We have all heard that we need to give ourselves the gift of health and while that is ultimately true, that’s a bit broad. I do believe in the importance of being healthy and also believe that the greatest thing we can do for ourselves is to live out our passions and spend our days feeling fulfilled by what we get to do with each moment we have.
And while you may or may not be living this way right now, I know that when you’re eating well and being physically active, it’s much more likely that you will.
So this Christmas, after you’ve opened up all your presents, I want you to take 10 minutes to be by yourself and write these 3 things down.
And after you write them down, I want you to answer them. And after you answer them, you are going to work on them every day until they are done. Your gift will come from the fruits of your hard work and commitment to making shit happen.
1) Why not now?
Ask yourself why you cannot get into the best shape of your life starting right this moment. The Holidays? bullshit. New work schedule? Bullshit. A baby on the way? Bullshit. Not enough time? More bullshit. The hard truth is that you are full of excuses and it’s time to face the reality of your situation.
You know you can and should look and feel much better than you do right now. You know you would love to have a physique that other guys are jealous of and that woman want to see more of.
I’m not asking you to write out your goals, because you aren’t going to do that. I just want you to list 3 reasons that you are telling yourself as to why you aren’t striving to be in great shape.
Once you know them, email them to me and I’ll send you a little “inspiration”. If not, use them to dig deeper into the real reason you aren’t taking action. Why are you using these as a crutch?
2) Inspire 1 person.
Giving to others is an incredible gift and far too often, we miss out on the opportunity to help others. We are so wrapped up in our lives that we forget the importance of doing something for others. There are people in your life right now that are terrified of exercise, hate the gym, feel terrible about themselves, and/or desperately want to get fit but don’t know how.
Your job is to inspire a single person to take action on overcoming their fears or insecurities. Maybe you do this by taking action in your life and being the catalyst for them. Maybe you give them a Groupon for a month long fitness boot camp class. Or maybe you challenge them to drop 15 pounds alongside you as you both work towards getting in shape.
Whatever you choose, I guarantee you will feel great and it’s truly a win-win here. Now who is your one person?
3) Do one workout.
I want you to do one workout between now and January 1st. That’s one workout more than you were going to do before you read this.A single workout will not change your body and may even have you feeling sore for a few days. But what it just might do is provide an inkling of motivation for you to do a second workout. And that, my friend, is how we start our habit of a consistent exercise program.
I don’t care what your workout looks like as long as it challenges you in some way. Here are a few examples that might work:
- Instead of walking for 30 minutes, run/jog for 5 minute intervals with 2 minutes of walking in between.
- Instead of sitting on your couch eating a whole canister of Pringles, take to the streets. Don’t let the cold weather stop you, get outside and walk (quickly) for 30 minutes or more.
- Spend 10 minutes running up and down hills. Be warned that this is brutal!
- Clean a space out in your garage to jump rope (you do own one right?) for 60 second intervals. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat. 10 minutes should do it.
- Even better, use that garage to do a circuit of bodyweight exercises. Pushups, burpees, squats, jump squats, twisting lunges, stepups, power jacks, plank jacks, and any variation of ground abdominal exercises will suffice. Some of these are not advisable if you have any injuries, especially knee, back, or hip issues.
If you want to do a workout but have no idea what to do, you aren’t alone and I will help you. Again, just email me and I will give you a workout based on your fitness level (and a few other things).
Now when are you going to do that workout?
Happy Holidays
I sincerely hope you have a great Holiday and wish you much success (fitness and otherwise) in the coming year.
emailed #BOOM!
Short version:
1. Takes too long to see results.
2. Healthy eating feels miserable at first, and “at first” can mean for months!
3. Current job and early-morning wake-up time has me dependent on sugar and caffeine to keep going.
David,
Here is what I can tell you:
1. While it may seem like a long time to see results, it’s often quicker than you may believe. If you commit to it, take action on it every single day and cover the basics, things do happen rather fast. You have to be a little patient especially if you have abused your body for along time.
2. Eating quality foods may feel like torture but after 3-4 weeks, it will be second nature. For example, I hate most vegetables and have rarely eaten them in my life. When I did the Paleo diet a while ago, I adopted a different mindset and made myself eat them. Sure it was nasty to begin with but after a few weeks, I almost started to enjoy them.
3. Those things are just temporary boosts to energy as you already know. Caffeine doesn’t need to be removed from your diet, just don’t drink your coffee with a ton of cream and sugar. Eating refined sugars is a nasty addiction and when you stop, you will feel like shit for a week maybe, then your body will feel much better. I say scrap the sugary shit and replace it with something (even slightly) healthier. Wean off of the sugars though as your body will most likely go into shock when you deprive it of them.