Good Evening Readers… Rob here… I am the Director Of Personal training over here at the DFC and the new curator of the Downtown Fitness Club Blog along with input from non-other than John H himself and our wonderful staff. Through my years of training and athletics, there is a certain cycle of attendance that we come to expect throughout any given business year… Fall build up leading into a busy New Years Rush, Spring “Slim Down” period, and the proverbial “I didn’t reach my goal then, so why would I give up my precious summer time to step into a gym” mindset of the average Summer gym-goer. It is the holiday season, and I would like to share with you my philosophy on fitness and the “attendance circle of life” per-say which us fitness professionals watch our members go through all year round.
I am a goal oriented person… If I wasn’t I’m sure my clients would most likely find me to be rather vague and/or find someone else to work with that would actually give them something to work towards other than the initial “trim the waist and have a better looking (insert body part here)”. One of the key mind-sets I try and make present whether I am working with someone short term or long, is that there is no such thing as being “finished” with your fitness progression. You finish your fitness progression when you die… I apologize for the rather deep reflection into what some people simply look at as “running on a treadmill and lifting weights”… but it’s true. One quote that comes to mind, which I have burned into my brain and apply to literally everything is…
“If you aren’t getting better… you are only getting worse”
If you are not striving to advance… Striving for progression… or striving for maintenance (which yes, for some is a goal) then there is a much higher probability of falling off and/or plateauing. Both situations generally lead to an over-all step backwards in your health and fitness, and thus a rather poor quality of life.
So before I lead on any longer into the idea I am trying to get across… lets get to the nitty gritty… New Years is right around the corner and I’m sure you are looking into playing the resolution game. I have heard it all from losing 10 pounds, to gaining weight, quiting smoking.. the whole deal. All of which are great and overall healthy goals. Some of us need to take these steps to progress and improve, or get ourselves into a fit lifestyle. The question is… do these goals have any staying power? You are probably already saying to yourself “he’s probably going to say no…” and you’re right… Losing 10 pounds is great but what are you going to do after? Quiting smoking is great but how else are you going to improve your health? The answer is simple…
Make what I call a “yearly” goal…
Every business plan has an initial goal for them to accomplish. Many place income goals, product sales, employee maintenance and the like. Treat your health goals like a business plan. It can be as simple as writing a blog post… get your over all idea, gather up your points, organize and go. Here are the steps…
#1 Establish a general goal (ex. Get Healthy)
#2 Break down your general goal into short term, easy to accomplish goals (ex. Quit smoking, eat healthier, improve your activity level, etc.)
#3 Establish how you will accomplish each goal and how you will implement these details into your lifestyle
#4 “Periodize” your year… establish time periods in which you want to accomplish each step and move from there.
#5 Once you accomplish your over all goal, sit down and reflect. See what you could have done better, see what you think you did well with and establish a new goal based on what you feel you should strive for next.
So what does this mean in terms of New Years? A new mentality and a new point of view on your fitness goals… Instead of looking at your “resolution” in terms of a one shot, hit or miss goal of losing ten pounds; look at it like a new step into creating a new you one step at a time with no excuses or let downs. Just a new healthy you with goals as your means of accomplishing it!
Always remember people… We don’t always plan to fail… We just fail to plan!
