It’s a new year. A new decade, even. And with it comes the inevitable avalanche of fitness pros offering advice on how to make your New Year’s resolutions “stick.” This isn’t quite one of those posts.
I’m not against it. I think it’s great that many people use this time to renew goals, refresh themselves, and start a healthier lifestyle. A gym membership? Great. Curious about veganism? Fantastic. Planning to sleep more, drink less caffeine, and drink more water? Lovely. And if you’re trying CBD oil to help with anxiety, diabetes, inflammation, and maybe even beat Jason Bourne in a fist fight? Cool.
But a part of my soul dies a little when I write a “resolution” post. It’s so cliché. What could I possibly say (from the internet) to inspire people not to be a statistic and to stick with their resolutions past next week?
Well, thankfully my good friend, and non-sexual life partner, Dean Somerset, wrote a bang-up post on Facebook the other day doing just that. It’s short, practical, and full of actionable context. It’s worth a look.
I don’t want to come across as a complete curmudgeon, however. I recognize my words have some power in the industry, so here’s a quick example of how, when the time comes (and it will come) when you want to quit or cheat a workout, you can re-frame your thinking.
As you embark on your fitness journey, you’ll encounter days you’ll want to skip or give up altogether. Who needs to work out when you can binge-watch The Witcher on Netflix? This feeling is normal. I’ve been lifting weights since I was 13 (at this point it’s part of my DNA) and have spent a lot of years telling people to do the same, and even I have days I’d rather jump into the depth of Mordor than look at a dumbbell.
Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a workout, exhausted, or just not feeling it that day, and think, “I really don’t want to do this next exercise.” I’m going home. Yes, it’s true. Despite our best efforts to portray otherwise on social media… even us fitness pros succumb to epic cases of the “Fuck It’s.” It’s okay and a perfectly acceptable human emotion. And sometimes you should give in to it. A day or two off from the gym isn’t the end of the world and often leads to better and more productive workouts afterward.
However, and this is my inner Captain Obvious speaking, this shouldn’t be a regular thing. Whether you want to call it grit, resiliency, or mettle, there’s a lot to be said about sticking to the plan and building a base of consistency. Instead—and using myself as an example—when these thoughts enter my mind, I’ll acknowledge them, let them metabolize, but then take a page from my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, and do a slight re-frame.
INSTEAD OF QUITTING THE EXERCISE/SET/WORKOUT OR CHEATING I’LL THINK TO MYSELF:
“Okay, here comes the tough part. This is what I want. I’m about to get stronger, more capable, and/or altogether more badass. My wife is totally going to want to make out with me when she sees these pecs.”
I don’t beat myself up for thinking the negative thoughts. Again, it’s normal. You do it, I do it, I suspect Tom Brady does it, we all do it. I’ll allow the thoughts to happen, to settle for several seconds, but then I’ll set the re-frame, turn the page, and complete my set/workout. The mind-trick works. It could be used for other, non-lifting goals too. Embrace the power of the re-frame. Do it. DO IT.
Not sure it’ll help with that last one, but you may have some luck with the others. There are resources that discuss this approach.
