Back in December, there was a fromthebachrow article called: The 20 Different Kinds of People that I see in the Gym. It was a setup article about a very common New Year’s Resolution which many people have which is to get into shape. At the very least, the resolution was a way to resume the long-forgotten healthy lifestyles of our past selves.
With six months of the year completed, I have to ask. How are you doing with those New Year’s Resolutions? Resolutions in July? Yes, for most, the resolutions were tossed out along with those empty champagne bottles from the New Year celebration.
Making excuses merely limits your behavior to get what you want.
In the case of those resolutions made in that 24 hour period, there’s not an excuse to be found. The resolutions were good intentions, and yet not a goal. Resolutions never come with instructions or an action plan. However, that particular article did come with instructions.
If you’ve read this far, how many silent readers followed through on getting fitter, leaner, and healthier without the leverage of a health scare to whip you into your senses? Still interested? It’s really never too late to start.
At the very least, take a fifteen-minute walk outside after dinner tonight. I bet you $5.00 that you’ll feel amazing after that walk. If you act on this, you’ll have experienced something phenomenal that is just outside of your comfort zone if you don’t do this regularly already.
The comfort zone is in the kill box. Cut through or camp out on the corners of your comfort zone, but don’t linger in the kill box too long. Staying in your comfort zone for extended periods brings some complacency. OK, I’ll hit the nerve, laziness and we all fall into the trap, this author included.
Bottom Line #1. “To get different results, you’re going to have to do things differently.” -Darren Hardy
“What you tolerate it what you get. What you allow, continues”. -Tony Robbins.
Bottom Line #2. Are you willing to give up your comfort for the chance to evolve into a better version of yourself?
I’m a lukewarm fan of Anthony Robbins, but he does come up with some attention-getting and potential behavior-changing quotes. Again, one has to do something with them to change a behavior to get a different result.
If you’re not into getting different or better results, then go watch Fox News. You’ll be enlightened and entertained by keeping up on current events, but you really can’t do anything about it sitting on your couch.
Summer in Chicago started last weekend when we hit a couple of 90° days in a row. People are out and about enjoying the weather.
Since I am a regular at the gym, I can tell you that gym traffic drops off very dramatically in the summer as people shift their health and fitness habits to outside activities.
The summer months are when gyms run promotions. You can pick up the next six months or years at a significant discount. Why not set yourself up for success and plan your fitness goals now?
Bottom Line #3. Summer bodies are made all winter.
I always said that if working out and taking care of yourself is not part of your lifestyle by age 30, it won’t be without herculean effort later in life.
Since January, I’ve racked up over 150 hours in the gym and an additional, 52 hours of yoga. That breaks down to slightly over an hour a day. I have a couple of yoga apps that track my time with various instructions and can be used anywhere I get a Wi-Fi signal.
Why do I quantify my fitness time? Time is all we get and it’s a universal and consistent measurement for me.
The amount of weight that I bench press or squat has changed over the decades as my body ages and oxidizes. While it’s nice to keep track of these weights, they are meaningless in how I evaluate my health and fitness level each day and month. It’s been a long-time hobby and it’s ingrained in my lifestyle. Plus, I enjoy the energy and condition myself with the ability to hike five miles up to a secluded mountain lake to fish for cutthroat trout. More on that in a future post.
If I miss a few days of physical activity, I begin to feel like crap. My first thought is that I need to get moving or get a workout in. My second thought is that I wonder if people that don’t exercise regularly feel like crap all of the time and is the norm? I then realize people don’t know what they don’t know. They have no recent reference point to gauge their physical condition.
So I have to ask. Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? What do you want to do about it?
Bottom Line #4. Develop your own “system” that works for you so that it will help you strive to be successful on your terms and keep you accountable.
Start small, like the 15-minute walk after dinner. If you’re going out to dinner, park the car two blocks away and walk to the restaurant. Nice leverage to change a habit, eh? You’ll have to plan and allow an extra 15 minutes.
Alrighty then, that’s enough on the topic of changing habits and getting fit which all began with worthless New Year’s Resolutions.
Comments are welcome, passing this blog on to other people is very appreciated.
