My parents have always told me to never settle in life, whether they were speaking of love; work; friendships; the fit of a dress; the mechanic who tells you there's nothing wrong with the car even though that annoying noise will not go away; the therapist you choose to help you through the difficulties of life; the temperature of a steak that you are paying $30+ for; the approach of a school teacher that is molding the future of your children. We have all settled and yes, there are times when sitting back and accepting the things we cannot change is appropriate; however most of the time we can do something at least to make whatever it is causing us frustration, aggravation and pain a bit more bearable.
Why do we often sacrifice what we need and desire? Why are we more prone to compromise satisfaction?
I am not perfect and absolutely recognize the areas in my life where I have settled, am settling, and will settle. I know myself exceptionally well and also know the areas where I am willing to budge a little and the areas I will not. Fitness is the one area that I will not ever settle. Health and fitness are non-negotiable for me personally. When I am feeling fit, energetic, confident, and healthy I am a force to be reckoned with. When I am not, you can probably find me hidden underneath a blanket on the couch with Mr. Ben and Jerry. Our personal health and fitness are our life lines. If we are not fit from the inside out the other areas in our life will suffer, bottom line. When you look in the mirror, enter a room, or stand up in front of your co-workers and peers, in my opinion it is how you feel about yourself from the inside out that determines how you carry and present yourself. I believe it is our relationship with our health and fitness that is at the core of this.
Similar to a non-compatible romantic relationship that has run its course, fitness can be that area where most struggle with defining personal boundaries, as well as expressing their needs and wants and expecting them to be met. Whether you are working out with a personal trainer, participating in group fitness classes, working out with your friends or on your own, or signed up for a boot camp settling for anything less than what works for you and that what is good for you is straight up unhealthy. Here are a few tips and suggestions that I have gathered from working with 30+ clients a week that will hopefully help you define your fitness relationship and prevent you from settling.
1. Before you sign up for any gym membership, training package or boot camp define your health and fitness goals, determine what has kept you from achieving your goals, and be realistic about how much time you have in a week for your workouts.
2. Determine a realistic, monthly fitness budget. Be absolutely honest about this. From my experience as a trainer, there are several areas in our personal finances that can be cut in order to increase your expendable funds in the area of health and fitness. After you have determined what you are comfortable with spending, shop around and see what will fit with your fitness goals and your budget.
3. Decide what it is that will keep you motivated, determined and committed. Will you be able to work out on your own? Are you a group class exerciser? Maybe you are a boot camper? Or do you need more accountability with a personal trainer? If you do not enjoy a particular activity you will not wake up early or turn down a happy hour in order to get a workout in.
4. Once you know your goals, your budget, and what works for you take the necessary steps to commit to a consistent exercise game plan. First determine how many days and how long you can devote to your workouts. Second, decide what time works best for you to exercise. Third, do your research. Be informed! Familiarize yourself with what your new gym has to offer its members. Obtain reviews from the internet on the new boot camp that you have signed up for. Read the trainer's bio that you have recruited to help you with your fitness goals. The more knowledge you have, I believe the more successful you will be.
5. Commit to your goals. Be realistic with the time line. From my experience as a trainer, it takes approximately 21 days to establish forward momentum. Be honest with yourself: currently you are not at the peak of your fitness and you have not made fitness a priority. YOU WILL NOT PRODUCE LONG TERM RESULTS IN ONE WEEK OF EXERCISE AND HEALTHY NUTRITION. You will need to work harder than you have ever worked. You will need to step outside of your comfort zone in order to change your body. And you will need to make changes to your nutrition that will support your goals.
6. The last tip I recommend and this may just be the most important, be willing to change and adapt. I suggest taking inventory of your fitness game plan every four weeks. Are you moving forward towards your goals? Are you enjoying your exercise? Are you and your trainer a good fit? Is your new gym what you have been looking for? Again, if you are not having fun and enjoying your workouts you will be more apt to push them aside when life gets busy or the cocktail party at the office becomes more tempting.
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