Strength is a good workout for me. It is something I can do without much mobility difficulty and I can scale up and down to make it more challenging. There is one move I like in particular and that is the hip flys which I didn’t believe would do anything for me but once I got my shoulders down a little I was surprised at the lat work I got. The other thing is the progression on the pull up bar from jumping pullups to all out hanging hand position changes. For me, since I am still indoors and the doorway is a little narrow I have to improvise a bit and so I do regular pullups but then in addition to the pushups, I also do handstands since they are a definite weakness for me and something that I admit I am jealous of when I see the guys at gymnastics doing them. So I am setting a goal for a 10 second handstand by the summer. Not only that but anyone who reads Fitbomb regularly will know how much he complains about his double under proficiency. Well, you can put me in that boat too. Although I am up to 100 regular jumps pretty regularly now, and I can almost make a full minute if I concentrate the art of the double under is something that I fear will elude me on a more long term basis. Being in a basement doesn’t help really but then again, at least nobody can see me there. I am hoping to have some degree of skip rope skill before I start working out on the lower deck again this year. Otherwise I may draw a crowd and end up on youtube as “the guy across the way who can’t skip to save his life”. Don’t think it doesn’t happen people!
So I am feeling a sense of responsibility for the Biggest Loser at work. The results are not stellar and so today I sent out the following as an attempt at motivation. I know it is a contest, but in the spirit of helping and encouraging not beating down and humiliating. So my conscience got the best of me and I am trying to help…
So here are my 3 simple suggestions.
- Keep a food diary for a week… I know, you have all heard this before but it really helps to narrow down what is causing the issue. For those of you who choose nuts and seeds as your snack of choice please be aware that a serving of nuts (around 22 almonds) is between 150 and 200 calories and let`s be honest, who eats only 22 almonds? A cup of trail mix can be between 600 and 1000 calories which, when your intake should be 1500-2500 a day is enormously significant. Try to snack on fruit instead, nuts and seeds are often a downfall for weight loss as they were for me a few months ago.
- Write down and post your goals for the next 3 months. 90 days is a short enough time to stick to something and long enough to make a significant difference. Include in your goals not only your weight, but also your activity on a weekly basis, your proposed sleep schedule, your foods that you would like to temporarily forsake and your REASONS for having these goals. Make sure your goals are big and small, small goals are easy to achieve and give you a great confidence boost. Every day you achieve something, check it off on your list so you can see that you are moving in the right direction.
- Write down 1 thing that you can do every day to move towards your goal. If you need to get out and walk then write down that you will go for 10 minutes every day the first week and LIMIT yourself to that. By the time week 2 comes, commit to 15 or 20 minutes a day and once you have created that habit you will find it easier to keep going.
My last piece of this rant is regarding “reasonsâ€. As you probably know I am a gymnastics coach and I have trained many many teenage athletes over the years. The biggest obstacle to their performance in the gym is their ability to create “reasons†for not being able to do something. This is a habit that will stick with them and something I try my hardest to prevent them from reinforcing. Your reasons are not reasons, they are excuses. I know it’s hard to hear but it is the simple truth. If you have a big enough WHY you can endure almost any HOW but if you allow fear, discomfort or laziness to dictate your life then your reasons will only prevent you from reaching your goal. Instead of using your “reasons†for failing, transform them into opportunities to succeed. Set them up as obstacles that you are determined to challenge and realize that they are only in your way because you allow them to be there.
Take control.