Living, Learning and Sharing Life from the Rear View
Lesson 7: Failure is not an option…
December 9, 2017
Let’s be real…
It’s been 2 weeks since the Thanksgiving holiday…
Many of us were energetic and had good intentions of starting a new exercise plan.
It was perfect timing…the in between holidays…the perfect time to shed a few pounds…maybe a new beginning with a pre-kickoff New Year fitness routine.
Lee Spartan training.Kicking off an accelerated exercise program this Thanksgiving.
But something happened…
Maybe you never got started?
Maybe you tried exercising for a day or two, then gave up?
Maybe you are so sore and tired, you think it can’t be done?
Maybe it got tough and you lost your will to fight?
Maybe you saw no immediate result and said, “the heck with this?” Or worse yet, gained a few pounds after adjusting your diet and exercise plan?
Or maybe life just got too complicated and you threw in the towel?
Whatever the reason, something made you loose sight of your goal.
Our son Tyler.
No one ever said this would be easy.
In fact, expect it’s going to get harder before it gets easier.
But YOU WILL get stronger.
You will have sore days, but they’ll become farther and fewer in-between. The key is to know your body and know when to back off a little or to press harder. If your goal is to consistently run 3 miles, you may first have to begin by walking for weeks or maybe even months, before ever taking that ‘first’ running step.
Life is going to come at you hard.
BUT YOU, AND ONLY YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE WILL TO FIGHT IT!!!
It’s YOUR attitude.
YOU own this!
YOU have to want this!!!
Navigating the pole walk.
Start small.
Crawl before you walk.
You are competing against no-one but YOU!
No one said you have to run first. If your goal is to run a marathon, but you haven’t worked out for years, build up slowly. Start by walking. Walk for 1 month. Increase your mileage each day (or week). After 1 month, reevaluate. “Are you ready to run?” Maybe you could run very slowly. Maybe only a couple hundred yards with intermittent walking in-between. You are only setting yourself up for injury, if you push too hard, too fast…
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day…
The results will come.
Consistency is key.
You have to be consistent in your diet. Consistent in your exercise routine.
It’s natural to gain (or lose zero) weight in the beginning. As water weight and fat start to melt away and be replaced by muscle, a pound of muscle takes up far less space than 1 pound of fat, that is fact!
If life continues to throw you curve balls, expect it, then plan around it. If you know you are going to have a very busy week, then mentally adjust your workout schedule to accommodate. If you normally workout over lunch, but can’t, then prepare to get up early and workout. The key is to plan ahead.
My Spartan training last summer.
If eating right is the problem, then plan ahead over the weekend, shopping and preparing meals ahead of time to last all week. You can always refrigerate part, then put the rest in the freezer for easy pullout and cooking.
Tomato-basil soup and flatbread pizza with lower-fat mozzarella.
Do a self-assessment.
If you never got started. Ask yourself why? Workouts can be done in as little as 10-15 minutes (and built on from there), so there is NO good excuse.
If you started but stopped after only a few days or weeks. Ask yourself why? “Why did I start this in the first place?” Then re-evaluate. Visualize your goal and reason(s) why you started. Then use that as fire to get back on the horse again!
Successful people are rarely the strongest. The fastest. The brightest.
But all successful people share one common factor: they are “consistent.”
One of my favorite workout quotes is, “slow and steady wins the race.”
Always remember…
You do not walk alone.
We all struggle.
We all sweat.
We all have to work hard to get to where we want to go.
It won’t be easy.
You will have very hard moments.
You will get frustrated. You may want to cry. You may even want to quit.
But then think back to your goals and why you started.
Think back to the fact why the most successful people in the world are those who are consistent.
Successful people find a plan that works and they stick with it!
They also take that basic plan and build upon it!
So the next time you want to give up, remember…
A bad workout is better than no workout.
A 10 minute (or even quick 5 minute) workout is better than no workout.
