How to Live a Successful Physical Lifestyle
Dear Deborah
Question from Ann, NewYork City: Every time I start a fitness program, life gets in my way, I start to stagnate, and before I knew it, I fell off the wagon and gained 5 pounds. I can’t really afford a personal trainer, but I can see how they can help you stay on the right track. I tried DVDs and classes with no success. Is there anything out there that can help me?
Answer: Thank you Ann for your honesty. I know that many women have similar frustrations while pursuing their fitness lifestyle. There is a lot of new research in the world of fitness and out of that research paucity comes a new hybrid of personal trainers. Called fitness and lifestyle trainers, they can provide guidance on exercise and behavior, and are a cheaper alternative to a personal fitness trainer. I’ll approach your question with the mindset of a fitness lifestyle coach so you can take a look at how the lifestyle training process can work.
So let’s get down to the basics and define fitness, which includes three elements. First you need a cardiovascular challenge in which the heart and respiratory rates increase significantly. The second ingredient is strength training in which the muscles are faced with resistance work. Third is flexibility, muscles must be stretched to maintain mobility. Remember, you get stiff and then you get old. Trying to assume all 3 elements at first can feel overwhelming, so don’t do it.
Pick an item that you enjoy; All three are equally important, so choosing one can be the key to starting a lifestyle that you can consistently engage in. Once an item becomes a habit, because you enjoy it, which usually takes 28 days, you can add another. Add each item gradually and in small doses so you don’t get overwhelmed. Of course, if you enjoy two or even all three fitness elements, spend a small amount of time on each one so that you are successful with the designated time for each element. Be realistic in your time allocation, if you can’t keep up, you will feel like a failure, so choose smaller time frames and experience success. Think of ‘doing a little less and emphasizing success’ and increasing your self-confidence.
You need to find what motivates you or turns you on, so to get motivated you need physical insight. This vision involves using your imagination to project yourself into your future. Ask yourself what it would be like to see yourself living your physical lifestyle successfully after a year or two. Visualize how you will look, act, eat, sleep, etc. Until you can feel it, see it, smell it, breathe it. By making it as real as possible to you, you will begin to feel the emotion bubbling up in you. Now that’s making your mojo work for you.
Now set goals for you to make that vision come true. Where I am now? How can I get closer to that vision in 3 months / 6 months? Weekly, what do I do? Start with small weekly goals, so that you can feel a sense of accomplishment every time you meet your goals. Then each week add a little more challenge and because you are successfully meeting your goals, your self-confidence increases.
We all know how life gets in the way, that progress is never linear. So get creative and see the potential problems. Think about how these obstacles can stop you and how you can find ways to get around them. This way, when problems arise, you will not be caught off guard and you will be better prepared to deal with the situation and keep up with your physical lifestyle.
Yes, hiring a coach makes it easier to keep up with your fitness, but doing it yourself can be satisfying, rewarding, and even more empowering because you’ve carefully devised your own solutions rather than just following orders.
A personal trainer appears with exercise programs that challenge you and keep you progressing to higher levels of fitness. Where, as a Lifestyle Fitness Coach, he challenges you to be creative, solve problems, get to know yourself better and break barriers, helping you break old habits, building confidence to develop new, healthier ones so that you can maintain a fitness lifestyle independently.
A fitness and lifestyle coach will also give a training session once a week and address specific exercise needs. You can find a fitness trainer at http://www.wellcoaches.com or just Google Lifestyle Fitness Coaches.
I would love to hear from you, questions, comments, issues, achievements, please email [email protected]. Now go out there and make your mojo work!
Deborah Caruana RN, MES, CPT, FLC Coach. web: http://www.vitalsignsfitness.com