Reaching fitness goals is what training should be about. All the my clients who made awesome, positive changes to their bodies, had set their mind to do so. What's different about these "success stories"? Here are some of the key things that I have noticed.
1. A champion mentality
I coach basketball as a hobby. There is a key difference between players that play late in the fourth quarter and those who sit on the bench in critical situations. It's not about skill, it's about mental stability and strength.
Same with reaching fitness goals. It's a battle and there are times when it's easy to give up.
Champions have a positive view of the end point.
Part of the champion mentality is to have only a positive image of what the end result should be. I know many people who have been fat for years and only think of themselves as fat.
THAT HAS TO STOP.
You not only need to think of yourself as lean, healthy and strong. You have to "experience" it before the fact. That means touching your waistline and "feeling" the hard muscles below, that means speaking about your fitness goals as if you have already achieved them, that may even mean buying clothes 3 sizes too small because you WILL get there.
Also, avoid what are known as self-sabotaging thoughts. Our conscious mind wants something (money, muscles, fat loss whatever) but there are those sub conscious thoughts that get in the way. E.g.
(Conscious thought): I need to eat well to lose some fat. I want to get lean. I know that means no starchy foods unless I just did some exercise.
* I choose a few meat and leafy vegetable dishes from the restaurant.
* I begin to sit down and look at my plate
(Sub-conscious, self sabotaging thought): This is not going to make me feel full, where is the pile of rice I usually eat?...
(to me, the most damaging thought): "What is a meal without rice/noodles/potatoes?"
With all those self defeating thoughts, the conscious mind can only overcome for a while, and it cannot continuously overcome them.
Some things that help: Write down you goal and read it 100 times in a row. "I want to lose 5 kg in the next 2 months". As you read it, there will likely be self sabotaging thoughts that come up. Cut these down by focusing on the image of what it will be like to have achieved your goal easily and painlessly.
Champions have a desire for excellence.
You can't live a healthy lifestyle in moderation. You need excellence. Moderation is actually a set up for failure. This probably isn't' what most people want to hear. But it's WAR out there. We need to b tough.
Moderation is not the way to win a war. We need to aggressively take massive and decisive action. No we don't need to be perfect, none of us are. But 90% and above is good enough.
2. Social support for Success
Human beings need a community for continued success. Changing a behavior has 3 components. First is awareness. The realization that there is a need for change and that change will bring about positive effects. The second is intervention. The actually change of behavior. In this case it may be hiring a personal trainer, or starting a good diet and exercise program. The final stage actually makes or breaks the process. It is called sustenance. It means making the change permanent - long term success is what counts when it comes to reaching your fitness goals.
For this, a positive community is extremely important. There is a saying that "you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with." If your family and closest friends are all pizza and beer fans who's idea of excessive exercise is golf on the Nintendo wii, what do you think your chances of keeping to an exercise plan will be? Yup, close to nil.
I beleive community is one of the reasons that fitness classes like Pilates, yoga, step aerobics and boot camps are so popular. Are their training programs better than a top end personal trainer. Certainly not. But they do have a community element that keeps people coming back. That's certainly a positive thing.
3. A Will to change
While this is linked to no.1 I think it bears special mention. Change is a scary thing for many people because it can be uncomfortable and it brings about uncertainty. People tend to do things which they know the outcome of because its safe.
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However there are some changes we cannot afford NOT to make if we want to reach our fitness goals. One example is a client of mine who simply loved to jog. He had knee, back and lower leg problems but just would not stop. Physically I knew exactly what he needed to do, but he just wouldn't.
What makes a person change his/her actions? Often it is not persuasive arguments but rather experiences that make a profound impact. I challenged him to stop and trade jogging for 8 weeks of sprint cycling and weight training. If he did not absolutely love the results of these 8 weeks, I would give him a full refund of his money as well as a free session with a top physio therapist in the area. He agreed and after 8 weeks, he became pain free, stronger, more muscular, and leaner. I don't think excessive jogging will ever be a problem again for this man.
