Exercise Smarter, not Harder
It's always a good idea to take a moment to look at and evaluate your exercise routine. Are you moving forward and able to reach your hopes and dreams? Here are several points to help you be successful in your health and fitness goals.
Power
You do have the power over your mind and body to accomplish the exercise needed to meet your dreams. You have the power to seek, claim and grind out what needs to be done to attain those goals. This, in turn, gives you pride in meeting your challenge and your achievement. Celebrate and note your milestones along the way! Can you lift more than last year with less strain and fatigue? Can you walk further in the same amount of time? Are your daily activities easier to accomplish? Do you have more stamina and less fatigue at the end of your day? Celebrate!
Potential
Start with the end in mind: keep your “WHY” in front of you at all times as you move forward. See your potential as you make strides toward it. Connect with others that see your potential and can help you reach your “WHY.” Friends and family that support you in the lifestyle you need to live are key in reaching your goals. So are professionals who can help with the knowledge and skills you need, such as ensuring you’re doing the correct exercises with the right form to be effective. You are an athlete of life! To reach their potential, football players do not train like gymnasts. You deserve to have the support needed to reach your goals.
Progression
Plan and prepare for consistent progress. It may not seem like a straight line, but overall you should still see progress. Set up your environment to help you succeed in the regularity of your exercise. Link your exercise with something else you do on a regular basis – like walking an extra set of stairs while doing laundry - so it becomes part of your daily flow. Learn from issues that arise and make changes; you have many options to meet your dreams. Continually create new challenges that are doable, but give you pride in accomplishment.
Persistence
Consistency breeds success! Even though there may be times you miss your exercise, being 70-80 percent compliant will help you meet your goals. Every few months, re-evaluate your plan and make needed changes or get help to find solutions to problems you may be having. Listen and connect with your body; you should not exercise all out every exercise session. Your body needs some rest, some moderate or lighter sessions for relative recovery, and sessions that work it harder to improve and get stronger. Look at your total lifestyle, nutrition, sleep and stress. Your body is an integrated system and all of these factors can affect your results.
Feed your goals! Starve your doubts! Find your inner why!
