Building your own fitness dials
When I first interact with new clients I'm almost always listening to times when they used to be on it 100% and need to get back to that state.
Life has got busy, but when they're on it, they're on it. And they desperately need to get back to that headspace to have any chance of getting fit again.
The thing is, life is messy, and as much as we want and feel we need to be on it all of the time, it's that exact mindset that's keeping them in the position they're in now.
Out of shape, demotivated, and lacking clarity on where to begin...
So, over the years I've learnt to talk about fitness dials. It means that we can dial our expectations down (or up) to match our current lifestyle.
If someone is traveling a lot, perhaps a 10/10 is training in a commercial gym with a full setup.
Maybe an 8/10 is training with just a few DB's in a hotel gym.
6/10 could be a hotel room bodyweight workout.
And if they're tight for time still, a 4/10 could just be a mobility routine in the hotel room before they go to bed or when they wake up.
A 3/10 could be parking further away from where they're headed to get more steps in.
I've found this extremely useful because it doesn't promote the all-or-nothing approach my clients have used in the past, but an always-something approach.
And it's these very choices, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem that add up to long-term consistency and a more level-headed approach to getting in shape (and staying in shape) that perhaps wouldn't have happened if they kept the all-or-nothing mindset.
Try it for yourself. If you bemoan a lack of consistency and only switch it on now and then when life is simple and you can train and eat well 100% of the time, this little mindset shift will do wonders for your long-term health.
Where else can you dial in your health when it comes to your diet? Lifestyle and overall activity?
You never have to be perfect, you just have to be consistent. That's the true marker of those who are in shape - and seemingly stay in shape when life gets messy.
~ Sam
Hi! I'm Sam.
I'm a strength coach with my own private studio nestled in Northwood high street.
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