Love yourself and your family enough to take care of yourself by doing your cardio EVERY SINGLE DAY. And nagging those family members who are not is also an expression of love.

And now a new one, Miss T who stuck to her diet this week and lost 7 pounds IN A WEEK. I know it was an eye-opening experience for her and when she told me I was so proud like a father watching his little child learn to walk. She learned this week what her body needs and how to care for it. And while that amazing amount of weight loss will slow — yes, it will – it starts her on a path to her new healthier version of herself and that — MADE MY WEEK. That change right there makes personal training so rewarding. Congrats to her and to all my personal training clients who try and work!!!!!

Dave

Sorry to say but getting fit requires a lot of hard work and then the commitment to keep going. Sometimes people try to make their life too complicated by mixing two schedules together. Like mixing your schedule with a fitness class schedule. And often what happens is that you end up dropping out and doing nothing because it is just too much scheduling. For those people I always suggest personal training. Either as an ongoing thing or as a primer to get into (or back into) fitness.

Personal training fits with your schedule. And it shows you a routine that you can come to the gym and do anytime it works for you!!

I find that when people commit to a few hours a week of working out, their whole lifestyle changes and they begin their way to a new healthier, less stressed life. But you actually have to start to make it work!

So if you are having a few false starts — like you have tried to come to the gym as a new years resolution year after year and never do. Or you “decide” you will try one of the fitness classes and never actually show up. Or you decide to “eat better” and never change what is in your cupboard.

So here is a NEW FITNESS PLAN — and IT WORKS!!

Book 5 hours of personal training. You can split it into either half hours or hours. So I would suggest you come for 1/2 hours and get the biggest bang for your fitness buck. Here is how you work them….

Week 1 — Come 3 times a week, doing 1/2 hour of cardio before each personal training session. Do this on a week that you don’t have to travel or do some special project at work. And make this your TOP PRIORITY!!

Week 2 — Come 3 times this week, again doing 1/2 hour of cardio before each session. You will notice that you feel better this week!

Week 3 – Come 2 times this week to personal training and come one time on your own, concentrating on learning the tempo of each move. Again, you will do the cardio before your session and if your cardio is too easy, you can start to up the time this week.

Week 4 – Come 2 times this week and one to two times on your own. 30 days sets in a habit so it should be getting easier to “find the time” for this. Also it should be getting easier and you should feel better.

Week 5 – Come 3-4 times this week on your own. If you have trouble making ANY of those sessions or are confused about your workout in any way, you need to get with your trainer and find a path forward. Crossing the one month threshold makes it a habit but you may still slack off and the key is to knowing how you react.

I have some personal training clients who train for this period and go off on their own and I see them often in the gym working out on their own with their new healthy bodies. I have other clients who drop completely off and start to slide back into their bad habits. Then I have others who know themselves and they find a way to make it work for themselves. Some choose to invest and continue with personal training. Others do a personal training session once a week or even once a month. The KEY is to know your body and yourself and make it work for you!!

So let’s get serious and find a way to make it work!!

1- Wake up early. Studies show that it only takes 5 weeks to make an early morning workout routine a habit. So do it, stick it out and enjoy the benefits.

2- Prioritize your life. The basis of all time management training programs, record EVERYTHING for a few days and see where you waste your time. I think you will be surprised.

3- Multitask. Use workout time to unwind, make difficult decisions, be with family, read, whatever helps you DO IT.

I find it interesting that people who have very busy lives manage to make time for fitness but that also having no time is the biggest excuse for not getting to the gym.

Many of you see me every day at the gym and do not realize that I wake up around 3am every day to not only be there for your workout but also to meet my own fitness goals. And many nights I work until 8 or even 9 in the evening. No whining here. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING A PERSONAL TRAINER. I feel as though it was a calling that I am now answering and I beam like a brand new parent when one of my clients meets their goals and improves their health.

That said, I also see people who have great goals but put little or no effort into achieving their fitness goals. A personal trainer is like a teacher, I cannot MAKE YOU DO IT. I can’t come to your bedside and force you to get up and come to the gym. Sometimes I wish I could. Because I see so many people who get past the first month or so and develop fitness as a habit and they never go back. They love being in shape.

So if you have set a goal for yourself — whatever it is — commit to it. Give yourself time in your schedule to do it. Really force it into your schedule for the 6 weeks or so. It will become a habit, I promise. And you will miss it on those days that you do not work out.

Now, if you need little goals, consider doing some races with me. I do a couple of marathons and a few shorter races a year and they are a great motivator and accomplishment. And there are some great races right here in the Douglasville area so you don’t need to go very far to do one.

I wish you the very best of success in meeting your goals!!

Sometimes it is hard to know if you are doing a move in the gym correctly. I know this because I see people ALL DAY LONG who are beginners or regular gym goers who constantly do moves wrong. Sometimes so wrong that it makes them less effective or ineffective. And sometimes so wrong that it is unsafe.

Don’t assume that people know what they are doing just because they come to the gym a lot. A few personal training sessions can do wonders for your routine and your body. And as I have found with many experienced gym goers, it also tends to reduce your workout time to do it correctly. Yep, that’s right – REDUCE!! So if you are unsure what you should be doing or if you are doing it right, then why not invest in yourself and do a couple of personal training sessions.

And I donated a prize of some personal training to the Douglasville Chamber Classic so I hope to hear from the winner of that very soon to get them started toward a better body (and even better golf!)

PROCRASTINATION!

Ah, maybe not the answer you were looking for. But, it is that simple. In order to be successful in your workout and get the results that you want, you have to find a way to deal with procrastination. You must commit to your workout. Once you find a way to deal with procrastination, you will be better prepared when it sneaks up disguised as something else. How many times have you told yourself any of the following:

- I am too busy
- I am too tired
- I need to stay late at work
- I have so many things to do.

We all have these things in our life, but none of these are a good reason for not taking care of yourself. There is a difference between being ill and just worn out. If you are tired, slow down. But don’t stop! Are you familiar with kinetic energy? Sure you are, you learned it in middle school! “An object in motion tends to remain in motion, while an object at rest tends to remain at rest.” Yes, it is very 8th grade science, but it is a great life lesson.

Don’t make excuses. Be true to yourself. You deserve the honesty! If you find a way to deal with your natural urge to procrastinate, you can achieve success. I truly enjoy personal training, but it becomes very fulfilling when I train someone who works hard and succeeds. If you are going to do anything less, the question is why bother at all?

So, ask yourself TODAY, why are you letting your head hold your body back?