Last week we looked at some commonly known facts about fitness to serve as a baseline of knowledge moving forward towards a lasting change. This week we will look at what it means to actually change. Can you actually change? Research says yes you can! Although there are genetic innate traits that cant be changed, there are some traits that you can, with practice. Practice is the key word here. I call myself a coach, and like in sports the coach helps the athletes “practice ” their sport to get better. I “coach” my clients to help them live a healthier life, and this will take practice. This takes time, and we do have to change habits. So how is this done?
Well, first we need to understand that there are many ways to make a change, and one way will work for some, but not for all. Much like with anything else, there is not a one size fits all solution. Some people love a pat on the back, and some want to be yelled at like a drill Sargent. What motivates you is personal, and it is my job to help you find out what that is. Ultimately it is not up to me, I cant tell you ” Stuart, THIS is what motivates you,” rather I will provide clients with the tools to help them find their motivation. Finding the right path is as important as picking the right exercises, if not more so. We can write a great plan , put forth a well balanced meal plan, but if you aren’t ready to make the change none of that stuff matters. In next weeks’ post I will outline several different ways we can practice effective behavior change in the form of behavior change models. we will go over a few of the models and offer a scenario for each to illustrate how they work. In general though, here how it actually works:
When you have stress in your life your body will react to that stress in several ways both physically and mentally. As stated last week if we don’t fix the root of the issue we won’t make a lasting change. That being said a good routine and diet won’t always be the answer, part of the answer maybe, but not the whole picture. as for what drives us internally we will need to open up to ourselves and really identify what about this stress bothers us, or causes the anxiety. For a lot of people changing their physical lifestyle is a daunting task, and that alone causes stress. Stepping into the gym, heck getting out of the car is a huge step. What should I wear? Am I going to look stupid? will I be the worst one in the group exercise class? All of these are common fears that my go through that can be changed. Sometimes it’s just taking the first step, however some never move past the fears, even if they go to the gym everyday. In that instance these folks may be hampered from making real progress in the long run. We can’t get rid of stress in our lives, and we will never be perfect in our fitness pursuits, and that is okay, and important to know. What we DO need to do though is recognize what triggers us, and make a plan to avoid that in the future. You do this over and over, and eventually you have your own personal self-help guide to avoid what trigger YOU. You will develop coping mechanisms that will be called upon in certain stressful scenarios that will help you lessen the effect of the stress, and let you move past towards your goals. Next week we will show how this works within a few different models, and hopefully one will speak to you. In the meantime rest easy and know that there IS a solution. Everyone CAN reach their goals. at UPP we want to help you on your path. Remember, there is #nowherebutupp.