Do you have a fitness goal? Three questions to get you started.

Most people are too general when they meet with a personal trainer.  Too general means too vague.  You need to be more specific to know if you reached your goal.

Fitness goals are different for everyone.  Some people may have similar end goals, but their journeys may be different.  A good example of this is the Olympics.  All the competitors had the same end goal...winning the coveted gold medal.  How they got to Paris was similar in that they had to win in competition.  Their individual training methods were different and geared to the individual's needs and abilities.

Fitness goals also change with time as we age.  When I was a teenager, I trained for sport primarily.  How I looked and felt came in a close second once I saw the body changes.  A third reason then became attraction to the opposite sex.  I'm sure this thinking still holds true today.

In my 20's I was no longer participating in organized sports, but the other two reasons still continued to be factors and kept me going.  Once I hit my 30's and settled down, my main focus was less on the vein and more on the health benefits and a longevity of life to spend with family.  That's where I have been for sone time now.

I ask again, what is your fitness goal in your current stage of life?

Once you know what your end goal is, how are you going to get there?  How motivated are you to get started?  How motivated are you to keep going when roadblocks occur and how are you going to get around those roadblocks?

Please don't let this seem like you are about to take on K2, the second highest mountain in the world.  These are questions that can be answered and acted on with simple steps.  The key is taking action.

Question 1: What is your end goal?  Put on muscle, lose fat, improve performance.  These are the three main ones I hear over and over.

Question 2: How much muscle do you want to put on?  How much fat do you want to lose?  What performance metric do you want to improve (speed, endurance, reaction time, distance thrown) for your sport?

Question 3:  What is the deadline to reach your goal?  Be realistic here.  It will not happen overnight.  Make your goal something you have to reach for.  If you make it too high, you may not reach it.  You will then be discouraged and give up on reaching your goal.  You also don't want it to be so low that you don't have to put forth any effort.  

Once you have these questions down, you can start to figure out what to do to reach your goal.

Bonus question to think about: 

What will you do when you plateau or have a set back?  This happens to everyone.  You lose weight, then you stop...or gain a little back?  You gain muscle then you plateau and don't seem to gain more.  You're on a set schedule to work out and an issue at work or with family keeps coming up.  This doesn't mean to give up on your goal.  You just have to tweak what you are currently doing.  This is one reason why I prefer to work out early in the morning and get it out of the way with no interference from work or family.  If I wait till later in the day, something always seems to come up.

If you have questions or are looking for a personal trainer, let me know.  You can contact me at RHWellsfitness@gmail.com 

2019: A New Year, A New You

Hello everyone.  Happy New Year!

As 2018 came to a close, I was thinking about what I achieved in the year and where I fell short.  I realized that I had some big goals.  Some very big goals.  I also spent a lot of time reading, analyzing, and thinking about what to do next.  The problem:  too much thinking/analyzing and not enough action.

To make dreams and goals a reality, you have to work and take action.  That is something I have not been very good at the last few years.  This is what I plan to change in 2019.

Examples of this are:

Getting in better shape.  I can not get in better shape just thinking about it.  I can not do it by simply watching a video.  I actually have to take action and move.  I started a new workout routine yesterday that I will do for the next six weeks.  Resistance three days a week, and cardio for three days with a day off to recover.

Part of getting in better shape is being mindful of my eating habits.  Cutting down on sweets.  I have a big sweet tooth so this is challenging for me.

What are your goals for 2019?

Is it going back to school?  Is it finding a better job?  Getting in better shape?  Eating better?  Spending more time with family?  The list of things to improve is endless.  The one key to all of this is to take action.

Want to go back to school?  Do you know what you want to study?  Do you have to take a test?  What do you need to study to take this test?

Looking for a better job.  Are you burnt out on your current one?  Are you looking for something you are passionate about?  What skills will you need?  Do you currently have any of them?  Do you have to go back to school?

As you can see, there are a lot of questions you need to ask to make any type of change.  These questions are just the beginning.

My focus is health and fitness.  To change these, you need to make up your mind that you need to change.  Talking about it isn't going to change anything.  Wishing it will not work either.  No one else can do the work for you.  You will have to do it on your own.  People can help and assist you, but you will have to do the work.  People have made the changes that you are thinking about many times over.  If others can do it, why can't you?  What makes them different than you?  They don't have a special secret formula to see success.

I have found that there are two secrets at work (and they are not really secrets at all): 1.  Do the work and 2) stay consistent.   Changes come from the accumulation of all the small steps.

This being a new year, you have an opportunity to make the changes you want.  Go forth and make those changes.  If you need assistance, feel free to contact me.

In Fitness,
RH Wells