Training.
Nutrition.
Recovery.
Mindset.
Each one of the above has the power to assist you on your journey to becoming the best possible version of yourself, physically. However, when one is missing or they’re not working with each other our progress is hindered. We’re going to break each of these down and show how they need to work together and if they’re working against each other how that can slow down your progress.
Guys, I get it, it’s Christmas. It’s a time for celebration, parties and meeting up with people you haven’t seen since last Christmas. This often leads to overindulgence. I just want to use this week’s life section to have a bit of real talk for a minute. A few extra drinks and more ‘bad’ food than normal is not going to kill you if your normal is regular training and a balanced diet. Those of us who look after our bodies through training and good nutrition choices can sometimes get a bit too caught up at this time of year. Maybe we don’t train as much as we’d like to and there’s way more chances to ‘be bad’ but it’s okay. Make better choices at breakfast and lunch if you know you’re going out tonight, adjust the day after if the day before had an unexpected calorie surplus. Gym closed for Christmas? Get out and discover a new hike. There’s an app for your phone called AllTrails. It has walks and hikes documented with directions to them from your location. Get out and explore nature with a different type of fitness you might be used to. So, enjoy the holidays and don’t sweat it too much.
Training
When people decided to get themselves in shape, training is often the first point of call. Most people figure if they go to the gym 3-4 times a week they’ll drop some fat and be fine. Hopefully by now, you readers know that even in this there is a wide scope for failure. What type of gym? What type of training? What are the goals of the programme? How intense? What split? There are tonnes of variables.
Truth be told, even with all those questions this is probably the most straight forward one of all. The easiest answer here is to hire a coach or become a member of a small group training gym. Unless you’re really motivated and know what you’re doing I’d avoid a big commercial gym. While the actual training is difficult the concept is easy. Train hard 3-4 days a week and try do some other form of activity on the days you’re not training. Now you’re on the right path to getting in the best shape you can.
Nutrition
A lot of people find nutrition very difficult. It can be very confusing, especially when companies put millions of euro into marketing campaigns designed to confuse you. Knowing what to eat is one thing but actually executing that plan is another. I see so many people absolutely smash it in the gym every week but they get let down by their nutrition habits.
Sure there’s a lot of things that can get in the way, like family, price range and access but all of these are only excuses if I’m being brutally honest. If you’re serious about hitting your goals, you need to have as much of a handle on nutrition as you do on your training.
I have to cook for everybody else.
My kids don’t eat that.
I don’t have the time to make that.
These are common excuses I hear on a weekly basis. Fair enough if you have to cook for your kids but there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t eat what you should be eating. Picky eaters are not born; they develop habits from their parents. You influence the nutritional habits your child is going to grow up with. Do you want them thinking food comes from a packet or is it homemade from real, nutritious ingredients? If it’s just yourself you need to worry about well then meal prepping is a fantastic way to get ahead of yourself and stay on track. Cook up a bunch of protein, add vegetables and some whole carbohydrates like potatoes, sweet potato or rice.
Saying you don’t have the time is kind of a cop out and admitting defeat before you even try. There’s always time but you just sacrifice it to stay in bed, scroll through Facebook and Instagram and watch TV. There’s always time, you’re just using it for something else.
Recovery
If you read my recent blog on recovery you probably already understand why this is a major cornerstone to achieving success. The body is not meant to function 24/7 and does not like stress. Dedicating time to recovery is a key component to lasting fitness.
There are many things that fall under the branch of recovery, nutrition, active rest, passive rest, relaxation of the mind and body. They are all great techniques.
Without prioritizing recovery and giving it the same attention as the other cornerstones you really won’t see the results you deserve. It can be as simple as refueling after training the correct way or stealing hours of sleep whenever you can. Like the idea with nutrition, some people say they don’t have time to sleep because of work or toddlers or whatever but be real, chances are you’re on your phone/tablet and all of a sudden you’re scrolling for 45 minutes when you could’ve been sleeping.
Mindset
In my eyes, this is probably the biggest key to them all. Without the correct mindset the other three cornerstones won’t work in harmony. This takes work just like the others. We have to want to do these things or we’re not going to achieve our ultimate potential. It’s easy to go training 3-4 times a week with a negative mindset, thinking you’re doing enough and you’re just tipping along but you’re probably wasting your time. I have seen too many people who come to train for so many reasons but are unwilling to change anything else in their lifestyle and nutrition habits then complain when there are no results?
For change to happen, change needs to occur.
Change from the norm can be scary, we tend to gravitate towards routine as much as possible because it’s safe. However, bad routines can catch on really quickly and before you know it you’re unhappy and unhealthy. Sometimes, mindset change needs the help of a professional and it’s important to note that that’s okay and shouldn’t be something you feel the need to hide. I’m lucky that one of my close friends was able to talk me through some stuff this year so I didn’t need to seek professional help. I wanted to change though, I listened to what she wanted me to do and did it even though the thought of it made sweat with fear.
I promise you this though, you can train all the live long day as intense as possible but without wanting to truly change the desired outcome won’t come for you. Unknowing to yourself you will sabotage yourself. So if you’re not seeing change as you thought you should don’t just automatically blame your coach, ask what else can you do to compliment the training you’re doing.
That’s all I have to say this week folks. There’s some real important points in this blog and if you’re struggling with meeting your goals you really need to consider where that struggle is coming from.
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Have a great week everybody,
Rory.