Will you take a fall or will you stand strong this fall?

This is the time of year where we flip a coin to see if we’re going to be offense or defense. It’s important to remember your battles and how hard you’ve worked up to this point. If this was the summer of your life and you were in the best shape you’ve ever been in, then don’t throw it all away – keep striving to improve. If you’re really close to your goals but not quite there yet, keep going and you’ll get there. I’m saying this because I’m speaking from personal experience. I know how easy it is to “take it easy” after a summer of hardcore training to look buff at the beach. You may lose a little of your motivation and think that a week or two off won’t hurt you. And you’re right – a week or two off will not harm you in any way; in fact, it’ll probably do you some good if you haven’t taken any time off in the last little while. What you don’t want to do is slowly start falling off, letting your guard down when it comes to your nutrition and training. You may say that a cookie or two won’t hurt, but that cookie you had this morning and a piece of cake last night will accumulate over time and in no time you’ll be saying “what happened?” It’s that easy to slip and break your regime. Stay on top of your game, re-evaluate your goals and priorities often. Set your goals and write them down so they’re concrete; you’re more likely retain them if they’re visible.

A great way to stay on top of your training in the “off-season” is to cut the total training volume and frequency down. Train a little less each session and perform fewer sessions per week. Try to include some “play” type of activity in your training program as well. For example, your training program could consist of 3 resistance training sessions per week (full body), one to two swimming sessions each week, and some indoor sport like squash, indoor soccer, or indoor tennis – just for fun.

Bottom line is this: if you want to continue making progress and have some fun while reaching your personal body composition goals, you can do this by reducing the overall time you spend in the gym and including some other things you enjoy doing that will contribute to your goals. You’ll enjoy the process much more and you’re more likely to stick to training during these long, cold winter months.

Understand what it takes!

This morning I had a discussion with one of my clients about her personal goals and where she wanted to be a by certain points throughout the next few months. As we started talking, we both noticed that her current behaviors weren’t matching her “outcome goals.” She wasn’t ready to change and exchange some of the things she was currently doing for new things that needed to be done in order for change to occur. It’s very important to understand that if you want your body to change, you will most likely have to change some things in your life in order to get that result. Working with many individuals has exposed me to many different personalities and lifestyles. Most of the time people want a certain result but they’re not willing to change their lifestyle to achieve it; instead, they become just like everyone else in the gym who simply works out and nothing more. In order to reach your personal best when it comes to body composition or improving your health and lifestyle, you will need to change some of your current behaviors – especially if these behaviors got you where you are right now – for new behaviors that support your outcome goals. So, if you want to loose X amount of body fat, then going out with friends on a Saturday night and drinking all night may not be in your best interest. If you’re not willing to give up some of the things you’re currently doing and you want to “have a life,” then maybe you should rethink your goals and start off with something smaller. I’m not saying you’ll never be able to go out and party again. All I’m saying is you can still have fun and drink less that night. Remember, you don’t have to turn into a monk just to improve your body composition or improve your health. Just understand that your behaviors have to match and support your goals at all times.

Watch this clip, it may change your life!