What You Need to Know About Reaching Your Fitness Goals – Part 1
Nova Health Club • June 6, 2018
Why is My Exercise Program not Delivering ‘Results’?
When it comes to getting fit, losing weight or achieving some other physical performance goal, chances are that you are like most people – wanting the same intrinsic or physical attributes of an athlete. After all, athletes have great physiques, their bodies move and perform very well and they most likely live vibrant energetic lives from their dedicated training, nutrition and lifestyle plans. Or perhaps you were once an athlete and you vividly remember how good you felt or looked and now you want to achieve that once again. The reality is that athletes are healthy and in great shape so who wouldn’t want to look and feel like one?
So you make the decision to take action on getting fit and losing weight!
First of all; Congratulations! The decision making process precedes all else that follows. Then, like most people you take the next step with an exercise program, geared towards fat loss and becoming more fit, that you found in a magazine, downloaded from a fitness guru or through a personal trainer who creates a slightly better version of those same free programs found in media. You are convinced that doing this new program 2 – 3x’s a week is going to bring the results you are looking for.
The above plan is good but the truth is that this plan of action does not work for everyone and many people following this plan will not get the results they signed up for. Why then do some get the desired results while others do not even after working out hard on this ‘scientifically’ sound program, and after having investing the same effort, time and money?
Here lies the secret that you will neither see nor hear in popular media…
First of all there is no secret, what you are about to read is not new or cutting edge! Rather it is based on the fundamentals of healthy living that most of us know yet fail to live by. We fail to respect this truth because our society constantly looks for quick fix solutions like the new ‘perfect’ workout program, new fat loss diet and or new magic pill. Those that struggle to reach their goals, even after having started the right exercise program have neglected essential health prerequisites that are not new or cool enough to be popularized in media. While the workout program was a good first step, it was just a fraction of the entire picture of what it takes to reach your goals.
All that hard work, time and money you invested however mustn’t be dismissed. Don’t be discouraged because it was an essential step towards your goal and sometimes the best first one move for you to make. The other positive news is that you likely feel better, are stronger and more confident towards taking further steps... But simply starting an exercise program 3, 4 or 5 hours a week just won’t cut it if you fail to be healthy during the other 160+ hours a week you are alive. Now let’s get back to what it is you failed to consider outside of just working out - those fundamentals to healthy living that you must appreciate, take action toward in order to reach your goal of looking, feeling or performing like the healthiest and most athletic people out there.
High performing, lean and athletic bodies are built on healthy foundations.
The above exercise program we began with was good in theory. It assumed that all other parts of your life were in good working order thereby allowing you to get results from that program. But reaching your health and fitness goals sometimes is just not as simple as working out 3x a week because the average person does not have the rest of their life built on healthy pillars. Do not expect much positive change from even the best workout program if implemented on top of poor lifestyle foundations like minimal rest, high stress, low quality food and little to no movement. Not only should you not expect big results, it is important to note that this type of lifestyle is not conducive to and sometimes incapable of handling the workouts, part of the exercise programs designed by the best fitness professionals out there. By doing these workouts based on a weak foundation of healthy living, you may contribute to the problem even further. That is why a hard workout sometimes is not necessarily a good workout. A good workout is the right workout for you based on your needs, wants and abilities. Read the last part again – based on your NEEDS, wants and ABILITIES!
Up to this point you have only focused on what you wanted and have not considered what you need or what you are even able to do based on your age, lifestyle habits, current or past health/injury history. No wonder most people have not reached their goals with only training hard! Sorry but just starting a high intensity workout class at the new group studio without addressing the rest of your lifestyle was at best a momentum starter that hopefully made your muscles and cardiovascular system stronger than it was before.
Now that you have accepted the lack of results, be proud of yourself for taking your first step of exercising more and let’s now go back to the other basic healthy fundamentals that must be addressed so you can get results you want from those workout. The next steps you must take are in the hours you live outside of your workouts and thus where your next challenges and focus should lie. While, anyone can start working out 3-5x’s a week, it takes a lot more to change nutrition, stress, sleep and mindset. We often look for the new program or the new diet for answers but there will never be anything new that ever beats hard work and healthy living. If you want results and positive change in your life know there is no magic program or magic pill for success. It is sometimes a lifelong journey with hard work to change the very habits that got you into your unhealthy lifestyle, wanting change in the first place. Embrace this because there is nothing in the world worth having that does not take some effort and dedication.
In Part 2 of this series we will explore those areas we often fail to address in pursuit of their goals – To train like an athlete you must recover like an athlete.
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