Here are a few of the many tools you can use to get the ball rolling on improving your fitness:
Guilt
We all know the feeling of over-eating or having trouble getting out of the chair after a big holiday meal. It is not fun and inevitably you say to yourself "I have to get in shape." Use that feeling to decide to make a change. Another way guilt can be a good thing is spending money on a gym membership or home equipment. (Full disclosure: I sell rowing machines for Concept2). Ok, no joke, if you spend hard earned money or equipment or a membership you feel like if it sits there unused than you are wasting your cash. If this gets you to the gym or to workout it is good guilt.Momentum
Any off-road rider crossing a slimy log or rock knows that momentum is your friend and fitness in the same way. Think of your fitness and athleticism as a heavy flywheel. It sucks getting it started but once it is moving it gets much easier. So how do you get momentum? By linking days together, that's how!Start slow, 10 to 20 minutes a day, three days a week. Get a calendar or a notebook and keep it where you can see it. Again the guilt of seeing it go unchecked might be just what you need to keep the flywheel spinning, just don't let it slow down.
Results
This is one of the best motivators. Write down everything in a pocket notebook from the things that you eat and drink to the exercises that you complete. All the exercises should be something that you can track. The key words are going to be how far, how fast or how many. If you walk a three-mile loop record how long it took and try and better it next time. If you row for 20 minutes and go 4,000 meters one day try for 4010 meters the next day. These small accomplishments will make you feel better and will tap into the inner racer and athlete inside all of us.Training Partners
One of the most successful ways to start and continue the road to fitness is to tackle it with a training partner, someone who shares your goals. There are always going to be days where you don't feel like working out but your partner will and they will nag you until you start. The times in my life that I have been the most fit are when I was training with someone who was either faster or stronger than me because I don't like being beat. Have you ever chased after a faster rider around the track or down the trail? Same thing here, hanging that proverbial carrot in front of you will continue to motivate you in the right direction.I hope this will get you excited about making a change. If you are one of the middle aged parents that think the best days are behind you, you are giving up to early. Fight back against slowing down. Don't be the guy with the belly leaning against the fence at the track. Be the guy (or gal) on the bike, making it happen. The one everyone else wishes they could be like. It is possible, but it's not going to happen just sitting there. So get to it. 3, 2, 1... Go!
No comments:
Post a Comment