Resolutionaries...?

For as long as I've known about New Year's, I've known that you're supposed to make a New Year's resolution. A new start, to a new year, to a better you. It's often a resolution to quit something...smoking, eating too much, cursing, you name it...if it's bad for you someone along the way has decided to give it up for the New Year. The other majority of promises have to do with increasing one's health, the biggest is to start working out or going to the gym.

With everything bad that we're quitting and all the new and healthy things we've added to our lifestyle, well we should be some of the healthiest and most fit folks ever. We might even be...at least for a month. Then before we've even become accustom to our new lifestyle, temptation grabs hold and quickly steers most of us back to our previous and somewhat undesirable way of life.

It's clear that my thoughts about the New Year's Resolution aren't all that high. However, it has helped some of us, and perhaps this year it will effect a few more. My question is, well two-fold I guess...

If you're going to attempt to make such profound changes in your life, why not stick with it a little longer to actually see the benefit and results that will encourage you to stick with it longer? And, secondly, why use the New Year as your crutch?

Committ to a change and stick with it, whether it's tomorrow night or in the middle of March, follow through with what you commit yourself to, and enjoy the benefits of doing so.

Blaming Desire

Uh oh, what on earth could I possibly be talking about? Emotions drive our actions, ranging from desire to anger, and vanity to angst. These emotions are responsible for our want to workout or sit on the couch, they influence the way we eat, they are even the reason we choose indulgence over satisfaction.

You're stuck when one emotion controls multiple actions. For example, most of us want to look good in a bathing suit, yet that same group of people will also on occassion (some more than others) give in to food cravings and the comfort of the couch. So how do you train your brain to put down the bonbon and pick up the kettlebells (or dumbbells, barbells, you get my point)?

I'm sure there are a ton of answers out there, just as there is for everything, but the one answer we're all looking for is the one that helps us out. Fair enough. The problem lies in motivation and accountability. I know I shouldn't eat that dark chocolate truffle with that smooth, melt in your mouth buttercream filling, but let's be honest, I sometimes indulge (ah, back to an emotion).

The question is, how do I train myself to believe that I'm better off without the bonbon? Simple answer is, when you eat too many you feel like crap. Another questions is, do I really want to get up off the couch and hit the gym? Simple answer is, you may not want to, but the only way to fit into the one size too small bikini you bought for vacation is to go. It also helps to tease yourself. Tell yourself that you can have a not-so-good-for-you-dessert after dinner because you went to the gym and got in a good workout. Chances are you'll feel really good about/from the workout, you won't want to ruin it with the dessert. And reality is after a few weeks of questioning emotions and actions together the good choices will start to just happen without having to think about it all the time because it's about making a lifestlye change not about going on a diet.

Thanks Sam...

Well, well, well...

Looks like it's been a month (or more) since I posted to my own blog...tisk tisk. I blame all the good things that have been happening, not a bad thing to blame I suppose.

The gym is moving to a bigger space.

The gym is moving about two blocks from it's current location. We're expanding in size by two and a half times. It's going to be an amazing space, and we're looking at January for the official move. The grand opening (which includes one hell of a workout among other things will follow the move.)

There are a number of other things in the works, but I want to keep them quiet until they are all official.

So, I hope you are all still training hard and achieving your goals. I'll need everyone's progress of the 6 week challenge to post the results.

Hope you stick around, it's going to be a fun and wild ride.