I train approximately 30 individual clients a week. It seems like each week there's what I call reoccurring themes that are defined by similar physical and emotional struggles that the majority of my clients are experiencing during a particular time. The past few weeks what seems to be the reoccurring frustration amongst my client roster is how life seems to sneak up around the corner, nudge you in the side, knock the wind right out of you, and then sit in front of your face with that annoying grin and I told you so chuckle. Oh, and it seems like this happens right when you are just creating forward momentum in your fitness game plan, when you are finding your groove in the gym, when you finally feel like you are building consistency with your workouts and daily nutrition. This my friends is the reality of life hitting you right upside the head! Ouch...
So what the heck do we do when this happens? I for one am not an expert in maintaining balance when the seas get rough. I struggle like yourself. I binge on Ben and Jerry's. I throw my own pity parties and temper tantrums. I cry, "Why me" and then swear it's karma doing it's duty and punishing me for the times I lied to my parents or called in sick back in the day to the restaurant I use to work at when I clearly was just terribly hung over. Instead of using my intellect to problem solve, I actually create more problems for myself by letting everything else in my life get thrown overboard. Does this sound familiar? When one area of your life takes a sudden detour, does everything else follow in it's footsteps? Do you then just say the heck with consistent action across the board and find yourself falling apart at the seams? You my friends are not alone.
I believe it's all about problem solving and using the skills that you have learned in the past to navigate the rough waters of the sea to weather the storms that are inevitable in life. However, when overwhelmed by the increasing demands of life and the stresses of too much on our plates, the ability to problem solve gets tossed overboard and we find ourselves struggling to keep our heads above water. And this is when everything seems to unravel at the seams and what once was just a small obstacle in our paths has now developed into that disrupting reconstruction of I-35 where the detour plan completely turns you around in the wrong direction. Problem solving is the key component of navigating through the rough waters we will inevitably sail through at more than one time in our lives. Without the ability to analyze the problem and find a solution we may constantly find ourselves looking for a life raft. One piece of advice I tell my clients is that it's important to be armed with a plan. Without a plan, you will likely be heading in the wrong direction.
4 Steps to Problem Solving:
Sourced from Science World 1993
Sourced from Environmental-Decision Making
1. Understand the problem: Define the problem you want to solve. How is this problem impacting you? What is the current situation and what is involved in making this a problem?
2. Devise a plan: Generate a number of possible solutions to solving the problem. Examine each solution's pros and cons.
3. Carry out the plan:Take the first step towards the appropriate course of action. Implement a step by step strategy to alleviating the problem in a realistic time frame.
4. Evaluate the process of your problem solving: Analyze the effects of the solution and make the necessary changes to produce the most positive results.
As a 32 year old young professional I now know that it is pertinent to be armed with the knowledge of problem solving. There is no such thing as smooth sailing. The sun can be shining one moment and then the next you can be taking cover and hoping that you are not struck by lightening. So what are you going to do? Are you going to allow one problem to completely disrupt all forward momentum? Or will you define the problem and find a solution?
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