Statistics may matter but not to me. For everything I want there’s a statistic to tell me I shouldn’t want it! Get married? 50% failure rate! Start a business? 3 out of 4 don’t make it! Get fit? Your family genetics don’t support it! Statistics lump you with the average. Who the %*$# said I’m average?
Each day take small steps towards your big goals! Otherwise it’s a lot of wasteful thinking! No one has time for that!
If you’d treat your body like a successful business you’d find that you rarely have to start over again in health or fitness. A business takes time to grow and may have learning experiences disguised as setbacks. A successful business requires focus, resources, and commitment. A successful business plans for the future. Treat your body like a business and reap the success!
If most of us went on an organic diet we’d save money in the long run and probably lose body fat! Hear me out….by paying a little more for your food you’d place more value on it and not waste it. Chances are you’d eat a little less meat and sub in more beans and vegetables as organic meats tend to be a bit pricier. Your medical bills over time would be reduced because we know that excess body fat is linked to a number of self inflicted maladies. Finally, with large consumer demand the prices of organics would decrease. It seems like a winning strategy for us and the earth!
My goal is to help you work around these legitimate reasons for skipping your self care until we figure out a way to work through it! Let’s keep it reasonable and guilt free!
Common theory states that it takes a person twenty-one days to create a new habit or replace a bad one. What if it takes you twenty-two days? Does that mean there’s something wrong with you or it didn’t work? No. It means nothing. Your goals are your goals. And setting yourself up to fail with rigid but popular time limits doesn’t get you there faster. You may be the person who needs to stop and start, or you might complete it in less time. It really doesn’t matter! Eventually you will step in to your power and own it!
If you’ve ever broken up with your hairdresser, manicurist, dentist or OB-Gyn you’ll understand what a tragedy it is to break up with your gym!
My life has a number of constants in it and a big one with work and my own mental and physical health is my gym. I depend on it for stress relief, social interaction, flirting/dating, and up to the minute celebrity gossip. Don’t quit your gym without a solid replacement!
If you had asked me 6 months ago if I ever saw leaving my Co-ed, hardcore gym I’m pretty sure I would have laughed like a banshee. I was in a commited, professional relationship with my personal trainer and was able to monopolize machines and cardio equipment mostly without interruption.
When I found myself at an all Women’s Gym I was amazed for all the right reasons! For starters it’s as you’d imagine, clean, spacious and spa-like. There’s tons of cardio equipment with my all time favorite stair climber. All of the equipment is new and well oiled so there’s no need to throw your back out adjusting a seat or machine to fit your height. The machines appear to be smaller in size to accomodate smaller proportioned women and there’s no one ever in the squat rack. Kidding! I’m sure someone uses it besides me!
Pretty regularly I’ll run across a bit of social media lambasting the type of woman that would dare wear makeup to the gym. It’ll usually play out with the tweeter/facebooker/poster making a comment like, “I only come here to sweat…blah, blah, blah!” Here’s why they couldn’t be more wrong!
First off, those floor to ceiling mirrors in the gym, contrary to popular belief, are NOT for daily selfies. Those big, gorgeous mirrors are provided to ensure proper form and execution of an exercise. If you are a novice you need to see yourself in the mirror. Mirrors also provide an aid to making the mind-body connection when doing an exercise. It sounds lofty but it really works. Don’t phone in your workouts. Concentrate even if for no other reason it gets your mind off of the challenges of your day!
Women need Men. The gym is filled with them. A revelation, I know. Seriously though if you work 9 to 5 and you aren’t making the time to do online dating or getting regularly set up by your friends with eligible bachelors then this is a normal place to look. The bonus being that you two already have one thing in common.
Lastly, and one of the most important reasons to get “dolled up” for the gym is the idea that when you look good you feel good. As a long time fitness enthusiast and personal trainer the way you see yourself is tied to your performance in a given task. It is my experience that when women don’t like what they see in the mirror they tend to avoid the mirror. Some clients have gone so far as to tell me that they hate the way they look. It’s no surprise to me that their hair isn’t done, maybe their outfit doesn’t match, they didn’t sleep well etc.
Trus me when I tell you that I look like this in the morning and the only way you will see me looking like this is if you snap my picture at 5am on the days I do fasted cardio.
My point is this, I know it’s a battle just to get to the gym on a regular basis. So once there give it all you’ve got, make it count and don’t let it be a wasted effort. Over time the positive changes will come. I’m no makeup expert but curled lashes, a rosy cheek and a nice gloss go a long way in making you ready to crush your next workout in the gym!