What is Normal

I conceived this blog post on the treadmill at 3:45am and in particular the question ‘what is normal’.

I certainly felt abnormal as I looked around at an empty gym.

I felt abnormal when I explained to clients later that day what my morning entailed and saw the look of bewilderment on their face.

This got me to reflect on what is normal and I really started to give it some thought over the coming week.

What I determined is that there really is no universal normal, there’s only what’s normal to you. This theory applies to all areas of life;

• Injury – I can train two clients with the same injury who are capable of completely different things.

• Blood tests – we can test the testosterone of two different men and they can be the exact same level in both men and they both could show significantly different testosterone related symptoms.

• Nutrition – we can take two people, the same age, same back ground, same education and one will sit down to a salad for lunch and the other will consume fast food daily.

*

There really is no normal in the sense that there’s a one size fits all description that works for all people. There are however some ‘norms’ that need to be shifted in order to achieve a desired outcome.

The reason I was on the treadmill at 3:45am is not because I enjoy being up at that  time but rather that I didn’t have the time in the day ahead to dedicate time to cardio. I made a decision that day to change my normal in order to achieve a goal for the day – 60min of cardio.

This change to my normal fits into my life as part of the overall picture of good health and regular exercise I have come to expect of myself.

If you are looking to make a change for the better I recommend starting with has become your normal.

What is your normal level of exercise?

What does your normal consumption of food consist of?

What does your normal mental state look like?

Answer these questions truthfully and closely and make the necessary change in order to get what you deserve!

Listening to Respond - NoT to Learn....

Having worked in the fitness industry for over 10 years I have worked with and consulted with thousands of clients. These clients have ranged dramatically from those looking to lose their last 5kg to those that have never exercised in their life and now find themselves morbidly obese.

With a plethora of information now available on any and every subject imaginable finding the truth can be harder than just asking the question.

However let’s assume that asking the question is where it starts.

In a digital age where information is at your fingertips 24/7 asking the question is easy and getting ‘a’ response is instantaneous however the task quickly becomes what to do with that information?

*

Many times we are given the answer to our question before we ask it;

Infomercials that flood our TV screens and social media platforms telling us how to lose 10kg in 10 days without getting off the couch are everywhere.

All this information can put the average punter looking for direction in a difficult position. As a result many times they end up consulting with a local fitness professional albeit after a few failed attempts at the instant result TV fat blaster.

*

It is at this point in time where the title of this post can becomes an issue - Listening to Respond…. Not to Learn.

Often seeing a fitness professional is a last resort, it often means, that you have ‘failed’ to achieve the results you desire on your own.  This can create a defensive mindset and one that can ultimately lead to postponing the results you desire even further.

Because you are defensive you may be Listening to Respond…. Not to Learn without even realising.

Example Conversation;

Fitness Professional – What does your regular diet consist of?

Potential Client – My diet is good, I don’t eat any processed or fast foods. I mostly eat fruits, vegies and some kind of protein.

Fitness Professional – Do you exercise regularly and if so what do you do?

Potential Client – I have tried everything and no matter what I do I can’t shift this weight.

In my experience this conversation has been rehearsed in the potential clients head many times. I believe these responses are prepared in advance in order to justify why they may have failed in the past and to externalise the problem.

On the other side of the consult desk the trainer asks these questions hoping to learn what he/she already suspects, there is an underlying issue of poor diet and exercise habits that have not be correctly nurtured into something of importance.

What this conversation may also indicate to the fitness professional is the level of difficulty/resistance this client my present when it comes to achieving results.

I have never worked with someone that was overweight that exercises correctly and eats correctly on a regular basis.

Consider this; if you were a fitness professional and you have an obese person sitting in front of you who says they eat well and exercise regularly and they have tried everything but just can’t shift the weight what do you do?

Personally I consider what I have seen in the past. The fact is that I have never seen these things align – perfect eating and exercise not result in weight loss if that was the goal. With this information the fitness professional’s job then becomes more difficult and sensitive.

I believe the potential client is doing one of two things;

Listening to Respond…. Not to Learn.

Or

Responding with what they think to be the truth – they think they really are exercising and eating well.

Both situations require the fitness professional to break the process down and point out where the client may be going wrong.

**

This story is so common I see in on a weekly basis. Perhaps this is your story.

Understand that  if your car is not running right you take it to a mechanic and you explain exactly what you know in order to fix the problem as simply as possible.

Think of a fitness professional as your body’s mechanic. If you present to them with a story that makes you feel better about yourself but is not 100% faculty accurate you are most likely lengthening the time you will be in the state that you have grown to dislike.

You have nothing to prove to your new trainer, you also shouldn’t feel as though you have to lie about some area of your current situation. If your trainer doesn’t understand or makes you feel uneasy you need a NEW trainer.

Approach a fitness professional as you do your mechanic - expect that if you explain the situation you find yourself in, they will have heard it before and have experience in dealing with it. If you then go on to following their instructions you will correct the problem.

Listen to learn - not to respond!

Start at the Start

It’s important when starting any endeavour for the first time to ‘start at the start’.

What does this mean?

I have witnessed on numerous occasions budding health enthusiasts start a brand new health and fitness program at a level they wish to attain one day as opposed to the level at which they currently are.

In my opinion this isn’t a sensible or realistic choice rather it is the result of one or two factors or a combination of the two;

1. Lack of experience.

2. Desire to make rapid change.

Consider your weekly routine in relation to nutritional choices and exercise commitments. Did you assume this new routine all of sudden or is this something that you have developed over time?

If this new found routine is something that has recently burst into existence please be warned – while what you are doing is often correct on paper and may very well be expediting your desired results there are some considerations to make.

1)      Is this sustainable? Will you be able to maintain this pace and consistency long term? If not what happens when this current program ends?

2)      Is it healthy? Are you training and eating for longevity and good health or are you crash dieting and exercising obsessively? The difference is one gives you the ability to achieve great results and health long term but may take a little longer while the second option delivers rapid results but long-term can cause health issues and bounce back.

3)      Is it informed and specific – is the new routine you have adopted something that was prescribed specifically for you to align with your goals? In many cases we do what our ‘friend/partner/sister/mother’ etc that lost weight told us to do. This can lack the specificity needed to deliver efficient results or the steady implementation needed to be manageable long-term.

Take away.

Be patient and be in it for the long haul. Our health is all we have so why be in a rush to gloss over the education process needed for long term understanding of what it takes to truly gain health and wellness.

Get help. Find a fitness professional that has a track record of helping people and invest in their time and expertise.

Finally trust the process and go to work!!

Go Up Goals

Throughout your fitness journey you will encounter a number of people, some of whom may show an interest in what you are doing and why you are doing it.

In every program I have ever been involved in someone inevitably brings up a concern about those around them being negative or trying to bring them down for the new choices and changes they are trying to implement. 

This is basic human nature and if this has already happened to you understand that you are not alone.

World famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, share your ‘Give Up Goals’ with everybody but be very careful with whom you share your ‘Go Up Goals’.

Give up goals are simple to understand and they offend very few people, for example giving up drinking or smoking, giving up swearing or going out. These are simple ideals that generally speaking don’t offend others and are obvious choices when it comes to self-improvement.

Go up goals on the other hand are more dramatic and make those around you question themselves and their beliefs at a fundamental level, be it consciously or subconsciously. For example, improving your health or losing weight, starting a business, improving your sales, making more money, buying an investment property etc

These ‘go up goals’ make those around you who may not be comfortable with their position in the world uneasy and as a result they take a shot at you and your dream in order to feel better about themselves. If there shot works and you fail they somewhat validate their position of being ‘stuck’ where they are.

If you are on a journey to better health or better financial stability or any other positive self-improvement destination choose wisely those with whom you share your ideas.

For those that find out along the way and try to bring you down, and they will try to bring you down, understand why and where they are coming from and understand that their position has no reflection on your choice to do what’s best for you!!

What others think of you is NONE of your business! It doesn’t affect you, it doesn’t change you and it CAN’T stop you!

Timed Rest

To someone like myself who has trained all my life there are particular nuances of training that make all the difference in gaining results, keeping things interesting and continually challenging the body.

You must understand that the body will adapt to new stresses remarkably quickly and while this is good in a survival situation it’s not what we want in the gym/training environment. When we adapt to our particular training methods it means that the body has stopped growing and improving and we are in a state of maintenance.

A key element to protect against adaptation is timed rest.

Any good training program will included recommended rest between sets and exercises. This rest recommendation has been specifically recommended to allow sufficient time for the body to recover while maintaining a desired level of intensity.

While this information is key many choose to overlook it preferring to use rest periods that feel right or allow for adequate conversation between you and your training partner.

What this ‘free form’ rest does is dilute the information that can be gained from the session and also promote adaptation.

Consider this;

Resting for an extended period of time due to conversation or simply not paying attention.

1)      You may lift your normal weight however because of the extended rest period the intensity drops as you are now recovered fully.

2)      You may be able lift more weight due to the extended rest and you consider this a strength increase. This is not a strength increase this is a rest increase.

What I recommend is to use specific rest periods and be strict with them.

Get a stopwatch and hang it around your neck.

As soon as you finish a set hit start; 15sec before the end of your rest get back in position to ensure you are prepared to commence the lift when the rest period is over.

While this might sound like overkill it will allow for the following;

-          Cut training time dramatically making time in the gym shorter and more efficient.

-          Raise training intensity.

-          Allow for true identification of strength increase.

-          Provide a goal for every session eg last week I could do 8 reps on my last set, this week I aim to do 9 etc

If you have never tried specific timed rest try it in your next workout and notice the difference in intensity and strength.

Enjoy!!

Be Relentless

‘Motivation is like bathing, it must be done daily to be effective’.

Someone much more intelligent than me once said that a long time ago but it’s as true now as it was then!

I try really hard to feed my desire for positive motivation daily however some days it just doesn’t happen – life simply gets in the way.

What I have come to realise is that we must be committed to finding motivation in whatever we can. However to keep us going on the days in which motivation alludes us we must develop a determination that leads us to become relentless.

• A relentless determination is what gets you out of bed on a rainy cold morning to go to the gym.

• A relentless determination is what empowers you to turn down a drink at a social occasion.

• A relentless determination is what empowers you to train in your hotel room by yourself with no equipment.

• A relentless determination is what one must develop in order to achieve success that is life changing.

I’m not taking about losing 5kg, or watching what you eat, I am talking about the life changing results that see you smash the health and fitness goals of your wildest dreams.

This relentless determination is the stuff that normal everyday people don’t ever imagine. At this level of relentless determination you don’t miss a meal because you slept in. You don’t miss training because your child is sick.

At this level you make excuses that enable you to get to your goal ahead of schedule rather than accept whatever misfortune the day may bring.

If you have made it to this point in the blog let me encourage you to make a commitment to yourself – not me, not your partner or your kids – make a commitment to yourself right now - commit to finding your relentless determination that lies within.

Find it, grab hold of it, nurture it and allow it to propel you to the exact place in life you want to be!!