If there is one common denominator (and actually there are a few) among my most successful clients, it is this: adaptability. What do I mean? Let me give some examples:
- the ability to adapt to a different training schedule for a week or 2 when their travel/work mandates it
- the ability to adapt their diet plan and nutrition balance to the restaurant in which they find themselves, or the party to which they were invited
- the ability to adapt to any injuries or pain and continue to train, even if workouts must be temporarily modified
- the ability to adapt to what might be an entirely new way of eating, sleeping, and exercising – in order to get entirely new outcomes
You see, the fact that we are creatures of habit can be put to work for us: by making exercise a habit. Or…it can work very much against us: You might get the idea that you can workout only on certain days and only at certain times. Then, when you find yourself in a position where you cannot hit those specific days and times, it just doesn’t happen at all. You made the mistake of overemphasizing the time, and undervaluing the activity. Don’t get me wrong. Setting a time and place to do things is great. But many things are too important to only happen dependent on a specific time and place.
Let’s say you typically fill the gas tank of your car on the way to work on Monday, but this Monday you had an early meeting and you woke up a bit later than you wanted, so you just went straight to work. Now… Are you going to go all week without putting gas in your car? Just because you missed your “moment?” Of course not! Soon enough, you wouldn’t be going anywhere, right? Well, that’s precisely why so many people are “going nowhere” when it comes to their health and fitness. If each and every week doesn’t flawlessly present itself lathered up on a silver platter, carried by a singing butler belting out their favorite song while rejecting any form of tip…everything breaks down. As Stephen Covey might put it, the surely “important” gets sacrificed on the altar of the seemingly “urgent.”
Let me tell you what is both important and urgent: attention to your health. I wish I had the space to write and you had the time to read all the horror stories of people who waited too long. One of the most costly things you may ever do is put off getting healthy and fit. Perhaps you know someone who would concur. Perhaps you know someone else who would concur if they were still here to talk for themselves.
So I encourage you to become adaptable. Don’t let the little challenges in life (which aren’t stopping anytime soon!) deter you from getting in shape and living at your fullest potential. If you need help, contact me. It’s what I do.
