The other day.......
The names of the innocent have been changed to protect the blah, blah, blah.......
Mavis one of my clients the other day got asked a question at work.
Her friend Doris asked "Why do you go to the gym? You're already slim"
My client replied with a "Simple, because I enjoy it. It makes me feel good"
"But you don't need to exercise when you look like that. I wouldn't bother" said Doris
"I started going because I wanted to tone up and lose weight, but when I felt how it made me feel and how much I enjoyed lifting heavier weights I forgot about the weight loss" Mavis replied with a smile on her face
"Really?" questioned Doris
"What do you think makes me look this way anyway?"
"These legs don't grow on trees. I didn't get to look this way without some serious work in the gym" Mavis said sarcastically
The rest is history so won't bore you with then rest.
The point I'm trying to make is how amazes me how many people just think weight loss when any mention of the gym comes up.
There's so much more to it than that.
New clients I get usually have weight (fat) loss high on their list for hiring me.
Their programme is obviously going to have exercises to help with the fat loss but I try to instil more to help them realise their potential.
I get them to focus on their performance too.
Things like.....
Dead lifting more
Performing a full good rep press up or pull up
Increasing the sprint speed on their intervals
There's more to life than losing body fat! Looking great isn't easy as people think it is. It can take months, even years to get to where you want to be. You may find you get dishearten when you don't lose fat quickly. I guarantee once you're there you'll still not be happy anyway.
Comparing ourselves to others is a daily affair. Chill the fuck out and be happy with yourself.
You're so much more than the weight on the scales or the clothes size you wear
Comparing yourself to these perimeters will only increase the negative feelings of yourself.
If you do have fat loss/image goals at the moment, keep them as I'm not saying its bad. What I'm trying to get at is to include some other reason to get in the gym. You may not lose any fat from week to week but you can most certainly perform better every workout.
Pick some new performance goals to run along side your fat loss ones. You'll be amazed how much it'll help you look like the person you want to be.
Athletes look amazing!! You may not want to look like them but you can't deny how 'God' like they look, with their toned physiques and low, low body fat. The interesting thing is that they don't go for fat loss and image goals. Its all about performance with them and in the process they get that amazing body.
When you get a moment jot down some of the reasons you go to the gym
Here's mine
- Increased confidence (this is by far the biggest reason I go. I used to be a very timid and shy guy. Weight training changed that)
- Feeling good about myself
- Not looking like everyone else (physique)
- Being able to get through a whole day of work without fatigue
- Helping me get better sleep
- De-stressing after work
- Meeting people
- Go longer during sex
- Improving on what I can compared to the last session
- The sense of empowerment of lifting more weight
- Being able to do the pec dance
- Feeling like a mother fucking super hero
The list could go on.
YOU ARE MORE THAN THE WEIGHT ON THE SCALES OR HOW YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR!
Working towards performance goals or other reasons will more than likely get you to the end result anyway.
You'll feel better about yourself, perform better, feel fanstastic, never be demotivated and be an all round more awesome person.