One of the best traits i like in people is the ability to speak your mind, telling it like it is and really seeing great importance on getting your message across. With the amount of people i train, i always get to hear problems throughout the day as well as success stories.
The ability of the person i train to tell me what is really going on is paramount to the effect i can have on their development. For example, we have jean writing in last week, how good she felt when she tried a jacket on last week that hadn’t fit her only weeks earlier. I remember her saying she was having massive asthma problems, and the need of an asthma pump in her life and the fact that she hated it with a passion.
Then we had Jean writing in how well her training was going, hitting hills for the first time in a very long time, and her breathing had actually improved tenfold!! There were non-stop positives coming through thick and fast. Then the screeching halt, the scales were telling here that she hadn’t improved after all, all the better breathing ability hadn’t really mattered, the jacket fitting for the first time didn’t matter, the fact that she was putting very good food in here body every day, and somehow this didn’t matter?!!!!!!!!
What rubbish, jean is going great guns and i’m prepared to congratulate her for her perseverence. All i have done now is point the facts out to here, and one little small thing (the scales), is playing games with her mind. Don’t fall for it jean, throw those scales in the skip if you have to, because they are clouding your otherwise very good judgement!!
Who else on here is not having a “perfect” time? I have a less than perfect time all the time! I have the same worries and insecurities that most of you have, but i work on the following principles/guidelines to where i should be.
If my lowest waist jeans still fit well, then i am in shape and i am happy. If my fitness is still good, and i’m improving year on year, i am happy. If i am still giving my best most of the time, then i am happy. If i feel good most of the time and have a lot of energy , i am happy. These are pretty good principles and guidelines to live by.
So what are your guidelines and standards? I would suggest the following.
Grab your best jeans, do they fit anymore? Great if they do, if they don’t, its easier than you think to get there, it just may take some time and you need to get with the programme!
Do people still give you compliments on your appearance? If they don’t, you can turn that around and make it happen.
Are you still in the range of your previous personal bests in terms of physical performance? If you are great, if not, you have the tools to make it happen!
Are your energy levels still good? If they are not, start eating properly again and exercise regularly, you can change that around STRAIGHT away!
Are you happy? If you’re not, chuck out the negative influences in your life and celebrate what you have going for you, help others and do the things that give you satisfaction and personal pride.
Believe in yourself-When everything seems to be going wrong around you, this is the only thing you have to bring you out of all holes you don’t want to be in. Believing in yourself and your abilities is crucial to achieving long term success and firm foundations in your health and fitness programme, and i life in general.
Be honest with yourself-if you’re eating rubbish most of the time, and you’re missing more workouts than you’re actually doing, you’re kidding yourself and you’re not living life at the level you could. If you’re carrying extra pounds or stones, the best thing you can do is admit it, then formulate a plan on how you’re going to achieve your physical goals. Self-honesty is paramount to being in the shape you want to be, and on this programme it’s good to tell it like it is, as none of us are perfect and we all feel like we can’t climb life’s mountains at times. The first step is always the hardest.
Sharing your problems is always a good strategy as there is always a way out, there has always someone who has been there or even a worse situation, and can maybe advise on the best way out. See problems as challenges, and without challenges, we would be able to grow as human beings.
Tell it like it is, don’t gloss over it and you are likely to get a direct answer back, which means the issue gets solved straight away, and the problem/challenge no longer exists.
Hope everyone’s having a great week!
Keri
