How Invested Are You? 3 Reasons Why Your Fitness Isn’t What It Could Be
So you've been hitting the gym and trying to eat right – whatever that means -- but your fitness level is less than it could be.
There are lots of reasons that you may be stalled or underperforming when it comes to becoming more fit but the top three are famous for stalling fitness in its tracks. Are you falling into these fitness traps?
Reason #1 – You Aren't Invested
It’s easy to have good intentions but actions deliver more than just hopeful thinking, especially when it comes to fitness. If you were looking to invest in a company chances are you wouldn’t even consider one where the CEO shows up to work 30% of the time and has no logical blueprint for success.
Your investment in fitness is a long term commitment built on a strategic plan. When you train for a certain event such as a marathon or triathlon you count backwards in weeks from the actual date. Most plans call for at least 12 weeks of consistent weekly training. How many workouts have you actually stayed with?
Check your last four weeks and look for holes in your schedule.
Reason #2 – You Aren't Invested Wisely
You've upped your cardio by going at it as hard as you can to get the most from your sessions. You may do some sit ups every few days but you aren't seeing your times improve and that belly isn't shrinking. What’s happening?
Investing wisely in your fitness means you take a smart multi-pronged approach. You need as much strength work – and often times more – than cardio workouts to add lean muscle mass to your body and boost your fat burning metabolism.
However all the cardio and strength work in the world won’t get you over the fitness hump without smart nutrition. An article from Colorado State University sets the facts straight:
“Optimal nutrition is essential for peak performance. Nutritional misinformation can do as much harm to the ambitious athlete as good nutrition can help. An individual involved in a general fitness regimen (ex, 30-40 min/day, on most days of the week) can meet their nutritional needs by adhering to a balanced diet. However athletes involved in moderate or high frequency training will need to increase their intake to meet nutritional requirements.”
In the Huffington Post article, Exercise vs. Diet: The Truth About Weight Loss, Shawn M. Talbott, Ph.D. shares the percentages. “Weight loss is generally 75% diet and 25% exercise.”
Improving your investment may mean that you may have to revamp your both your training and nutritional approach.
Reason #3 – You Aren't Recognizing All the Rewards of Your Investment
There are few fitness program killers as lethal as lost momentum. It’s the New Year’s Resolution curse. You get excited, you jump in with both feet and 6 weeks later you are back where you started.
How do you avoid this common weight loss sabotage?
You learn to examine your investment differently. Of course it’s encouraging to see the pounds decrease on your scale but there is more to fitness than just weight loss. You can see daily evidence of your fitness investment in a number of simple ways:
- Watching an increase in the number of push-ups you can do each week.
- Learning new exercises that you’ve never done before.
- Finding new friends who are also committed to improved fitness – and who will help hold you accountable.
- Paying attention to how you feel in your clothes.
Examine all the areas of your life – physical, emotional and social – that are benefitting from your fitness investment.
Finding a training program that encourages you to see all the gains you are achieving is an invaluable way to stay invested. When ou have coaches that point out your victories and keep you focused, you realize the fitness path you've chosen is one you won't want to leave.
Learn more about how you can get started with Training For Warriors and see amazing results! Discover how this comprehensive program of highly personalized training, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching can jumpstart your fitness routine and help you reach new goals.
Ready to bring out the Warrior Within? Apply below for our 6-Week Fit for Fall Challenge:
https://tfwsouthmetro.wufoo.com/forms/qm438wo1uu5p92/
If you want to try a week for free at Training For Warriors - South Metro, send a text to 651-270-0774 with the message "I'm in" along with your name. See you soon!