By the time this blog is posted, the NFL season will be on its way. YEAH! I love NFL football, and since moving to Santa Fe, I miss living close to NFL action.

But don’t think I’m going to ask you to work out like an NFL player. I know what an NFL exercise program is like and I know it’s not complete. But there is something to be said about the NFL player’s exercise routine, which includes consistency and pushing yourself a little beyond what you can do each time to get a little bit better each day.

Consistency, pushing yourself, and trying to get a little better each day — these are the keys to any exercise program. And that last part is something you will hear NFL players and coaches say all the time: “We’re just trying to get a little bit better each day.” It is cliché, but it is absolutely true.

How to put a little NFL and a little kaizen in your exercise program.

Kaizen is a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement in all areas of business practices and personal development. I preach similar principles to all my clients and the people I work with here in Santa Fe. Gradual, steady improvement is the only way to approach a long-term goal without driving yourself crazy. I wanted everything now, so this was a big, uncomfortable pill for me to swallow, and I still choke on it now and then. But the alternative — the highs and lows and the stress that it produces — is not worth it.

You need a laid-out, realistic exercise program in which you push yourself a little further than you are comfortable with. And uncomfortable comes in many different flavors — physical, mental, and emotional. For any success to happen you have to be OK with the uncomfortableness.

• This means your muscles may burn a little more than you’d like, or if you live in a high altitude as we have in Santa Fe, you may be huffing and puffing more than you’d like.
• This means you may have to put away your ego and what you think is right, trust in the program you have chosen, and do it.
• This also means you will have to be OK with the feelings that come to you before and during your exercise program. Nothing comes for free; you’ve got to work it.

Say yes to your inner NFL player.

Scene: You standing at the mirror looking at yourself in the morning. “I’m just trying to get a little bit better today.”

Sounds hokey, doesn’t it? It feels even hokier when you actually do it…at the start. It gets easier and easier each time you say it. You don’t have to use that exact sentence. Keep the idea and find your own words.

From Washington, DC, to North Carolina to Los Angeles to Santa Fe I have used this with varying levels of consistency and with my own words. When I am more consistent in saying those words, they come true. Now combine that with a thought-out program and being OK with the uncomfortableness that goes along with it, and what do you have? Success. Meaning you are a success. Now go stand in front of the mirror and make yourself uncomfortable.
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What three motivational words can you say to yourself that will put your exercise program in overdrive and make your fitness dreams come true?

“I Want To!”

Too often we approach our fitness routines with the thought “I have to,” and it produces a counterproductive attitude toward our fitness program. Say both phrases out loud (if you’re in a public place you can wait till you get home…or not) and pay attention to how it feels within your body. “I have to” produces dread and a “heavy” feeling.  “I want to” produces an extra pep in your step and a joy associated with whatever you want to do.

How I used this phrase to help me.

I’ll be honest, getting myself to work out is not difficult at all. I just set a plan, follow it, and adapt along the way. It’s one of the reasons I became a personal trainer; it has pretty much come easy to me. But there are goals I have had that have really challenged me mentally and emotionally. In fact I am going through one right now.

Back in February I threw caution to the wind and hired a French teacher to, well, teach me French. I knew French back when I was a wee tike but lost it when we moved to the States. And ever since I could remember I have wanted to relearn it. So I started doing my research, looking for a teacher, and I found Sabine. Born in France, she has a PhD in French studies and is a teacher…DING DING DING! I stalked her down and got her to meet with me, and after a nice chat I knew it would work. So even though I was still trying to build my business, take care of a baby, and learn a new city, I committed. I told her I would be with her for at least a year, and we got started.

(P.S. There are a lot of really good teaching points in this last paragraph about achieving your goals. You might want to go back and reread it.)

This Santa Fe French teacher is kicking my butt!

I was so gung ho those first couple of classes, and I was feeling really excited about finally being able to speak French. And then I got hit smack in the face with reality. I remember it really clearly, that feeling of being overwhelmed and all the negative thoughts flooding into my head. “There is no way I can learn all this.” “You’ll never get this.” Etc., etc. I continued because I do not like to quit, but I was trying to power through these thoughts and feelings. I “had to” do this! Push Push Push!

Then the thought came to me, “I want to do this,” and I felt the calmness that came with it. Done. I don’t question things when they are this clear. So I started to approach learning French in this manner, and it has helped me tremendously. Do I still get frustrated and impatient? You bet I do! But I don’t let it become me. Because I “want to” I can now relax, have fun, and consequently learn more efficiently.

What’s running in your head?

Do you “have to” go work out? Or do you “want to”? If you “have to,” you are fighting yourself and it will make accomplishing your goals exponentially harder. If you “want to,” you are enjoying the process and it will allow you to get to where you want to go quicker. So add a little “want to” in your life.

 

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