Don't Workout in the Gym!, Get inspired to train

 

Why do you go to the gym?

What are the expectations of a gym workout?

What do you really wish to get out of a gym session?

Most people know that moving more is good for us. 

Most people feel that they eat too much at times and get lazy at expending calories on the other end.

Now you feel motivated to get a gym membership and eradicate that laziness!

So I pose the question; do you aim at maximum burn, high octane, calorific destruction and get your moneys worth?

OR do you take it slowly and make sure you just to turn up and participate

OR do you aim to sharpen your skills and practice movement with experienced coaches?

I really do understand the mind-set of feeling the need to burn off bad habits and get maximum gains so you will finally like your body.

Hunting for short term gains like the scales taking a decent dive or feeling like your lungs can now handle a flight of stairs without having a heart attack.

These are a side effect of a regular gym routine for sure. But what is the relationship you now have with exercise?. If the scales don't go down, then you are super unhappy. What if your fitness hits a plateau?

Are you still motivated to keep a regular calorie burn, that after 6 weeks is not really showing much progress. Even though the stairs at work are now easy to run up.

Being honest, it is really hard work to maintain a gym habit when you are not continuously seeing results. When your success is based on whether you are losing weight in order to like or love yourself.

First of all, you have not fallen in love with movement, you have found motivation to move and build a conditional relationship that leads to a yo yo success/ failure wheel.

Motivation?. This is fantastic to have, but extremely fleeting. If it leaves you then what are the chances you will turn up to the gym on a cold winters night when you have had a stressful day?

Discipline is a much more connecting skill. It will teach you to create and maintain a habit that gives you success playing the long game. Discipline will give you consistency. Consistency even kicks the ass of perfection hunting. Consistency builds momentum. Momentum leads to building a skill-set that can give you a lifetime of body freedom.

Body freedom is pain free, great mobility, optimal strength, strong lungs, physical/mental/emotional resilience.

(Lets assume that the discipline is based on amazing coaching and personalised programming)

This discipline must be taught to be associated with self-care not self-hate!

Self-care is a very special mind-set. We live in a very materialistic superficial world that we all buy into. The way we look gets put above how we function. Why?

That blink look at what we think is an advantage to survival:

It has an evolutionary reason. We attract towards people that will support our survival;

- Higher testosterone for strength and better breeding (Bigger looking muscle)

- Good hip to waist ratios for fertility (More curves)

- Attractive facial ratios and body balance for a strong genetic line (More attractive people)

Modern day life is a very different beast to our past. We can dress up weaknesses, we have every day supportive conveniences to hide strength and mobility deficits. 

We don't put hip mobility above getting our nails polished and dressed. We don't put ideal posture above the latest clothing on the market. We put more care into our car purchases than we do the one thing that drives your entire life (that's your body by the way)

When people say things like "why do you spend so much money on the gym, coaches and organic food", It is a really easy retort:

"Do you realise that what you spend on superficial products don't really help the longevity and quality of your life and health?"

I find that the root of peoples desires fit generally into wanting to have fun, be healthy and be lighthearted with a decent amount of time on the planet to enjoy relationships.

So what should signify health?

Perhaps more skill based goals rather than poorly constructed egoic gain goals.

Let's go chase "health and feel" in the gym rather than just looks.

If we continually aim to attain superficial perfection sold to us by bullshit advertising companies and charlatan fitness gurus, then your gym experience will surely fail. 

By aiming to develop a productive skill based exercise experience you will have a much better chance of long term success. Long term success will bring along a lot of those superficial gain such as a leaner, and a more attractive body as an organic side effect. 

We talk about unlocking your AMAZING. Your amazing is always talking to you, giving you opportunity to find self-care/ love. 

So don't beat yourself up for not being able to turn up to the gym consistently. You just have a default setting that is based around what the fitness industry keeps proliferating. A self hate cycle. No different than the diet industry. 

So how do we flip the coin?

Self care requires coaching, it requires support, it requires time and energy to build.

You must surround yourself with people and organisations that fulfil this self-care ethos.

I will give you an example of successful gym goers and what their general process looks like:

- They choose the gym that matches their values eg/ like minded respectful people, a fun spacious non crowded facility, multiple support mechanisms. And great conversations that go beyond basic t.v gossip and more into personal development.

- They have an experienced holistic coach to develop a relationship for long term success

- They Always have a training plan; Goals set, problem solving, program development schedule.

- They set gym appointments for themselves that never get broken (emergencies put aside)

- They understand a preferred training atmosphere (alone with headphones, training partner, personal trainer, group class)

The most successful exercisers have a combination of all of these  

- They have a written plan or at least a motivating concept to follow each and every training day 

--NO WINGING IT!

- They get re-assessed regularly to track progress (4-6 weeks coach catch-up, program re-design and discussion on metrics)

- They are intentional with training with long term progress realism 

- They have an eighty year plan, not an 8 week bootcamp.

So perhaps getting rid of the idea of "working out" acting like a hamster on a wheel that needs to mindlessly burn calories.

Get inspired to train, learn, develop, and give your body, life and gym the respect it deserves.

Book a session with your gym advisor today and ask them what their support plan looks like at it's best.

Tony Small

Health Coach