UniForce Fitness Personal Training

No excuses

It’s a new year and so as always it’s time to start thinking about making resolutions and setting goals for yourself. In order to set goals that really matter I want to propose a method I learned about that can help to bring more clarity and meaning to them. This method can help you better understand why you want these things. It can add purpose and motivation. This is important because, as we all know, there will come a point where we start to question why we set these goals in the first place. A resolution is a shift in mindset and focus - a decision to do something. A goal is a destination or desired outcome. Decide to set a path and follow it to your destination. Without doing this we will wind up at a destination or in a situation we may not want to be in. We are all on a path leading somewhere so I am asking you to take control of your actions to lead you to a more desirable destination. I am here to help make the journey more comfortable, to make the effort you give each day more effective and to make the process as efficient as it can be. Motivation alone is not enough. I will help inspire you by sharing my own experiences and stories I’ve heard from others. I will show you what you are capable of and how strong you really are.
As we start a new year and you begin the next journey, I want to share a bit of advice: Let patience be your biggest strength. Let self-love guide you in the decisions you make. Be thankful for every day you have and make the best of your time and efforts. Avoid excessive distractions and too much comfort. Be nicer to others and more kind to yourself. Stay strong.

And now, The Method:
This method for establishing your resolutions and determining your goals involves making 2 lists. A list of things you DO want and a list of things you DO NOT want. Below I will make an example of what your list might look like. You do not need to share this list with anyone but please keep it close so you can refer to it regularly (maybe even daily for the first 45 days of the new year). Understanding what we don't want helps us better understand what we do want. It brings clearer focus to what's important. We hopefully discover what's holding us back and find out what we need to do.

DON’T WANT:
1. Low energy
2. Physical discomfort
3. Poor health and immunity
4. Held back by depression and anxiety
5. To feel stuck in a job/life I don’t enjoy

DO WANT:
1. Creative personal and professional exploration
2. Accomplishments I am proud of
3. Strong and aesthetic physique
4. Healthy social life
5. More enjoyment from life

Walking vs OTM squats
I went for a walk at a comfortable pace. 4mph is my push pace for walking. After my walk I used a kettlebell that is about 10% of my bodyweight to do what's called "On The Minute" sets of 10 reps. At the start of each minute do 10 reps. The remaining time is used to recover. I used a variation of squats setting the weight down between each set for the first 5 minutes. From 5 minutes until the end of the session I didn't set the weight down. I used 2 hand, single hand, close stance, wide stance, slow, pause and explosive variations. Even did a couple sets of deadlifts. Whatever I felt like. There's no real secret so don't overthink it. Just do some work. If you can't get to the gym or go outside for a walk use this example as a way to get the same energy expenditure. Slow and steady is good but the most demanding is lowering into the squat super slow and then standing back up with some speed and quickness.

There are two foundations that need to be secure in order for any wellness program to be effective.
General mood
Movement comfort
If we are not in good spirits we are blocking necessary mental energy for focus. We are not fully present and are unaware of how much we need to do for ourselves. We are distracted by negativity. We fall into the routine traps of giving in to not challenging ourselves. We seek comfort day after day to distract ourselves instead of working on breaking the cycle of laziness and negativity. In order to improve our mood we have to be willing to shake things up. Giving our mind problems to solve and challenges to overcome will release chemicals that directly improve our mood. The easiest approach to this is setting small time-management goals. This adds structure and organization to your day/week. The brain really likes this. Now, inside this time management we build simple challenges like going for walks or spending a few minutes on the floor each night doing some stretching. Accomplishing these small tasks start to release the chemicals in our brain that will enhance our mood and motivation.

Movement comfort is one of the biggest complaints trainers hear from people. They become a validated excuse to not break out of the comfort zone. If moving is uncomfortable your brain is already going to be programmed to want to avoid moving. So you'll find comfort built into your daily routines. We've just gone over how this is bad for the general mood. So the time set aside for movement and stretching (that we noted in the previous paragraph) is going to be spent addressing making movement more tolerable. We're not talking about going from being sedentary to doing heavy barbell squats in the gym and running half marathons all over town. Spend the same amount of time you spend preparing and eating meals on addressing these 2 foundations of wellness each day. Do calf stretches while the microwave is heating up your tea or lunch. Walk 20 minutes after a 20 minute dinner. Do bodyweight squats and leg abductions after breakfast or after your shower.

It's so easy to put the cart before the horse. We want results over night so in our eagerness we skip right to all the heavy lifting we see fitness influencers doing online and think that's the path. Everyone who reached their goal started by carefully planning the trip. They made sure the shoes fit and the outfit was right for the weather. They paid attention to the details before taking big steps and using broad strokes. Get your mood right. Get comfortable moving. Get used to breaking out of the sedentary comfort zones. Loosen your hips and strengthen your lower back before starting a resistance training program. Learn to love and care for yourself before setting lofty goals like losing 70 pounds or building big muscles. I guarantee you'll be surprised at the changes those simple focuses bring to your overall health and wellness; not to mention your physique. Stop rushing the process. Be focused and dedicated instead of just eager. Be patient so you don't get frustrated when certain weeks don't measure up to your expectations. It's quality and quantity, not long bouts of high intensity that leave you tight and sore for days. Don't let the massive amounts of information out there confuse you. It's really about basic repeatable fundamentals and building on them to keep challenging yourself to work harder and harder - to get further from that comfort zone.

“As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods.” — Harrington Emerson

My first 50 mile ride
35 miles in I pulled over (at a cemetery of all places) to stretch for a minute and think about what route I should take to get the remaining 15 miles in. I am not saying it’s the hardest part, but finding 50 miles of clean, safe and open road to cover in Northeast Philly is challenging on it’s own. I took a sip of water and hit the road. 30 seconds back at it and now I'm getting beeps telling me my Bluetooth speaker is about to die. No! How will I get this last hour in without music. (BTW, 6 hours play time my ass, Sony!) Just then I hear, "on your left". It was a 4 person group of road cyclists. Perfect! I cut the music off and pushed my pace. Feeling the spirit of the group I was reinvigorated and charged up. I looked at my Polar tracker and saw we were cruising at 20+ mph. My legs and back were on fire but I was alive, and I was on it. I teach focus to my clients. Be engaged - be present. That's what I did. Yeah I was tired and tight but I had a goal. And these 4 road warriors dialed me right the f**k in. Focus only on what matters. Find your line. Push your limits. Discover yourself. Every day is a chance to have a breakthrough. We did a few miles together and then they pulled off for their pit stop. I thanked them for letting me tag along and I continued on. I saw them about 40 minutes later on my home stretch. They were coming the opposite way. They gave a big cheer from across the way and I rode the last mile with a huge smile instead of grimacing or grunting it out on a grueling crawl to the finish line. I was alive and awake. That's how it should feel. That's how it is.
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