"I NEED to go to the gym" - Speed bumps Vs Hurdles

A healthy lifestyle and effective training and nutrition routines can  be heavily influenced by your perception of problems that may arise and your approach to conquering them.

Picture these two scenarios and how different people react depending on whether or not they see "hurdles" or "speed humps" in front of them.

 Scenario A: You usually finish work at 5.30pm and go to the gym before you go home. Today you finish at 6.30pm. What do you see?

HURDLE? "I'll give the gym a miss today otherwise I won't get home until late!"

SPEEDHUMP?  "Well I don't want to get home late... so I'll go to the gym and do a quick circuit rather than my usual workout."

Scenario B: You usually train on a Thursday after work. You're obliged to go to dinner after work as a colleague is leaving. What do you see?

HURDLE? "I can't go to the gym Thursday as I'm out and I'll also be too hung over Friday to go in the morning."

SPEEDHUMP? "I'm going to have to get up early and go to the gym before work on Thursday morning. I'll probably drink on Thursday evening so I'd better make sure my food is flawless this week."

So whats's the difference? It's two-fold:

1) Some foresight:

Inevitably "things crop up". So, in order to have a successful routine with your food and training it's essential to look ahead each week, understand where changes are necessary to your standard routine and makes the necessary amendments in order to stay on track and compensate for unavoidable deviations. Create a calorie deficit if necessary when you realise that heavy eating and/or drinking is on your schedule. Train at alternative times when you know your usual sessions aren't all possible this week. Without this forward planning things will always "pop up" and there will be opportunity after opportunity to fall away from your original plans for training and nutrition.

2) Language you use with yourself:

Another important thing to utilise is the language you choose to use with yourself. Be positive and be assertive. If you say "I should..." do something, this already suggests that you're unlikely to do it. For instance "I should go to the gym in the morning before work as I'm out in the evening." Part of you is already planning on not going. Instead try: "I need to go to the gym in the morning...." or "I can't eat badly this week as I'm drinking on Thursday" or "I have to do an extra session this weekend."

There needs to be a level of certainty and positivity in your own affirmations. Make your plans and statements absolute.

So each week make sure that you A) Look ahead and understand your week. Then, make sure you see speed humps, NOT hurdles. Then, where changes are necessary make an amended concrete plan that's air-tight and non-negotiable.

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter (@MichaelD_PT) and YouTube.

Failing to prepare...

When it comes to exercise and living a healthy lifestyle planning and preparation is absolutely key. Leave things to chance and the odds are you won’t achieve what you’d hoped for.

The phrase “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Is an oldy but a goody. Here’s what you need to consider...

Meals...
This is probably the most common downfall with most people’s regime. “Picking up something when you’re out” is the number one NO-NO! There are minimal fast food/convenience food options with a high nutritional value. Plan ahead, cook ahead and prepare ahead. If time is an issue, cook on mass and keep food frozen or stored and ready for the week ahead.

Training...
Before every training session it’s essential to know what you have planned in terms of exercises, repetitions, tempo and rest. More crucially perhaps, it’s important to know how this fits into the bigger picture. Where do you want to be in 6 months time? In order to do that, how will you structure your program for each day, week and month in order to make progress in the direction you want.

Rest...
People are often surprised at how important quality rest is. Do you sleep 8 hours EVERY night? Uninterrupted quality sleep? In a dark, tranquil environment? Unlikely the answer to all of those is “yes”. Simple but crucial for recovery, repair and lowering cortisol levels.

Social Engagements...
So you don’t want to live in the gym and that’s fine. But, prioritising your training over social engagements or at least making time for training is essential to get results. There is always going to be a reason NOT to train: social engagements, family commitments etc but taking these options will inevitably limit results

End goals...
Plan from your end goals backwards. Decide what you want to achieve and then plan your meals and training to the finest details to get you there. Set yourself goals along the way, whether it’s specific strength targets, weight loss milestones or drops in body fat percentage, don’t get to your end date and realise "it didn’t happen". Leave nothing to chance.

So the message...
Don’t leave anything to chance. Plan all details and track progress at regular intervals in order to make sure that you’re on track for success.