Archive for January, 2012

So…the New Year has come and gone and we are almost into February.  How are you doing on your resolution to get fit?  If your plan covered a 90-day period, are you 1/3 of the way to your goal?  I know…in a perfect world we all would have hit the gym hard for the last 3-weeks. Hey…I get it…life gets in the way.  Maybe your kids are participating in an activity that you need to attend, maybe work is killing you with travel and other projects, maybe [fill in the blank].

The problem isn’t that you set an unrealistic fitness goal, it is the process that you decided to use.  If the catalyst for your end goal is the gym and you had extensive travel scheduled, then the process has to be re-evaluated.  As an example, let’s use a corporate sales account rep that travels 1-week out of each month.  At the beginning of the year, he/she is going to be proactive about getting into shape.  “This year is gonna be different!!  I love XYZ gym down the street because it has everything I need to get in shape…Personal Trainers, classes, every piece of equipment that I could ever dream of!  I am feeling good!”  Then, 1-week into it he/she has to travel for the entire next week and will not have access to a quality gym.  Well…I think we all know what plays out next.  No gym.  No workouts.  Late nights entertaining clients.  Early morning meetings.  Etc., etc., etc.  SQUARE PEG…ROUND HOLE!!

Now…let’s choose a different route from the beginning that plays out in an entirely different outcome.  He/She finds that they will be traveling for at least 3-weeks in the next 3 months (roughly 25% of the next 3 months).  “I’d really like to join a gym, but I will not get the return I am looking for because of my travel.  Instead, I’ll start a body weight training program that I can do anywhere and anytime.  Heck, my goal is to lose a few pounds and get into better shape not to join a gym.”  They find a qualified fitness professional (either on-line or in their local area) to create a program that will maximize results and minimize time (preferably 30-minutes or less).  The likely outcome for this scenario is more compliance and a feeling of accomplishment.

I kinda like the second scenario because the process matches outcome. How have you created your fitness goals? As a square peg in a round hole or to suit your lifestyle? Share your insights, questions or comments below. As Hannibal Smith (for those who watched the A-Team back in the day) said…”I love it when a plan comes together.”