consequence when coming back from an injury.

Another ‘Truth’ About Back Pain

This is a case study of N=1 (me) and my experience with back pain and training clients with back pain. Barring lower back strains and waking up on the wrong side of the bed, once you’ve damaged your spine, like herniated disks the pain doesn’t magically go away.

The injury may have healed but the pain remains.

In the case of herniated disks, the fluid that leaks out between the disks which causes the nerve pain and discomfort gets dissolved by the body over time. Then there’s nothing pressing up against the nerve so the pain should all go away, correct?

I’ve suffered from low-grade (1-2 out 10 on the pain scale) and extreme lower back pain (5-7 out of 10) almost daily for the past nine years. Granted it’s not the same level of pain generated by a herniated disk and it’s not constant, but it’s still pain.

Low grade back pain doesn’t stop me from training, but it does make me more aware of my set up and form. It makes me more conscious of my posture and daily movements too and this is all positive. Extreme back pain almost puts me on the ground.

This is not.

After surgery, rehab, Physical Therapy or Chiropractic care for back aliments, the severe pain may go away but the discomfort may haunt you like Casper the friendly ghost.

Wrapping Up

Back pain, whatever form it takes, sucks.

You lose confidence in your ability to perform everyday movements and fear re-injury. But it does make you aware of taking good care of it. Because if you don’t, your back will tell you in no uncertain terms.

Note From TG: As an adjunct to Shane’s sage words, I’d highly recommend reading THIS article I wrote recently on why training with pain present is an inevitable (if not important) part of the healing process.

About the Author

Shane “Balance Guy’ McLean”  is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.

References

  1. Chao-Jung Hsu et al. Fear of Reinjury in Athletes. Sports Health Mar/Apr 2017;9(2):162-167. doi: 10.1177/1941738116666813. Epub 2016 Sep 20.
Categoriesmindset Program Design psychology

10 Suggestions On Your Quest For Sustainable Fitness

Fitness is an individual endeavor.

Everyone has different goals, aspirations, pacing, expectations, and Spotify playlists that get them revved up to exercise.

Today’s guest post, written by Westchester, NY based personal trainer Elaine Studdert, highlights the concept of sustainable fitness and strategies people can use to attain it.

Enjoy!

Copyright: Andriy Popov

10 Suggestions On the Quest For Sustainable Fitness

Sustainable

NOUN

  1. the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.

What is sustainable fitness?

Sustainable fitness is a mindset rather than a program. Having the right mindset is the difference between reaching your goals rather than continually chasing them. This is something you can practice for life, at any phase, at any age, at any fitness level.

Sustainable fitness is not a quick fix.

It’s not about getting results in six weeks.

It’s slow and steady versus a quick fix. It’s reasonable and maintainable over the long haul. It’s fitness you can stick to and get lasting results with.

It means working hard but working smart.

Taking this approach doesn’t mean you can’t have hardcore abs, get shredded, or ripped.

Quite the opposite, because if you stick to a plan the sustainable approach works. Any program that promises quick results is probably too good to be true.

Would most of us rather lose 40lbs in 40 days?

Absolutely! The problem with that is what happens after the 40 days? Programs making false promises can lead to burnout or injury.

If the program claims to be insane, it probably is.

Discovering what will work for you is a process, but worth the effort. The potential for achieving your goals grows exponentially once you figure it out.

Here are things to focus on while you search:

1. Consistency Is the Key to Finding Sustainable Fitness

If you attempt to keep up a pace that allows little time for anything else in your life it will be almost impossible to maintain.

Keep a schedule that is manageable with your lifestyle. And once you find it, do your best to stick to it.

2. Expect Ups, Downs, and Bumps In the Road Ahead

Don’t be derailed by an “off day” or a “missed workout.”

In the long run the trajectory will be on an upward trend if you stick to a consistent plan rather than a quick fix. This might sound boring but consistency is the way to success. If you miss a workout don’t try and make up for it and work extra hard next time.

Just move on!

3. Appreciate the Little Things

Take time to celebrate small successes and don’t expect changes to happen overnight.

You are in this for the long haul. Little changes add up over time and compound. Similar to money invested in the stock market, your strength will build over time. Short term gains might be easy to attain but those gains can be quickly lost if you don’t sustain them.

Add a little bit to your portfolio each week and watch yourself get stronger.

4. Work At a Level That Is Easy to Maintain.

If you are at a level 10 for every workout it will be hard to keep that up.

That is not to say you should never go all out and push limits.

However, the majority of your workouts should be reasonable and not leave you so sore that you have to take days of rest to recover.

Think moderation!

5. Keep It Simple

Focus on mastering basic skills.

Try not to be enticed by every new program or exercise that you see. Just keep your blinders on and stick to what works.

That doesn’t mean you should repeat the same workout forever, but mixing things up all the time doesn’t allow for progression.

6. Be Authentic to Yourself

If you have never picked up a weight before then seek guidance from a friend or fitness professional. Don’t try to jump into a fitness challenge that you are physically not ready for.

Build up to it.

7. Know Where You Are and Accept It

Something you did in the gym ten years ago may not be relevant today.

If you are getting over an injury or getting back to the gym after a long hiatus, start where you are at the moment, not where you were in the past.

Be honest and patient with yourself.

8. Move Every Day

Not every workout takes place in a gym.

Take a walk, a bike ride, play a sport, or just do mobility work.

Everything adds up.

9. Find Your Tribe

Being with like-minded people is a huge help in keeping yourself on track.

10. Lastly, Pay Attention to Your Nutrition and Recovery.

Exercise is just one part of the equation. Don’t ignore everything else.

The most important thing to keep in mind while finding your sustainable fitness is to be flexible. Remember that life will throw challenges at you and you need to adapt. If you stay true to practicing the above, you will have the tools you need to be able to navigate anything life throws your way.

About the Author

Elaine Studdert is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer based in Westchester, NY.

She trains clients virtually and in-person at HealthyFit in Mamaroneck. Elaine specializes in functional movement and kettlebell training. She loves to work with clients who are looking to improve their quality of life through movement.

See her most recent article on virtual fitness training at Larchmont Loop.

Follow Elaine on social media: Instagram: HERE

Categoriesmindset

The Comparison Game

I hope everyone out there is okay.

Strange times we’re in, and I can appreciate the chaotic and unknown nature of what’s happening in the world is flipping everyone’s day-t0-day musings upside down.

Me and my family are trying our best to make lemonade out of lemons, trying to stay calm, and maintaining as much normalcy as possible. Let’s just say that with Julian’s daycare closed until mid-April there’s a lot more roughhousing, lightsaber battles, and pantless dinners in the Gentilcore household.3

I am in the throes of catching up and updating many of my clients’ at home workouts. To be honest: I’m impressed with how I’ve been able to conjure my inner McGyver:

“I’ve got one resistance band, a mat, a roll of duct tape, and a pair of nunchucks. Can you design a 3x per week program for me?

I want to thank TG.com regular contributor, Shane McLean, for submitting today’s guest post for me.

Copyright: aberheide / 123RF Stock Photo

The Comparison Game

Have you ever heard of this game?

If not, this is how it usually goes.

You’re flicking through a magazine, social media or channel surfing and you come across a man or women (or both) who seem to have it all. They’re good looking and the total package.

And they’re wearing nice clothes (or hardly any at all), nice things and are surrounded by money and opulence.  And to rub salt further into the wounds, they’re doing it all at some far-off exotic location.

And because you don’t have any of that, you’re a little jealous.

Or you’ve started your gym journey with all guns blazing. You’re eating right, nailing your workouts and your scale numbers are looking better. Then someone who looks amazing walks past you at the gym.

You look at them and you look at yourself in the mirror and you think ‘I want to look more like that because I look like shit.”

Starting to recognize this game now?

Recently my son nailed five bodyweight chin ups for the first time. And rather than enjoy the moment and recognize his awesome effort, he downplayed his achievement by comparing himself to a classmate who can do more.

He didn’t give himself a pat on the back because he played the comparison game.

It’s Only Natural to Play

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others.

A man sizes up another man to see if he is bigger or better looking than him. A woman looks at other women to compare how they’re aging; or if they have better (or worse) body parts or shoes or clothes.

But I’m only going by the limited experience I have with the fairer sex.

However, I’m no expert with the comparison game in the outside world but when it comes to the health and fitness universe, it’s more in my wheelhouse. Because me and (some of) my clients have played this game.

But it’s not all bad.

The Good

Motivation to train when everything is going your way, you’re feeling good and you have the time and energy to get after it,  is easy.

However, how many days are like that?

There are days when you need a little kickstart and comparing yourself to someone else’s progress and realizing (if you fall short) if they can look great, you can too.

Although you can’t rely on external motivation to always get the job done, the occasional burst helps keep you going when you’re NOT feeling on top of the world.

The Bad

It’s hard to argue against ‘comparison is the thief of joy.’

When you’re making progress with your training and diet, but your results don’t measure up to the person you see in the magazine, on TV or the sexy gym rat, you may feel like a failure, even when it’s not the case.

Robbing yourself of wins and not enjoying the moment and all the progress you’ve made because you’re playing the comparison game is easy to slip into.

However, it’s a deep dangerous hole to fall into and it will suck all the joy out of your current progress. Because if that’s all you do, then it gets ugly.

The Ugly

If you’re constantly comparing your progress in the gym to those around you or your social media feeds and not the person in the mirror then you’re losing sight on how much you’ve achieved.

Because when you’re comparing progress to someone who is more experienced, to a person you don’t know or who maybe was born with better genetics, you’re almost always going to end up on the losing end.

Even when you’re killing it.

What to Do Instead

When I’ve caught myself or my clients playing the comparison game here’s a few tips I use to turn this around:

  1. If you’re on social media and getting sucked down in the deep vortex of comparison, get off your damn phone, tablet or computer and do something constructive, like the dirty dishes in the sink.
  2. Participate in a mind and body activities such as yoga, tai chi or meditation. This helps you to feel whole, centered, grounded, and soothed. And you’ll be off your phone.
  3. Try to make someone’s day and change the world for the better because you’re more than just your appearance
  4. Realize that person has worked hard to get to this point and you still have plenty of hard work ahead of you. So, put your hard hat on and get to work.
  5. When you see someone in the gym who looks awesome, rather than stare and feel like a creeper, go up to them and compliment them on their appearance. And if you ask nicely, they’ll give you some tips to help your progress.

Wrapping Up

Although this game is okay to use for the occasional motivational boost it’s not a great long-term strategy.

But when you find yourself constantly playing this, then finding ways to stop this thought train in your head is essential. Because you should always find joy in your progress.

About the Author

Shane “Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.

Categoriesmindset

How to Battle the Winter Eff Its

It’s the dead of winter here in Boston.

It sucks.4

And while this winter has been pretty “tame” thus far compared to winters past, it doesn’t renege on the fact that the cold, grayness, and general sense of laziness and malaise the weather imbues upon the northeast every year this time of year takes its toll after a while.

More specifically – and speaking firsthand – my enthusiasm towards training has been waning of late; particularly the last week or two.

In short: I’m battling an aggressive case of the “Eff Its.”

Copyright: lightfieldstudios / 123RF Stock Photo

Tony, Do You Need a Hug?

First of all: I’ll never turn down a good hug.

Second: It’s completely normal to feel low-energy, stiff, sore, or otherwise unmotivated to train in the dead of winter anywhere. The northeast – and Boston in particular – is not unique to this phenomenon.

We all go through it.

(yes even us hoity toity fitness professionals)

The feeling can range anywhere from preferring to jump into a live volcano to, in less dramatic circles, staying home and catching up on Stranger Things.5

Either way you slice it the idea of heading to the gym (in any capacity) is low on the “to do” list.

But outside of injecting an energy drink directly into your left ventricle (<– not recommend by the way) what are some ways to initiate a spark in your training mojo?

Feel It. Accept It. Carry On

My wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, likes to remind people that it’s okay to feel their feelings.

Take, for instance, how much I hate emptying the dishwasher.

I hate it with a passion.

Maybe even more than kipping pull-ups.

The only way I can best articulate how much I hate emptying the dishwasher is that whenever it needs emptying, at that very moment I open the door to put something in that’s dirty only to then be punched in the face (nay, soul) by the escaping steam permeating from a recent wash, if there were somehow a theme song I could attach to that feeling, it would be Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name.”

You know the one…

“Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me. Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me. Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me.”

So on and so forth, followed be me running through a pane glass window.

Anyway, Lisa is all about feeling the feelings…

…letting them in, accepting them, allowing them to marinate for a moment.

And then, you know, turning the page and doing whatever it is you need to do.

Read: Putting the dishes away…;o)

Now, what does this have to do with the “Eff Its” and not feeling like going to the gym on squat day?

You have two options:

1) Maybe you DO need a day or two off from training.

There’s no harm in this.

  • You’re not less of a person,
  • You’re not going to lose all your gainz,
  • You’re not going to be sent to Azkaban
  • You’re just being human.

Stay home, hang out with your cat, write poetry.

Or, I don’t know, might I suggest The Outsider on HBO?6

Sometimes we all just need a mental health day.

Or, better yet…

2) Perform ONE Lift and Go Home

Perform a Bloop, Bloop, Bloop warm-up (or workout) and/or then hit ONE lift hard and go home.

There are any number of permutations here:

  • Work up to a heavy triple or set of five on a compound movement like a squat, deadlift, or bench press variation. Then take 10-15% off THAT number and perform an additional 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps for some added volume.

Go home.

  • Take your estimated 10 rep max on any particular exercise, reduce the load to 90% of THAT number and then perform 2-3 sets shooting for the maximum number of repetitions possible OR stopping 1-2 reps short of failure. I don’t care.

Go home.

I like this approach because it keeps people consistent AND it’s less likely to derail someone’s world in that they’re less prone to beat themselves up for missing a workout.

Nothing sexy or Earth shattering, but a nice reframe nonetheless.

EDIT: I’d be remiss not to mention to get your Vitamin D levels checked as well. It’s well documented that people who live in areas where it’s cold or have limited exposure to sun have low(er) levels of Vitamin D which can have negative ramifications on mood and sense of well-being.

This applies to people who live in areas with ample sun, too. Just because you live in Florida, Hawaii, or, I don’t know Wakanda, doesn’t mean you’re immune to low levels of Vitamin D.

Categoriesmindset

Trashing the Word Can’t: Why It’s Either You Will, or You Won’t

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of TG.com fan-favorite, Justin Kompf. And by “fan-favorite” I mean his one fan, his mom.

Just kidding.

Justin’s my good friend, occasional training partner, and has written a ton of content for this site, but it’s been awhile…

…and I was excited to see this article waiting in my inbox this morning. The title of the email was “really, really good blog,” and, begrudgingly (because Justin is the opposite of modest when it comes to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G), I have to admit, he was right.

It’s superb.

Copyright: rawpixel / 123RF Stock Photo

Trashing the Word Can’t: It’s Either You Will or You Won’t

Only twice in my life have I deadlifted 600 pounds.

I cannot do that now. There remains a plethora of other feats that I cannot do. I cannot run a five-minute mile. I cannot bench double my body weight and I cannot jump four feet in the air.

However, I certainly can deadlift, I can run, I can bench press, and I can jump.

Saying you cannot do a behavior is like saying you cannot ask out a person you like. You can, but for any number of reasons, you’re just not going to.

In fitness, there are outcome goals and there are process goals. Process goals lead to outcome goals. Deadlifting, the process goal, leads to the 600-pound deadlift, the outcome goal. Reducing calories, the process goal, leads to a lower body fat percentage, the outcome goal. Processes cause outcomes.

Outcome goals are not plausible in the here and now.

You cannot achieve them now because they are in the future, and often far away. Process goals are here and now, and they are plausible.

You can do them today.

For process goals, cannot is often a misused word.

It sets up a false narrative that allows for stagnation. Yes, with 100% confidence you can go to the gym and lift. Yes, with 100% confidence you can eat vegetables. Once cannot and can are used properly and the right words are used instead (“I don’t want to”, “I don’t feel like it”) you can actually move forward to different options or maintain the status quo.

Your choice.

A Clear-Cut Definition of Can and Cannot

Any student who has spent a semester in an introductory psychology class has inevitably heard of the importance of self-efficacy, a person’s confidence in their abilities to execute a task. Confidence in abilities plays a pivotal role in whether a behavior is initiated. For example, even if I wanted to Salsa dance tonight, I couldn’t because I don’t have the skills to do so.

I could dance or move my body in a way that someone may be able to make an educated guess that I am dancing. But it’s not Salsa.

In a 2016 paper, Ryan Rhodes, a researcher out of the University of Victoria, dived into how can and cannot are misinterpreted. Participants were asked to rate their confidence that they could do resistance training two times per week for at least 20 minutes on a graded percent scale where 0% meant cannot do at all and 100% meant definitely can do.

After they recorded their answers can and cannot were properly explained.

Cannot was described in a similar way to my 600-pound deadlift or 5-minute mile example. No matter how hard I try, I would have no confidence that I can run a 5-minute mile. Can was explained similarly to the asking a crush out example.

The capabilities are there, you just aren’t going to do it.

Once can and cannot were properly explained, confidence values for resistance training increased. Nothing really changed though, other than the understanding of the word can. They realized they could do it; that is, they have the capabilities.

Prior to the explanation capabilities were considered the same as motivation. Stated otherwise, they had the capability; they just weren’t motivated.

There we have it, can and cannot.

If you have done resistance training or exercised within the last year even once, you certainly can do it. If you have had a single bite of broccoli you can eat vegetables. While the skill set may not be there to do a back squat or make a ratatouille casserole you certainly can do a leg press and put baby carrots into your mouth. It just might be hard, but entirely doable.

Moving on, it’s best to trash the words “can’t” and “cannot.”

What Can I Do That I Am Willing to Do?

As a disclaimer, there are real “cannots.”

You cannot do a back squat unless you have a gym membership or a squat rack. Nor can you go for a run without running shoes.

Limitations are real but only exclude a small percent of us from exercise and improvement.

“What can I do?” is going to be the first question, immediately followed by “what am I willing to do?”

Goals necessitate a willingness for change. An opportunity-cost will always exist in a change effort. What am I willing to give up to get what I want? Drinking 30 beers a week is counterproductive to a weight loss goal. If you are lifting weights for 90 minutes you cannot simultaneously be watching Netflix on your couch for 90 minutes.

Opportunities have a cost.

If you’re not willing to give on anything, be honest with yourself, it’s a motivation issue not a capability issue. If you’re willing to give on something, then it’s time to design your change menu.

Design Your Change Menu

Your change menu is composed of what you can do AND what you are willing to do. If you don’t know how to do certain exercises it can’t be on your menu.

Your menu would need to say “learn how to do X,Y,X” instead.

via GIPHY

If you don’t know how to write your own fitness program you cannot say “write my own fitness program.” It needs to be “hire someone to write my program” or “hire someone to teach me to write a program.”

If you can do it, what are you willing to do? How much time are you willing to dedicate to it? Are you willing to go faster? To lift heavier?

If you can run, what are you willing to do? How far, how fast, how many days?

If you can lift, what are you willing to do? What exercises, how long, how many days?

We often have lofty fitness goals, abstract visions of six pack futures, jaw dropping physiques.

For the most part we are entirely capable of doing the things that would lead us to get there.

  • We can cut calories.
  • We can push ourselves to lift heavier, to accumulate greater training volume, to learn new exercises.
  • We can persist year in and year out.

Match your goals to what you are willing to put on your change menu.

I realize it’s just vernacular, but it’s words that tell us the story we follow. It’s rarely an issue of if you can do it. Arguably, most reasonable fitness goals can be chipped away at with time and persistence. It’s all a matter of picking what you can do right now and choosing goals that match what you are willing to do.

About the Author

Justin Kompf is doctoral student studying exercise and health sciences. He is a personal trainer in Boston at CLIENTEL3.

You can follow Justin here and here.

(He’s obsessed with his girlfriend’s dog).

Categoriesmindset

Sometimes You Gotta Say Fuck It

Come on, don’t act all hoity toity.

You know you’ve said it, or at least have thought about saying it.

Go ahead: Say it with me….

….”Fuck it.”

Copyright: degimages / 123RF Stock Photo

Today Was That Day

I didn’t feel overly splendid heading into today’s training session. I mean, I didn’t feel like a got run over by a Mack truck or anything…

…but I didn’t feel awesome either.

I just kinda felt “meh.”

Maybe a little closer to the Mack truck end of the spectrum, though. A small, teeny-tiny part of my soul was like “fuck it, Tony. Stay in and binge watch all the latest episodes of Catfish on Hulu.”

But I did that yesterday (on a non-training day).

Today, however, as I was walking to the gym I knew I had to suck it up and muster some gusto. I reminded myself of something – something I “borrowed” from strength coach Paul Carter – that I routinely say to my clients whenever they show up not feeling up to the task.

“10% of the time you’re going to show up to the gym feeling like a bag of dicks. 10% of the time you’re going to show up to the gym feeling like a rockstar. 80% of the time you’re going to show up feeling like meh.”

It’s those 80% workouts that matter most. You simply show up, do the work, and leave. That’s where (or how) you make the most progress over time”

My coach, Greg Robins (of The Strength House), has me incorporating more of an RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) style of training in my most recent block of programming.

NOTE: For those unfamiliar with RPE, HERE‘s a great place to start.

It’s a great way to utilize auto-regulation and takes into account daily/weekly fluctuations in energy and the aforementioned gusto. It still encourages you to work hard, but within the confines of how you feel that particular day.

via GIPHY

Anyway, as of late Thursday is deadlift day for me.

Over the course of this past summer I did a fair amount of travel for work, which threw a bit of a monkey-wrench into things. I was still able to train, but I’d be lying if I said wasn’t just going through the motions.

The past few weeks, however, have been awesome.

My travel has been limited and I’ve been able to place a bit more priority on my workouts.

Both my deadlift (and squat) have been inching back up to respectable territory (for me) and it feels great. Last week, for example, I hit 535×3 for my top set of deadlifts.

Heading into today’s workout, needless to say, I was a bit skeptical if I was going to be able to match that effort.

My first set at 500×3 wasn’t as speedy as I would have liked.

I hesitated.

Maybe I should stay put?

Maybe I should listen to some Norah Jones and cuddle?

Then I just said “FUCK IT” and I slapped on another 45 lbs.

This was a case where the “fuck its” worked in my favor.

The added mental bullying conjured up some rage and I was able to hit my reps without shitting my spleen.

It doesn’t always work that way of course.7

Take my good friend Bryan Krahn, who, conversely, posted this today on his Twitter account:

He wasn’t feeling so hot, didn’t try to be a hero, but also didn’t abandon ship either. In his scenario the “fuck its” entailed a bit more tact and responsibility.

And that’s totally cool too.

The “fuck its” can manifest on either end of the spectrum.

The important thing is that you show up and do the work.

Categoriesmindset psychology

Leverage Your Strengths to Pursue Your Goals

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of my wife Dr. Lisa Lewis who, later this summer, will be one of the presenters taking part in the Soul Sista Summit here in Boston the weekend of June 22nd.

For more information go HERE.

Copyright: ipopba / 123RF Stock Photo

Leverage Your Strengths to Pursue Your Goals

As a psychologist, a performance consultant, and a lover of personal evolution and enhancement, I often talk to clients, trainers, coaches, and students about their dreams and their endeavors.

Whether they are personal, professional, or fitness-related…goals shape habits, require focus, motivation, and regulate how we execute all kinds of behavior. Typically, I hear people focus on their “weaknesses” – the barriers to behavior change, the “bad habits” that get in the way of change, the disappointments they feel toward themselves.

This negativity bias is natural.

We are inclined to focus on the negative, and for negative experiences and emotions to weigh more heavily on us than positive ones. Research on negativity bias demonstrates that a significantly higher ratio of positive emotions are required to counter balance negative ones – in other words, we need many, many more compliments than we do criticisms.

We need more pats on the back, and less kicks in the ass.

My clients will naturally beat themselves up, tear themselves down, and be hard on themselves, and have been working hard on those interventions prior to meeting with me. In my years of clinical and performance-enhancement work, I have come to see clearly that I will not add value or help to facilitate change by doubling-down on negative thoughts and feelings, or by centering goals around “weakness.”

Instead, I utilize a strengths-based approach – creating goal-directed action plans around what the client excels at, enjoys, and executes easily.

Because negativity will always creep into our thoughts and color our evaluations in a more intense way than positivity, focusing on strengths and capitalizing on what you do well will correct this imbalance, and allow for a clear, more efficient, and more productive approach to making change and facilitating growth.

Here is an example:

Jeff is 34-year-old investment banker who, when I met him, worked 90+ hours per week, lived alone in his city apartment, and spent Friday night through Sunday morning drinking to excess and using cocaine.

When he first came to see me he had “tried everything” to curtail his drinking and stop his cocaine use.

This included working longer hours, avoiding hard liquor and “only drinking beer” when he would go out out on the weekends, avoiding friends that used cocaine, and carrying around a mountain of guilt and shame wherever he went, because he “deserved it”.

Jeff’s opinion of himself was highly negative, and he explained that he was often “on edge,” irritable and agitated easily, and anxious most of the time. He told me he wanted to “cut the shit” and “grow up.” His approach to addressing the problem had been punitive, and his feelings toward himself and his approach to “fixing” himself were negative.

I proposed a different approach – one that utilized his strengths and would promote feeling good about himself.

As you can imagine, this Type-A, high-achieving client was skeptical. He rolled his eyes at the idea of “positivity” and let me know he had nothing to gain from “going easy on” himself!

But, my persistent, insistent, and consistent collaborative approach focused on negotiating for positivity and strength-building.

In weekly sessions with Jeff, I encouraged adding and then increasing physical activity – something this collegiate athlete had been missing in his professional life. Despite his tendency to focus on negativity, I was persuasive, and eventually, he remembered being strong.

Fast.

Athletic.

I wanted to capitalize on those positive qualities.

First he added two cycling classes on mornings before work, and soon that increased to five days a week. Next, he added boxing a few afternoons, then added in some strength training, and finally a yoga class on the weekend.

The more physically active Jeff was, the better all other aspects of his life.

By adding something he loved (and was good at), other behaviors naturally changed.

He was so exhausted in the evenings that he chose going to bed or watching a movie with a lady-friend over going out to drink and using cocaine. He was so drained from all that physical activity that he felt motivated to improve his nutrition, which also increased his motivation to limit his alcohol use.

He enjoyed improved attention and mental acuity at work, which was noticed by his colleagues, and most importantly, he felt proud, engaged, and “on his game”.

Today, Jeff works a bit less, drinks a lot less, and abstains from cocaine.

He enjoys an even temper, low anxiety, and feelings of confidence and pride.

He is planning to play on a community soccer team this summer, to train for his first boxing match in the fall, and to try the “Whole 30” diet during the upcoming month.

These are goals that Jeff has identified as interesting, meaningful, or just plain fun.

Although they may not look like treatment for substance abuse or anxiety at first glance, pursuing goals that result in positive feelings, behaviors, and self-appraisals led to a decrease in self-destructive behaviors and eradicated a self-reinforcing cycle of negativity.

My advice to you is to adopt a similar approach in pursuit of your goals!

Even though we may not know each other, I assume that, if you are reading this, you are goal-directed, driven, and probably tough on yourself. You have most likely exhausted all possible benefit there may have been from beating yourself up over your “weaknesses.”

What Do You Have to Lose by Trying a Different Approach?

Identify your goal.

Be as specific as possible.

Then, name the strengths and skills that you bring to the table.

They may not seem directly connected in the moment, so think broadly, and then weave those strengths into your action plan. If you love to bake, transfer those skills into preparation for your upcoming triathlon by baking some delicious protein bars.

If you were a dancer or a gymnast as a child, and you miss it, choose a dance-based exercise class to help you get back to regular exercise – don’t stress out about finding the “best” or the “right” workout.

Thank you for reading!

And best of luck in pursuit of your goals. Always remember that you have all of the ingredients you need, they’re inside of you, to make the change you want for yourself. If you want to read more from or about me, please visit my website: drlewisconsulting.com.

Soul Sista Summit

If you are interested in hearing me speak, and learning more about personal growth and a strengths-based approach, register here for the Soul Sista Summit.

This two day women’s only experience is designed for personal growth, and is hosted by Athena Concannon and Lauren Bradley. The summit consists of workshops and workouts, and an exploration into approaches to lifestyle, fitness, and nutrition that facilitate thriving.

At the summit, I provide a 2-hour presentation on using mental skills to enhance motivation, persist in health- and goal-directed goals, and to stop and reframe negative thinking patterns that keep you from your goals. Learn to leverage your strengths and your passion in pursuit of your goals. The Soul Sista Summit is Saturday, June 22nd, and Sunday, June 23rd.

If you are a woman and can make it to Boston this summer, I hope to see you there.

Categoriescoaching Fat Loss mindset

Fitness Limbo and How a Penny Can Add Perspective

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of regular contributor and San Antonio based personal trainer, Jonathan Acosta.

The fitness industry is rife with people who use hyperbole, quick fixes, and instant gratification tactics to “woo” other people into their web of deceit and mindfuckery.

Whether one’s goal is fat-loss, muscle gain, or to have a pecs that can cut diamonds…more often than not people default to the “I want it and I want it now” mentality. And it sets people up for failure.

Jonathan uses a brilliant metaphor/analogy to break this train of thought.

Enjoy.

Copyright: karenr / 123RF Stock Photo

 

In the movie The Matrix Revolutions, Neo gets trapped in a train station that’s basically a border world between the matrix and the machine.That station is essentially limbo…

Why am I telling you this?

Because even the great Neo gets stuck in limbo.

We all do from time to time.

A lot of times it isn’t this permanent stuck here forever type of thing that we are led to believe.

Sometimes we have to ride it out until the train arrives to the station.

Note From TG: I still don’t know WTF this scene was all about.

When it comes to this fitness journey, those of us in this profession know all too well about this limbo and what to do about it. We know that results aren’t linear as we’d expect and hope them to be.

Its not a magical rainbow of results just shooting straight upward.

Luckily the fitness industry has done a good job at getting people to understand this and snapping them out of the “I want it now” mentality.

Sure, we still have to battle the inevitable BS such as same-day liposuction or the latest and greatest Cryo-Fatloss-Mega-Blast-Infrared-Sculpting procedure. But as a whole, I think we’ve done pretty well at giving clients the truth and helping them understand that this isn’t a quick and easy fix.

BUT…

What happens when you’re in this shit period? (The shit period is when progress flat lines to where progress seems non-existent?……………AKA: Limbo)

via GIPHY

Now for some, it’s easy to just look down and put in the work day in and day out until they finally see the shimmering light.

But for most, especially ones who haven’t ever prioritized health and fitness in their life, the shit period is so discouraging that quitting is inevitable.

Now you and I both know the cycle.

Three months (if that) of hard work, followed by quitting for six months, only to restart again, usually in worse shape began than before, until the process repeats itself…or they opt for the “instant fixes:”

  • Liposuction
  • Cryo-Fatloss-Mega-Blast-Infrared-Sculpting®
  • Tapeworms

If Only…

If only there was a way to get them to see the 1000 ft. view like you see it right? To get them to see the big picture and the timeline if they stuck with it in the long haul.

I haven’t figured out the answer myself so don’t get your hopes up this is that kind of article.

However, I like metaphors and believe many people learn best this way; they allow an opportunity for a person to connect with a topic.

I can’t remember for the life of me where I got this quote from but its pretty true.

“When it comes to fat loss, you’re going to be in a plateau 80% of the time.”

That means you might be in limbo for a good while.

So where were we?

Oh right. Limbo.

We’ve all been there.

Grinding day in and day out.

Keeping meticulous attention as to what we put in our mouths and staying on point only for nothing to budge.

First of all you should have the help of a competent coach who’s able to recognize “limbo” and guide you through it

Two coaches that come to mind that are exceptional at this are Bryan Krahn and John Meadows.

Even if you’re a coach yourself it would benefit you a ton to hire one of them and learn from them as much as you can.

Next thing is understanding and explaining this curve to them.

I like to give this scenario…

Lets say you’re minding your own business and out of the blue a man comes up to you with a briefcase in hand.

Picture Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby. He gives it to you and tells you open it.

You’re confused but you open the briefcase and all you see is stacks upon stacks of $100 bills.

It’s Leo so you know its legit and not monopoly money.

It’s one million in cash.

You can have it if you want. No strings attached.

Now hold on, before you close the suitcase and run. (I did that in my head mentally the first time I heard this analogy).

He says you can have it no strings attached…Or, you can have this…He then pulls out a penny from his Armani suit pocket (they had Armani back in the 1920’s right?).

He says, “I’ll put this penny into your bank account and I’ll double the money in the account once a month for three years.”

[By the second month you’ll have two cents. The third you’ll have four cents. The fourth you’ll have eight cents and so on.]

 

Before you start trying to do the math in your head, Leo quickly distracts your thoughts and says, “Which one do you want: The million, or the penny?”

You have 5 seconds to answer…

He literally starts counting down 5, 4, 3,

Now if you suck at math like me, that problem would take you 15 min to figure out let alone five seconds.

So you shout your answer.

What’d you answer?

Its ok, were all friends here. There’s no right or wrong answer.

1 Million or 1 Cent?

In the heat of the moment and with the small time frame given, most would choose the million up front.

Its cold hard cash given right there and then.

Sure we’re all smart and have already witnessed trick questions like these before, so we kind of assume already that the penny would be the better choice.

But since we don’t have time to do the math, or are not able to see the outcome, we choose the quickest, right in front of you, results right now option.

Instant gratification.

Does that sound familiar?

Clients really do know the answer to their riddle.

They know their penny option would probably be best.

But since they can’t see the outcome or the answer, and since they have a five second countdown in the form of social media bogus two-month transformations and extremely high expectations…they too succumb to the “I want it and I want it now” mentality where 1 million dollars up front is quick and easy.

Kick Instant Gratification In the Dick

Now this is where you explain to them what they’d get if they chose the penny.

If they chose the penny. The first year would total a whopping $20.48.

That one million is sounding awfully good isn’t it?

It’s ok, this is that limbo period where seemingly nothing is happening.

But slowly and surely you’re depositing into your “fitness account” with dedication, consistency, and day in day out on point eating and workouts.

After two years your bank account should be better right?

The second year puts you right at $83,886.05…

WTF! That’s still not even close to the one million cash.

Its ok, this is STILL limbo.

At this point you have two different types of people.

  1. People that see no end in sight and either quit or go for instant gratification.
  2. And those that figure F- it I’ve already gone this far might as well just keep going and see it through.

By the end of the third year…your account will have a total of $343.5 Million dollars.

via GIPHY

Now I’m not good at math but even I know that 343 million is wayyyyyyyy more than 1 million.

And all it took was having patience and to keep depositing throughout that shitty limbo period.

Fat Loss is Just Like That.

If you were to see it as a chart graph, it would seem as if results were slow or practically nonexistent, until out of nowhere… boom!

A huge spike and results soar for a short period of time until you “graduate” to the next level of limbo.

That huge spike is more than enough to get you where you wanna be; it’s just a long and slow process at times.

Seriously.

If you think of body transformations in terms of yearly, in a three-year period it’ll feel and possibly seem like the first year and maybe even two will have been a waste.

Pump the brakes. Chill out.

It’s completely normal to feel frustrated, like you’re stuck in cement, and that progress is moving at a snail-like pace.

The metaphor above puts things into perspective: it assures you that if you’re crossing your T’s and dotting your I’s it’s not a waste…and your day in the sun will come soon.

I’m a huge Bruce Lee fan.

He liked to use water in a lot of his quotes so I’m gonna use one too.

If you’ve ever boiled water and stared at it while it boils you’ll notice that it just simmers for a good while till seemingly, out of nowhere, bubbles erupt and its boiling.

What if you change your mindset about limbo and that shit period and see the parallel to the simmering water?

Realizing that things are actually simmering and leading up to that huge skyrocket of success makes the mundane, daily grind seem much more worth it.

About the Author

Jonathan Acosta is the founder of Underground Performance Center and head trainer at Get Sexy San Antonio and is a certified personal trainer though both ISSA and the NCEP, as well as Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified.

He likes lifting heavy things, reading books with big words in them, his steaks rare, funny stuff, writing stuff, hanging out with friends, and laughing.