November 13, 2023 • 19 mins
Have you ever wondered why we make excuses for not hitting the gym or taking that yoga class?
This episode uncovers how our mental state and personal development directly influence our physical health.
We discuss the critical connection between our mind and body, explain how mindfulness and personal development can help us overcome the hurdles that keep us from starting a fitness program, and share tips for staying motivated and finding support in fitness-based communities.
Health and fitness often take a back seat in our hectic lives.
But did you know that major corporations are investing in wellness programs because they've realized the immense impact of employee health on their bottom line?
We dive into the criticality of prioritizing our health amidst chaotic schedules and discuss how to adapt to our circumstances and let go of what's holding us back. Finally, we offer a step-by-step guide to creating a sustainable fitness plan that aligns with your lifestyle and energy levels.
So, are you ready to kick those excuses to the curb and take control of your health? Tune in and join us on this journey to a healthier you!
👉👉 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, share, and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast listening platforms.
🌟 AND be sure to JOIN the 2% Collective - a free community where you can connect with like-minded whole health champions and get many free resources, challenges, action guides, and much more. Go to www.2percentcollective.com Â
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter 3 Eliminate your why Nots.
Most people have had theexperience of starting a new
fitness plan only to abandon itcompletely or revert back to
their old habits.
Name one person who hasn't madeworking out part of their New
Year's resolutions at some pointin their lives.
We often start with tons ofenthusiasm, launching head-on
(00:21):
into a brutal workout routine.
Perhaps we've tried to cram asmuch exercise into our downtime
as we possibly can, or suddenlybegun moving at a pace that's,
frankly, well beyond us.
Too often the end result isthat we crumble as soon as we
start, feeling even slightlyoverwhelmed.
It's actually quite possible tobecome overwhelmed at the very
thought of starting an exercise,even before you take the first
(00:44):
step.
To go from feeling that youdon't have the energy to start
moving even a little to hittingthe gym or working with a
personal trainer is a massiveshift.
Lacking follow through on adecision to get fit, whether
we've started and stopped ornever started at all, usually
boils down to a matter of time,fear, energy or motivation.
Who hasn't thought I'm tooexhausted after my commute to
(01:08):
work out?
Or, once I've put the kids intobed, I'm beat, or I can't work
out because I can't afford a gymmembership Heck.
In my line of work.
I've heard it all, includingthe excuse of I'll go to the gym
when I'm in a little bit bettershape.
Spoiler alert fit people aren'tthey?
(01:29):
They work at it.
If you use that as your primaryexcuse, you're never going to
be fit.
How about this classical line Ispend all my time driving my
kids to their sports andextracurriculars.
It really leaves me with notime left to exercise.
The message you're giving yourchildren is that you're at a
(01:49):
shape because of them, and theunderlying message is that
physical activity is somethingyou have to give up when you
become an adult or a parent.
Some people are intimidated,even scared, by the thought of a
fitness program, and theysimply don't know where to start
.
They don't know how much timethey need to put into it, so
they feel unable to create aplan.
(02:09):
Others are recovering from aninjury, such as a convict, in
which case remaining in anactive might seem like a way to
avoid pain or re-injury.
The fact is, all of theseexcuses are exactly.
They are crutches and theystand in the way of our lives.
We can choose to allow excusesto prevent us from looking after
ourselves.
We can use every out at ourdisposal, or we can choose to
(02:34):
change our mindset.
So kick away those crutches.
So just how do you kick thosemetaphorical crutches to the
side and stamp happily on yourown two feet?
How do you remove your ownperceived barriers and flow into
that moment when you just knowwhat needs to be done and you're
ready to do it?
For some people, the best firststep toward becoming active is
(02:57):
one that may seem paradoxicallyinactive Meditation.
I often recommend that myclients ease into the whole life
fitness power 30 by startingwith just 15 minutes of
mindfulness and 15 minutes ofpersonal development.
There will be more in laterchapters on how to spend them.
This advice may come as asurprise, but I have found that
(03:18):
dialing into your mind andspirit is a great place to start
, because it offers a solid rootto understanding the body's
purpose as the vehicle thattakes you through life.
Taking this type of holisticapproach looking at the mind as
well as the body really helpsyou to connect with your why.
This prompts a mental shiftinto taking responsibility and
(03:40):
acting decisively.
Instead of making excuses, it'simportant that you avoid
pointing the finger oroffloading your excuses inside
of yourself.
Own.
We're all empowered to make ourown decisions and tuning into
your internal world can makethis truth real for you.
Meditation can help you to gaina clearer perspective and to
(04:01):
call yourself out when you castblame for your own
self-sabotaging choices.
If you're living on fast foodbecause you swear you don't have
time to prepare fresh wholefood meals, you're validated
your decision to remainunhealthy.
Stand on this path.
Reinforce the sense that healthand fitness are not really your
responsibility and that you arepowerless when you tell
(04:24):
yourself these lies.
The bottom line is that you arechoosing a why not instead of a
why.
You're wasting your energy onthe negative instead of on the
positive.
And if you're not makingchoices that stem from your why
in life, then ask yourself whoare you making these choices for
?
Whose dreams are you supporting?
What results are you workingtoward when life goes sideways
(04:49):
and you physically can't make itto the gym?
That doesn't mean you can'twork out or move your body with
purpose Heck.
No, you are your own best pieceof fitness agreement.
Not only is your body free touse, but it's nearly always
available to you.
Even if you're dealing with aninjury, you can modify your
movement so you can still workout as long as you have a body
(05:10):
and you have the ability to move.
You can exercise, as emeraldsays.
But the no willpower excuse oneof my favorites.
I hear a lot of people complainthat they have no willpower.
They tell me I want to work outbut I always give up because
I'm just too weak.
Will I Counter this excuse bytelling people to find something
(05:31):
that they enjoyed doing andthen really feed their
connection to that activity.
You have to start byidentifying your desires.
Not every exercise will beright for you, but keep trying
different things to see what youdo like.
Think of it this way you neverhave to find the willpower to
indulge in something that youlove, such as getting a massage
or laughing with friends.
Of course, working out takesmore effort than getting a
(05:53):
massage, especially at thebeginning, when you haven't yet
made it a habit.
One way to help with motivationis to find someone to work out
with, to be accountable to.
Joining a fitness-basedcommunity is a great way to
source allies who can support.
We motivate each other andcelebrate our personal victories
together.
The idea is to hold one anotherto a certain standard and
(06:13):
ensure that you follow throughto reach a goal.
What if every single person youknow is overweight and
complacent and nobody wants towork out with you.
Well, no problem.
Through social media, I canconnect you with some fantastic
online communities where thereare both private and public
fitness groups.
Not only can we see what theothers are doing, we can also
(06:37):
encourage and support each other.
Members post recipes,inspirational video and audio
clubs, share struggles, consoleand uplift one another and act
as sources of accountability,which we all need from time to.
It's all the name in the nameof motivational fun.
There are also some engagingonline tools, such as my fitness
pal, calm, and activitytrackers such as Fitbits, to
(07:00):
help you Gauge your progressagainst your health and fitness
goals.
Here's another one for you theno space excuse.
I Don't care, okay, how smallyour home is, it's big enough
for you to work it.
All you really need Is a spacethe side, say, a baton, a yoga
mat or even a doormat.
(07:21):
You essentially want to createa little space for squats, push
ups, jogging on the spot, airskips.
I'll get into these anotherexcited later.
If you're a person who spends alot of time on the road, I
challenge you to never see thisas disruption for your fitness
routine.
Most hotel rooms have a chairand a table which you can use to
create a mini circuit for a 15minute workout.
(07:42):
You can even use the spacebetween the wall and the bed.
If you're a regular traveler,you probably know your itinerary
in advance, that is, you don'tlikely just wake up in the
morning, remember?
Oh, I got ahead to San Frantoday.
So take a little time to planyour health needs and set
yourself up to make good choiceswhile you travel.
This means carrying extra waterair travel causes loads of
(08:06):
dehydration and pack somehealthy snacks, such as nuts and
dried fruit.
Remember that dehydration canbe confused with hunger, so we
often reach for the wrong foodswhen we're groggy after a flight
.
Above all, try to resist thelure of aimless channel surfing
on the bed in your hotel room.
Try to get out for a quick runin your host city and instead
you know 15 minutes is all youneed.
(08:27):
Really, that's that's it.
You can do this.
So don't give me the idea thatyou're in the space right Now.
This next excuse is again, whenI've heard more times than I can
count, the everybody else comesfirst excuse.
Now realize a lot of us try tomake ourselves be martyrs.
(08:50):
You know, we'll do everythingfor everybody else before we'll
do anything for ourselves and,unfortunately, when this
compromises our health, there'sno getting back.
You know, like no one's a heroin this situation.
And you're not the hero,especially because I know you
have a passion to help.
But if you're not healthy, it'sgoing to be really hard for you
to sustain that passion.
(09:12):
Too many of us simply don'tprioritize our own health and
fitness when everybody around usseems to need something from us
.
Putting our needs on the tablecan feel selfish.
We may even feel guilty fordoing something just for
ourselves.
Well, I'll be the first one tolet you know that it's okay to
look after you.
In fact, you'll be better ableto serve others by serving
yourself first, when youunderstand and appreciate that
(09:35):
it puts your health into adifferent context that is,
neglecting your own.
Health affects everybody youcare about, and on a good way.
You owe it to yourself to behealthy, but you also owe it to
those who are closest to you,and they should understand that
when we're not busy attending toour family's needs, we're often
at the back and call of ouremployers.
(09:55):
Perhaps you're a person whothinks I can't take time for
myself because my career demandsso much of me.
It's true that getting theright work-life balance can be
tricky, but short-changingourselves where our health is
concerned never pays off.
Poor health can take a terribletoll on your job performance
and your career.
Here's excuse for you.
(10:16):
Maybe you heard this oneOverworked and overfed and
realizes this isn't maybe anexcuse, but it definitely ties
into lifestyle.
The workhouse has changed sincethe 1960s.
Granted Back then, nearly 50%of private sector this is
(10:37):
non-government jobs such asconstruction, freight, logistics
, retail required at leastmoderate intensity physical
activity.
Currently, less than 20% ofjobs demand this level of
activity.
The average work week is nowlonger too.
Full-time employees work anaverage of 47 hours per week, or
seven hours more per week thanthe standard 40-hour work week.
(11:00):
That translates toapproximately 14 extra days of
work per year at jobs that arelargely inactive.
Additionally, employees nowburn 100 fewer calories per work
day than they did in the 1960s.
A recent study which comparedworkers in the 1960s to 1962
with workers of 2003 to 2006found that, on average,
(11:20):
employees are 17 pounds heavierthan the average employee of the
1960s.
To add insult to injury, thepast 50 years has seen the daily
caloric intake increase byabout 400 calories, so this is a
20% increase over the averagethat was 1970, back in the 60s,
which is the 2100 calories.
The bottom line is we're movingless and we're burning fewer
(11:45):
calories, but we're eating more,and we wonder why we have an
obesity epidemic on our hands.
Surprisingly, the number onehealth issue in the workforce
today isn't necessarilyinactivity or obesity, it's
actually stress.
As you can imagine, inactivityand stress, coupled with longer
working hours, has a massiveimpact on society.
In fact, it's believed thatlost productivity due to chronic
(12:06):
pain is to about $11.6 to $12.8billion per year.
And hello, this one really getsto me, given my class.
In the US, overweight or obeseworkers who have other chronic
health problems miss about 450million more days of work per
year than healthy coworkers,costing more than $105 per year
(12:30):
in lost productivity.
Whoa, I can't emphasize thisenough.
Overwork and inactivity arejust services to your career and
your employer.
Is it any wonder that manycorporations are investing
millions of dollars intocorporate wellness programs?
They have learned that employeewellness affects the bond line
(12:51):
both in hard costs andproductivity.
Good health means a happier,more satisfied workforce, which
translate into increasedproductivity.
I've shared some more and, trustme, there's a lot of the ones
too.
However, letting go of your whynots Years ago, I sustained an
(13:11):
injury to my back during thecompetition.
My L4, l5 vertebrae suffered amicro-terror which caused a disc
to protrude and pinch it.
It was one of the mostexcruciating injuries I've ever
experienced.
Up to that point, I had onlyexperienced mild pain from
throwing my back at or overdoingit at the gym, but this injury
(13:31):
gave me a whole new perspectiveon injury involving nerves and
other soft tissues.
I would not wish to experiencelike this anywhere.
I went through a period ofself-doubt and formed a number
of excuses about why I couldn'ttrain anymore.
It hurt, I can't move right, Ican't do what I've done before,
so why bother?
These were just a few of themantras I was repeating to
(13:52):
myself during those first fewweeks.
After it really hurt, I had areally hard time accepting that
I would have to change the way Imoved my body.
I was quite rooted in how Itrained, so the idea of
modification didn't fit.
This went on for nearly a month.
I felt lethargic, heavy and wasputting myself down at every
opportunity.
I was drowning in my poor memonologue.
(14:15):
Thankfully, my wife Christybeing the feisty gen, she is
called me out on my self-pity.
She told me to get up and move,to stop feeling sorry for
myself and to start adapting tomy situation.
She's a wise one.
Adaptation is important, andaccepting the need for
adaptation is arguably even moreimportant.
It's challenging to overcomeold habits that are entrenched,
(14:39):
but I did exactly what Christysaid and I started doing what I
could.
When I exercised, I focused onmore isolated movements, nothing
explosive or dynamic.
I worked on re-stabilizing mycore and the erector muscles
that surround my spine.
It was a slow process, but overtime I got stronger.
I was training again andfeeling great for it.
(14:59):
This experience taught me a lotabout myself, but even more
about how to coach my clients.
When I began working with newclients, I always asked them
what do you need to release inorder to do what you want to do?
Let me say that again what doyou need to release in order to
do what you want to do?
This helps people to explorewhat's holding them back from
(15:22):
becoming more fit and realizethat you can apply this question
in any area of your life.
It doesn't have to just beabout fitness.
Literally Leverage thisquestion and replace it in any
situation what do you need torelease in order to do what you
want to do.
I meet most of the responses Iget with a schmuck, because many
(15:44):
new clients say that they areprepared to cut back on TV, eat
less garbage and wake up 30minutes earlier to get their
whole life, fitness, power 30done before work.
This is commitment to a choicethat must be put into action
every single day.
So of course I then ask are yousure Because if there's any
doubt, then the client may nothave really identified the
(16:07):
underlying why that willmotivate them to fully commit to
their decision to change.
Once you've completely realizedyour why and own it, it will be
far easier to let go of yourexcuses, because you simply
can't kid yourself anymore.
When you fully commit yourselfto a goal for example, wanting
to be healthy enough to travelat 65, then it's easy to ditch
(16:30):
any blocks that are standingyour way.
Make Expectations SustainableResults.
I've seen too many peoplestruggle to adopt a sustainable
plan because they haveunreasonable expectations of
what they think is required ofthem.
They think they need toobsessively commit to fitness
and hook up to highly ambitiousprograms.
(16:51):
Nothing can be further from thetruth.
The fact is, we all have busylives.
Only professional athletes canwork hours of cardio, strength
training and conditioning intotheir everyday routine because
it's their job to do so.
You do not have to reinventyour lifestyle in order to
accommodate a new fitnessprogram, because that simply
isn't sustainable.
(17:13):
For example, I remember my goodfriend John.
He was excited about his newlypurchased DVD fitness program.
He was committed to making itwork for him and was sure he
could adopt into it the everydayroutine.
John was married.
He works 50 hours a week andhas children, along with
coaching commitments.
John was struggling to maintainhis relationship as the only
(17:35):
time they saw each other was onweekends and evenings after the
kids went to bed.
But he was sure that he couldfit in an extra 6 to 8 hours a
week to the fitness program.
And you know what happened theDVDs were shelved after day 4
and haven't seen the light ofday since.
Be far better for someone likeJohn to take a step back and
(17:55):
look at their actual lifestylestance and evaluate where
there's time to work in somemore health and fitness.
In other words, it is mucheasier to make more sense to
find a fitness program that fitsour lifestyle than to overhaul
our lifestyle to fit a fitnessprogram.
If you want to be diligent andfollow through on your fitness
goals, it's crucial to start offwith a sustainable plan.
(18:18):
Personally, early morningworkouts are what work for me
best.
5.38 is my time.
I developed the habit ofgetting going early because when
I was teaching classes andpersonal training sessions, I
tried to stick with that routineas soon as possible and as
often as possible.
But I understand that 5.30 amis not a fit for everybody.
(18:39):
Throughout the day, we all haveour peaks and our valleys.
From an energy standpoint, thatis so you'll need to figure out
what makes sense for you.
Find something that you can fitinto your team.
Walk to the park, either byyourself or with your family or
friend.
Walk your kids to school orpick them.
Just start making littledecisions to get moving.
Remember that you will notsuddenly have more hours than a
(19:01):
day.
Your life will have exactly thesame amount of time as it did
before.
But now your health has becomea priority and you're doing what
you need to do to improve it.
Everybody can do that.
Essentially, given the bootsyou're why nots?
It means showing up in yourlife to an injury.
The simple act of removing yourobstacles in support of your
(19:22):
health works, a mental musclethat gets stronger the more you
use it.
You'll find that eventually itwill become second nature to you
to remove the obstacles andexcuses in other areas of your
life too.
Now, while the excuses in thischapter are most common ones I
have come across in my career,there are an infinite number of
others.
We all have challenges andmental crutches, but with
(19:43):
courage and dedication you canmove through them.
So are you with me?
Chapter 3 Eliminate your why Nots.
Most people have had theexperience of starting a new
fitness plan only to abandon itcompletely or revert back to
their old habits.
Name one person who hasn't madeworking out part of their New
Year's resolutions at some pointin their lives.
We often start with tons ofenthusiasm, launching head-on
(00:21):
into a brutal workout routine.
Perhaps we've tried to cram asmuch exercise into our downtime
as we possibly can, or suddenlybegun moving at a pace that's,
frankly, well beyond us.
Too often the end result isthat we crumble as soon as we
start, feeling even slightlyoverwhelmed.
It's actually quite possible tobecome overwhelmed at the very
thought of starting an exercise,even before you take the first
(00:44):
step.
To go from feeling that youdon't have the energy to start
moving even a little to hittingthe gym or working with a
personal trainer is a massiveshift.
Lacking follow through on adecision to get fit, whether
we've started and stopped ornever started at all, usually
boils down to a matter of time,fear, energy or motivation.
Who hasn't thought I'm tooexhausted after my commute to
(01:08):
work out?
Or, once I've put the kids intobed, I'm beat, or I can't work
out because I can't afford a gymmembership Heck.
In my line of work.
I've heard it all, includingthe excuse of I'll go to the gym
when I'm in a little bit bettershape.
Spoiler alert fit people aren'tthey?
(01:29):
They work at it.
If you use that as your primaryexcuse, you're never going to
be fit.
How about this classical line Ispend all my time driving my
kids to their sports andextracurriculars.
It really leaves me with notime left to exercise.
The message you're giving yourchildren is that you're at a
(01:49):
shape because of them, and theunderlying message is that
physical activity is somethingyou have to give up when you
become an adult or a parent.
Some people are intimidated,even scared, by the thought of a
fitness program, and theysimply don't know where to start
.
They don't know how much timethey need to put into it, so
they feel unable to create aplan.
(02:09):
Others are recovering from aninjury, such as a convict, in
which case remaining in anactive might seem like a way to
avoid pain or re-injury.
The fact is, all of theseexcuses are exactly.
They are crutches and theystand in the way of our lives.
We can choose to allow excusesto prevent us from looking after
ourselves.
We can use every out at ourdisposal, or we can choose to
(02:34):
change our mindset.
So kick away those crutches.
So just how do you kick thosemetaphorical crutches to the
side and stamp happily on yourown two feet?
How do you remove your ownperceived barriers and flow into
that moment when you just knowwhat needs to be done and you're
ready to do it?
For some people, the best firststep toward becoming active is
(02:57):
one that may seem paradoxicallyinactive Meditation.
I often recommend that myclients ease into the whole life
fitness power 30 by startingwith just 15 minutes of
mindfulness and 15 minutes ofpersonal development.
There will be more in laterchapters on how to spend them.
This advice may come as asurprise, but I have found that
(03:18):
dialing into your mind andspirit is a great place to start
, because it offers a solid rootto understanding the body's
purpose as the vehicle thattakes you through life.
Taking this type of holisticapproach looking at the mind as
well as the body really helpsyou to connect with your why.
This prompts a mental shiftinto taking responsibility and
(03:40):
acting decisively.
Instead of making excuses, it'simportant that you avoid
pointing the finger oroffloading your excuses inside
of yourself.
Own.
We're all empowered to make ourown decisions and tuning into
your internal world can makethis truth real for you.
Meditation can help you to gaina clearer perspective and to
(04:01):
call yourself out when you castblame for your own
self-sabotaging choices.
If you're living on fast foodbecause you swear you don't have
time to prepare fresh wholefood meals, you're validated
your decision to remainunhealthy.
Stand on this path.
Reinforce the sense that healthand fitness are not really your
responsibility and that you arepowerless when you tell
(04:24):
yourself these lies.
The bottom line is that you arechoosing a why not instead of a
why.
You're wasting your energy onthe negative instead of on the
positive.
And if you're not makingchoices that stem from your why
in life, then ask yourself whoare you making these choices for
?
Whose dreams are you supporting?
What results are you workingtoward when life goes sideways
(04:49):
and you physically can't make itto the gym?
That doesn't mean you can'twork out or move your body with
purpose Heck.
No, you are your own best pieceof fitness agreement.
Not only is your body free touse, but it's nearly always
available to you.
Even if you're dealing with aninjury, you can modify your
movement so you can still workout as long as you have a body
(05:10):
and you have the ability to move.
You can exercise, as emeraldsays.
But the no willpower excuse oneof my favorites.
I hear a lot of people complainthat they have no willpower.
They tell me I want to work outbut I always give up because
I'm just too weak.
Will I Counter this excuse bytelling people to find something
(05:31):
that they enjoyed doing andthen really feed their
connection to that activity.
You have to start byidentifying your desires.
Not every exercise will beright for you, but keep trying
different things to see what youdo like.
Think of it this way you neverhave to find the willpower to
indulge in something that youlove, such as getting a massage
or laughing with friends.
Of course, working out takesmore effort than getting a
(05:53):
massage, especially at thebeginning, when you haven't yet
made it a habit.
One way to help with motivationis to find someone to work out
with, to be accountable to.
Joining a fitness-basedcommunity is a great way to
source allies who can support.
We motivate each other andcelebrate our personal victories
together.
The idea is to hold one anotherto a certain standard and
(06:13):
ensure that you follow throughto reach a goal.
What if every single person youknow is overweight and
complacent and nobody wants towork out with you.
Well, no problem.
Through social media, I canconnect you with some fantastic
online communities where thereare both private and public
fitness groups.
Not only can we see what theothers are doing, we can also
(06:37):
encourage and support each other.
Members post recipes,inspirational video and audio
clubs, share struggles, consoleand uplift one another and act
as sources of accountability,which we all need from time to.
It's all the name in the nameof motivational fun.
There are also some engagingonline tools, such as my fitness
pal, calm, and activitytrackers such as Fitbits, to
(07:00):
help you Gauge your progressagainst your health and fitness
goals.
Here's another one for you theno space excuse.
I Don't care, okay, how smallyour home is, it's big enough
for you to work it.
All you really need Is a spacethe side, say, a baton, a yoga
mat or even a doormat.
(07:21):
You essentially want to createa little space for squats, push
ups, jogging on the spot, airskips.
I'll get into these anotherexcited later.
If you're a person who spends alot of time on the road, I
challenge you to never see thisas disruption for your fitness
routine.
Most hotel rooms have a chairand a table which you can use to
create a mini circuit for a 15minute workout.
(07:42):
You can even use the spacebetween the wall and the bed.
If you're a regular traveler,you probably know your itinerary
in advance, that is, you don'tlikely just wake up in the
morning, remember?
Oh, I got ahead to San Frantoday.
So take a little time to planyour health needs and set
yourself up to make good choiceswhile you travel.
This means carrying extra waterair travel causes loads of
(08:06):
dehydration and pack somehealthy snacks, such as nuts and
dried fruit.
Remember that dehydration canbe confused with hunger, so we
often reach for the wrong foodswhen we're groggy after a flight
.
Above all, try to resist thelure of aimless channel surfing
on the bed in your hotel room.
Try to get out for a quick runin your host city and instead
you know 15 minutes is all youneed.
(08:27):
Really, that's that's it.
You can do this.
So don't give me the idea thatyou're in the space right Now.
This next excuse is again, whenI've heard more times than I can
count, the everybody else comesfirst excuse.
Now realize a lot of us try tomake ourselves be martyrs.
(08:50):
You know, we'll do everythingfor everybody else before we'll
do anything for ourselves and,unfortunately, when this
compromises our health, there'sno getting back.
You know, like no one's a heroin this situation.
And you're not the hero,especially because I know you
have a passion to help.
But if you're not healthy, it'sgoing to be really hard for you
to sustain that passion.
(09:12):
Too many of us simply don'tprioritize our own health and
fitness when everybody around usseems to need something from us
.
Putting our needs on the tablecan feel selfish.
We may even feel guilty fordoing something just for
ourselves.
Well, I'll be the first one tolet you know that it's okay to
look after you.
In fact, you'll be better ableto serve others by serving
yourself first, when youunderstand and appreciate that
(09:35):
it puts your health into adifferent context that is,
neglecting your own.
Health affects everybody youcare about, and on a good way.
You owe it to yourself to behealthy, but you also owe it to
those who are closest to you,and they should understand that
when we're not busy attending toour family's needs, we're often
at the back and call of ouremployers.
(09:55):
Perhaps you're a person whothinks I can't take time for
myself because my career demandsso much of me.
It's true that getting theright work-life balance can be
tricky, but short-changingourselves where our health is
concerned never pays off.
Poor health can take a terribletoll on your job performance
and your career.
Here's excuse for you.
(10:16):
Maybe you heard this oneOverworked and overfed and
realizes this isn't maybe anexcuse, but it definitely ties
into lifestyle.
The workhouse has changed sincethe 1960s.
Granted Back then, nearly 50%of private sector this is
(10:37):
non-government jobs such asconstruction, freight, logistics
, retail required at leastmoderate intensity physical
activity.
Currently, less than 20% ofjobs demand this level of
activity.
The average work week is nowlonger too.
Full-time employees work anaverage of 47 hours per week, or
seven hours more per week thanthe standard 40-hour work week.
(11:00):
That translates toapproximately 14 extra days of
work per year at jobs that arelargely inactive.
Additionally, employees nowburn 100 fewer calories per work
day than they did in the 1960s.
A recent study which comparedworkers in the 1960s to 1962
with workers of 2003 to 2006found that, on average,
(11:20):
employees are 17 pounds heavierthan the average employee of the
1960s.
To add insult to injury, thepast 50 years has seen the daily
caloric intake increase byabout 400 calories, so this is a
20% increase over the averagethat was 1970, back in the 60s,
which is the 2100 calories.
The bottom line is we're movingless and we're burning fewer
(11:45):
calories, but we're eating more,and we wonder why we have an
obesity epidemic on our hands.
Surprisingly, the number onehealth issue in the workforce
today isn't necessarilyinactivity or obesity, it's
actually stress.
As you can imagine, inactivityand stress, coupled with longer
working hours, has a massiveimpact on society.
In fact, it's believed thatlost productivity due to chronic
(12:06):
pain is to about $11.6 to $12.8billion per year.
And hello, this one really getsto me, given my class.
In the US, overweight or obeseworkers who have other chronic
health problems miss about 450million more days of work per
year than healthy coworkers,costing more than $105 per year
(12:30):
in lost productivity.
Whoa, I can't emphasize thisenough.
Overwork and inactivity arejust services to your career and
your employer.
Is it any wonder that manycorporations are investing
millions of dollars intocorporate wellness programs?
They have learned that employeewellness affects the bond line
(12:51):
both in hard costs andproductivity.
Good health means a happier,more satisfied workforce, which
translate into increasedproductivity.
I've shared some more and, trustme, there's a lot of the ones
too.
However, letting go of your whynots Years ago, I sustained an
(13:11):
injury to my back during thecompetition.
My L4, l5 vertebrae suffered amicro-terror which caused a disc
to protrude and pinch it.
It was one of the mostexcruciating injuries I've ever
experienced.
Up to that point, I had onlyexperienced mild pain from
throwing my back at or overdoingit at the gym, but this injury
(13:31):
gave me a whole new perspectiveon injury involving nerves and
other soft tissues.
I would not wish to experiencelike this anywhere.
I went through a period ofself-doubt and formed a number
of excuses about why I couldn'ttrain anymore.
It hurt, I can't move right, Ican't do what I've done before,
so why bother?
These were just a few of themantras I was repeating to
(13:52):
myself during those first fewweeks.
After it really hurt, I had areally hard time accepting that
I would have to change the way Imoved my body.
I was quite rooted in how Itrained, so the idea of
modification didn't fit.
This went on for nearly a month.
I felt lethargic, heavy and wasputting myself down at every
opportunity.
I was drowning in my poor memonologue.
(14:15):
Thankfully, my wife Christybeing the feisty gen, she is
called me out on my self-pity.
She told me to get up and move,to stop feeling sorry for
myself and to start adapting tomy situation.
She's a wise one.
Adaptation is important, andaccepting the need for
adaptation is arguably even moreimportant.
It's challenging to overcomeold habits that are entrenched,
(14:39):
but I did exactly what Christysaid and I started doing what I
could.
When I exercised, I focused onmore isolated movements, nothing
explosive or dynamic.
I worked on re-stabilizing mycore and the erector muscles
that surround my spine.
It was a slow process, but overtime I got stronger.
I was training again andfeeling great for it.
(14:59):
This experience taught me a lotabout myself, but even more
about how to coach my clients.
When I began working with newclients, I always asked them
what do you need to release inorder to do what you want to do?
Let me say that again what doyou need to release in order to
do what you want to do?
This helps people to explorewhat's holding them back from
(15:22):
becoming more fit and realizethat you can apply this question
in any area of your life.
It doesn't have to just beabout fitness.
Literally Leverage thisquestion and replace it in any
situation what do you need torelease in order to do what you
want to do.
I meet most of the responses Iget with a schmuck, because many
(15:44):
new clients say that they areprepared to cut back on TV, eat
less garbage and wake up 30minutes earlier to get their
whole life, fitness, power 30done before work.
This is commitment to a choicethat must be put into action
every single day.
So of course I then ask are yousure Because if there's any
doubt, then the client may nothave really identified the
(16:07):
underlying why that willmotivate them to fully commit to
their decision to change.
Once you've completely realizedyour why and own it, it will be
far easier to let go of yourexcuses, because you simply
can't kid yourself anymore.
When you fully commit yourselfto a goal for example, wanting
to be healthy enough to travelat 65, then it's easy to ditch
(16:30):
any blocks that are standingyour way.
Make Expectations SustainableResults.
I've seen too many peoplestruggle to adopt a sustainable
plan because they haveunreasonable expectations of
what they think is required ofthem.
They think they need toobsessively commit to fitness
and hook up to highly ambitiousprograms.
(16:51):
Nothing can be further from thetruth.
The fact is, we all have busylives.
Only professional athletes canwork hours of cardio, strength
training and conditioning intotheir everyday routine because
it's their job to do so.
You do not have to reinventyour lifestyle in order to
accommodate a new fitnessprogram, because that simply
isn't sustainable.
(17:13):
For example, I remember my goodfriend John.
He was excited about his newlypurchased DVD fitness program.
He was committed to making itwork for him and was sure he
could adopt into it the everydayroutine.
John was married.
He works 50 hours a week andhas children, along with
coaching commitments.
John was struggling to maintainhis relationship as the only
(17:35):
time they saw each other was onweekends and evenings after the
kids went to bed.
But he was sure that he couldfit in an extra 6 to 8 hours a
week to the fitness program.
And you know what happened theDVDs were shelved after day 4
and haven't seen the light ofday since.
Be far better for someone likeJohn to take a step back and
(17:55):
look at their actual lifestylestance and evaluate where
there's time to work in somemore health and fitness.
In other words, it is mucheasier to make more sense to
find a fitness program that fitsour lifestyle than to overhaul
our lifestyle to fit a fitnessprogram.
If you want to be diligent andfollow through on your fitness
goals, it's crucial to start offwith a sustainable plan.
(18:18):
Personally, early morningworkouts are what work for me
best.
5.38 is my time.
I developed the habit ofgetting going early because when
I was teaching classes andpersonal training sessions, I
tried to stick with that routineas soon as possible and as
often as possible.
But I understand that 5.30 amis not a fit for everybody.
(18:39):
Throughout the day, we all haveour peaks and our valleys.
From an energy standpoint, thatis so you'll need to figure out
what makes sense for you.
Find something that you can fitinto your team.
Walk to the park, either byyourself or with your family or
friend.
Walk your kids to school orpick them.
Just start making littledecisions to get moving.
Remember that you will notsuddenly have more hours than a
(19:01):
day.
Your life will have exactly thesame amount of time as it did
before.
But now your health has becomea priority and you're doing what
you need to do to improve it.
Everybody can do that.
Essentially, given the bootsyou're why nots?
It means showing up in yourlife to an injury.
The simple act of removing yourobstacles in support of your
(19:22):
health works, a mental musclethat gets stronger the more you
use it.
You'll find that eventually itwill become second nature to you
to remove the obstacles andexcuses in other areas of your
life too.
Now, while the excuses in thischapter are most common ones I
have come across in my career,there are an infinite number of
others.
We all have challenges andmental crutches, but with
(19:43):
courage and dedication you canmove through them.
So are you with me?
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