Surprise Yourself

In the past 2 months, the gym has exploded. We have had a lot of things going on inside the gym, as well as outside the gym. With the spring and summer brings new fitness goals as well as busy personal calendars; weddings, vacations, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and somewhere in there, a fitness business that is blowing up like the fourth of July.

We aren’t arrogant, we simply believe in what we do. We are confident that you will find success at On Target Fitness, whoever you are.

So, with that said, we have been participating in the nationwide Lean Down Challenge. It is put on in exclusive locations throughout the US, and we were lucky enough to have been one of those gyms. The aim of the challenge is to help people lose 20 pounds of weight or reduce body composition by 5 percent. In 6 weeks.

Is that even possible?

Yes. It absolutely is.

The results have been surprising for many people, in more positive ways than you might think. Check our Facebook page to see some of them.

Here are some common trends that we as a staff have been seeing with the people that are most successful with this challenge, and any other big health change you might want to make.

Full Commitment

With many of the folks participating in the LDC, people that are most successful come in ready to commit, take on the challenge, and never look back once they start. The same rings true to anyone starting a new routine. You have to see it through, or you are wasting your time. As coaches who understand psychology and physiology, we recognize the immediate barriers that stand in your way. Fear. Ambivalence. Money. Self doubt. Those challenges are real, and we cannot act like they don't exist. 

With that said, if you let those things define you and shape your being, you aren’t being your true self. You are fighting a losing battle. Change starts to happen the moment you truly believe it can.

You can.

Ownership and Zero Excuses Attitude

We don’t need to dwell on the past, but we need to at least understand where your personal battles lie. What has limited you before needs to be out of the equation. That’s why the meal plan is strict. That’s why alcohol is not recommended. For this period of time, your full attention is required. Additionally, many successful people do not make excuses for their setbacks.

They acknowledge them, and move on. Chasing perfection is a sure way to be miserable. Mistakes happen. We can get caught in the undertow when your actions become justified through unrelated things. This is the adult version of “my dog ate my homework.” Stop.

Own it, learn, and get better. You control you.

Hard Work, in and out of the gym.

Photo Credit: Calum McAuley, Stocksnap.io 

Nutrition! Do you think the gainz happen without the stuff to build them? No way.

Someone smart said that most fat loss happens inside the kitchen. It’s true. There is no substitute for hard work inside and outside of the gym. We’ve seen great adherence and with it, great results for people who simply pay attention to what they eat. They make sure they get enough calories to crush training sessions, but stay within the limits of the LDC meal plan.

Are they perfect? No, we’ve even had people tell us they’ve had a couple drinks on the weekend and still have significant weight loss at the end of the week to show for it. It’s all about balance!

Happiness

Man, this might be the most important. You simply cannot make yourself miserable and expect to get the results you want. Seems easy in theory, but the fitness and nutrition industry is full of quick “fixes” and magic pill marketing. If you have to starve yourself and think you can get your dream body in only one month, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work like that.

Having health and having fitness is a journey. There’s no reason you can’t be happy, and make positive changes for yourself. It takes consistent work and constant understanding of yourself, to be able to adapt to challenges and give yourself fulfillment. The people in the LDC that have been the most successful at our gym have understood from day one, that this is not just a six week challenge. They have made fitness part of their life, and continue to use it to better themselves.

After all, you only get one.

Thanks for continuing to inspire us, and keep trying to surprise yourself.

The "Right Way" and Finding Flow

This time of year, you will see a huge upswing in the amount of interest in fitness, nutrition, and health related content. That’s cool, because people want to help you lose weight, get strong, and crush it this year. I think that’s awesome.

However, there is another side to the coin. With all of this content coming out, sometimes it comes off very black and white, meaning that if you do one thing, you aren’t allowed to do another. I think that’s BS. There’s aren’t any rules to this stuff. Maybe the one rule is, if it hurts, you probably should not do it. Half the fun is experimenting and learning what works best for yourself.

I just finished a fantastic book called “Drive,” by Daniel H. Pink. In it, he argues the need for a state of ‘flow” that allows us to lose ourselves in what we do. Whether in business, play, or exercise, this concept is valid on many levels. It keeps our minds engaged and allows us to keep what we enjoy, part of how we live. That is a crucial component of exercising and nutritional guidelines, and the same reason I tell people to:

Avoid doing things they hate.

Experiment with new activities of interest.

Keep doing stuff you love.

The state of flow is one in which you are able to tune out external influence and focus solely on the task at hand. It allows you to be completely invested in a rewarding, enjoyable experience for yourself. It is also something that is elusive, yet you know it when you’re in it.

Sometimes I get into a flow state when I’m writing, exercising, or coaching. Those are where I find myself in my flow state the most. When do you find yourself in your own?

This is important because of the natural way we are wired. It helps you create drive for yourself in a way that comes easy, and that helps relax us. Forcing other tasks and other routines on yourself that you dislike will only lead to stress, low ambition, and complacency.

As the title indicates, there is a “right way” to attack your health goals. The answer to that is solely up to you. There are will be internet guru’s and other people who will try and help you like me, but at the end of the day you have to do what feels good to you. We as fitness professionals can guide you to make solid nutritional decisions, teach you how to lift weights, and give you the accountability you may need to get to the gym. But, all of that will be hard to replicate on your own if you don’t truly tap into what makes you tick.

With that said, here are some key ways you can find your own state of flow on a daily basis.

Breathe.

Every now and again, when you feel overwhelmed, take a long breath and exhale slowly. It will recenter you and allow you to relax. So much of what we do is fast (I’m the slowest human ever), demanding, and stressful. Just take a second and get it together when you feel like you need to.

Put the phone away.

Seriously. I’m victim of this. We all are at some point. It’s very hard to be focused on something if you are constantly checking stuff on your device all the time. A bad habit I got into was allowing my phone to be part of my workouts. I used to need it to read my training program, but then I would find myself checking social accounts, distracted, and ultimately not getting in a good session. Obviously, I try to avoid that now and am very conscious of it. 

In this instance, try to refrain from having your phone out when your attention is required. You will be more productive and ultimately get more out of whatever you’re doing.

Sleep smarter.

Again, to find flow you need to set the groundwork for it. That starts with solid sleep, to make sure your brain recovers each day. It has to process information at an almost unrealistic level, and sleep is where you are able to shake the etch-a-sketch. So, put the phone away before bed, get a night time routine, and avoid alcohol a couple hours before bed.

This is also something you’ll need to explore a bit. Everyone has different triggers that don’t allow good sleep, so be mindful of ones for yourself. The general recommendation is 7-8 hours of restful sleep, but again, some people need more and some people need less. It just depends on your current situation.

Schedule in mandatory “You” time.

Whatever it is you like to do, you should do that. Daily. I think this is vital to finding clarity and reaching for your goals. Whether that is meditation, or lifting, or running, the more you create opportunity for flow the more you will be able to find it.

I think it sucks when I can’t get my workout in. But that’s my fault. I always look at my calendar and make sure I have a block of time to get it in, even if it’s a 15 minute express. Sometimes life gets in the way of your intentions for the day, but that is the nature of time. There only is 24 hours in the day, and sometimes it doesn’t happen. But, scheduling and creating routine can help get you there.

Enjoy small moments.

The other day I was walking around Portsmouth, it was late at night. Cold and harsh. I was headed toward a friend’s house going past Prescott Park and noticed the moon hovering above me. Bright, glowing, and shining through some clouds. It was a moment.

I took a second. I stopped and just looked. To be present. Shit, it was beautiful.

I live for moments like that. When you find yourself there, take a second look. Embrace it. It will connect you to the world around you and bring your mind back to center.

The right way to build growth for yourself is on your own terms, with your own goals, and your own inspirations. There will always be distractions and people telling you how you should do things, but listen to your intuition and ignore them if you have to. That’s where flow comes into play. Do the things that make you happy, and you’ll be set.