Recently I've been finding things hard. I've been injured, upset and ill on and off for a few months and I've got to thinking about where I expected to be at this time in this year.
I exercise regularly, try to keep a high baseline of non-exercise activity and generally try to watch what I'm eating. So why aren't I THERE yet?
For some of you this will seem silly - common sense maybe; but for me, it has been a revelation. I don't know how often I've said some thing like "i want to be as good as that person" and recently sat and thought about what makes me different -why am I NOT as good at that activity as that AWESOME person I'm watching? Well, how about hours of dedicated training? The question for me now is how MUCH do I want to be like that person? How much am I willing to give.
Things don't (usually) come with ease,on a first go, on natural talent. so many women say to me "Oh I'd love to pole dance but I don't have the strength" well of course you don't, unless you've been training for strength. Not many people, women especially just naturally have the strength to support their own body weight on one or two arms - you have to train into it - or off be lucky enough to work where your strength is a primary requirement.
So there I was, watching a YouTube video when this revelation hit me. I suppose it's always been something I suspected, but I'd never applied logic to the system. For years I wondered why I'm not a great guitarist...well, because I just don't practice enough. Time to apply that to my fitness goals. I say I want to be strong, I want to be good enough to compete, I want to have low body fat; but what am I ready to put in to getting those things?
Well, I've been closely looking at what I'm willing to put in and I've been brutally honest. I've not been willing to put enough in to get what I want and therein lies the answer to my question - why have I not seen the progress I've wanted to see?
So what can we do to achieve our goals?
I need to firstly commit to achieving them. Often goals can seem so far off they're hard to imagine completing - which is when you start to slip.
Secondly I need to know exactly what I need to do to achieve those goals. Time to set out and actually research my goals - strength, power, lower body fat.
Thirdly I need to decide how I'm going to achieve those goals. How much leeway do I have and how much does it mean to me - how much will I put in?
It's not all about sacrifice though...
Time and time again studies have shown that restrictive dieting leads to failure. In psychology this is based on something called the boundary model (Herman and Polivy) - we lash out psychologically to being too restricted. In everyday life, it's known as common sense - don't go too hard on yourself whilst maintaining a good edge.
Easier said than done!
So, time for me to go away and actually consider these points. Where do I want to be in a year's time? Can I get there? Do I WANT to get there?
Looking through my summer pictures, completing the Trailwalker and all of the pole progress I know that with dedication, anything is possible - it's just very easy to forget what you're actually capable of!
So - What are you willing to give up for your goals? What will you keep to maintain the balance?
References
http://psycnet.apa.org/books/11753/001
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1098-108X%28199107%2910:4%3C461::AID-EAT2260100411%3E3.0.CO;2-U
http://drexel.edu/psychology/faculty/lowe_michael/17_Lowe_Psych_Bull_1993.pdf
I exercise regularly, try to keep a high baseline of non-exercise activity and generally try to watch what I'm eating. So why aren't I THERE yet?
For some of you this will seem silly - common sense maybe; but for me, it has been a revelation. I don't know how often I've said some thing like "i want to be as good as that person" and recently sat and thought about what makes me different -why am I NOT as good at that activity as that AWESOME person I'm watching? Well, how about hours of dedicated training? The question for me now is how MUCH do I want to be like that person? How much am I willing to give.
Things don't (usually) come with ease,on a first go, on natural talent. so many women say to me "Oh I'd love to pole dance but I don't have the strength" well of course you don't, unless you've been training for strength. Not many people, women especially just naturally have the strength to support their own body weight on one or two arms - you have to train into it - or off be lucky enough to work where your strength is a primary requirement.
So there I was, watching a YouTube video when this revelation hit me. I suppose it's always been something I suspected, but I'd never applied logic to the system. For years I wondered why I'm not a great guitarist...well, because I just don't practice enough. Time to apply that to my fitness goals. I say I want to be strong, I want to be good enough to compete, I want to have low body fat; but what am I ready to put in to getting those things?
Well, I've been closely looking at what I'm willing to put in and I've been brutally honest. I've not been willing to put enough in to get what I want and therein lies the answer to my question - why have I not seen the progress I've wanted to see?
So what can we do to achieve our goals?
I need to firstly commit to achieving them. Often goals can seem so far off they're hard to imagine completing - which is when you start to slip.
Secondly I need to know exactly what I need to do to achieve those goals. Time to set out and actually research my goals - strength, power, lower body fat.
Thirdly I need to decide how I'm going to achieve those goals. How much leeway do I have and how much does it mean to me - how much will I put in?
It's not all about sacrifice though...
Time and time again studies have shown that restrictive dieting leads to failure. In psychology this is based on something called the boundary model (Herman and Polivy) - we lash out psychologically to being too restricted. In everyday life, it's known as common sense - don't go too hard on yourself whilst maintaining a good edge.
Easier said than done!
So, time for me to go away and actually consider these points. Where do I want to be in a year's time? Can I get there? Do I WANT to get there?
Looking through my summer pictures, completing the Trailwalker and all of the pole progress I know that with dedication, anything is possible - it's just very easy to forget what you're actually capable of!
So - What are you willing to give up for your goals? What will you keep to maintain the balance?
References
http://psycnet.apa.org/books/11753/001
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1098-108X%28199107%2910:4%3C461::AID-EAT2260100411%3E3.0.CO;2-U
http://drexel.edu/psychology/faculty/lowe_michael/17_Lowe_Psych_Bull_1993.pdf
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