For those of you who have hit plateaus with your training or feel like your progress is a little on the slow side, here’s a how-to guide on how you can boost your results:
Demand more from your body
When you’re grinding that bike or gunning up that hill – If your lungs scream at you, you’ve got to get that inner voice of motivation louder! Remind yourself of the reasons you’re doing this!
Can you go higher? Deeper? Harder? Longer? What limits are you placing on yourself? Are they genuine or are they just excuses? Do you want to walk out of each session feeling like you’ve done your very best? Only you know when that is…
Remember that pain is temporary, quitting is forever. You don’t want any regrets. Think back to what your goals were when you started your particular programme, are you on track?
Every workout counts!
Each time you stop yourself short – whether it’s one bad attitude day, one workout, one rep, or just one minute – you’re one step behind in your goal. Make every moment an opportunity to use wisely and not waste it!
Calculate what percentage of your time you’re devoting to your health and fitness. We all have 168 hours in our week to ‘spend’. How are you spending your 168? Is there any way you can sneak an extra hour or two in of activity somewhere? Your mind will straight away come up with excuses why not to do things. Otherwise, you’d be doing them now. Get creative and turn off the voice of doubt; starting thinking WHAT IF. Why not see how far you can go; is it really that impossible?
Consider adding even just a 20 minute brisk walk or a home body-weight workout three mornings a week. It would rev your metabolism up for the day, give you some additional (and probably well needed) ‘you time’ and add up to an additional four hours of cardio in a month – just by making a simple and ‘do-able’ change in your lifestyle.
Can you just for a minute take some time to really be honest with yourself and adopt some WHY NOT thinking? What have you been putting off? When are you going to do it? If not now, when? Why not see what you can become or how much you can grow?
Pictures are powerful
Find at least three pictures from a magazine or the internet that you will look at daily to help reinforce your goals. Print out and put in at least two places – e.g. fridge, wallet, bedroom wall. This one task can literally change your thinking when you’re deciding what actions to take.
Focus on physiques that you would like to look like, or people that are doing things you’d like to do. It will make you want to get up and get moving! Enjoying your life through having the best health you can is a great reward for disciplined and consistent effort. You will feel energised, strong, alive and ready to take on the challenges of life!
Photo / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – Ambro