We ought to pursue our Health and Fitness with diligence.
Because if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing diligently.
There’s a reason I’m saying the word diligent, and not just “Work Hard” or something similar. I don’t hear the word diligent being used much these days, but it’s such a good word!
It includes hard work but it’s so much more than that!
So let’s dive into 4 ways we can diligently pursue Health and Fitness:
- Have a Simple, Effective Plan
- Cut Off All Distractions
- Consistently Work the Plan
- Be Patient
Have a Simple, Effective Plan
If you do the right things, you’ll get the results you want. If you do the wrong things, no matter how hard you try, you won’t get the results you want.
It’s as simple as that.
The plan needs to be effective so you can get great results. And it needs to be simple so you can actually stick to it.
So what makes for a simple, effective plan?
You need to focus on Strength Training, Nutrition, and Outside the Gym Activity.
When it comes to Strength Training, you should be working out 2-4 days per week for 45 minutes. When deciding between 2, 3 or 4 days per week keep this in mind…2 days per week is very effective. So if that’s all you do, you’ll still be doing great!
That being said, the more you can train and recover from and stick to, the better results you’ll get. So if you can train more, do it! Just be realistic when making your decision. It’s better to start with less and go up than to start with too much and overdo it.
When it comes to nutrition, you need to make sure you follow our 5 Nutrition Principles:
- Eat Mostly Real Food
- Eat the Right Amount of Calories For Your Goals
- Eat the Right Amount of Protein For Your Goals
- Don’t Eat Foods That Make You Feel Bad
- Make Sure to Eat the Foods You Love
If you follow these principles, you’ll get great results. But there are a million different ways you can eat and still follow all 5 principles.
That’s why we sit down with every new client to discuss their preferences, schedule, etc so we can decide the best way of eating for them.
As far as Outside the Gym Activity goes, the important thing is you stay active. You can either try to walk lots (like setting a daily step count goal) or you can do dedicated cardio. Cardio isn’t totally necessary, but it is beneficial. Especially if you live a very sedentary lifestyle.
Again, the important thing is you stay active outside the gym.
If your plan includes Strength Training, Nutrition, and Outside the Gym Activity…you can rest assured your plan is effective.
Cut Off All Distractions
Being diligent isn’t just about “doing the Do’s.” You also need to “Don’t the Don’ts.”
Once you have your simple, effective plan…that is your list of To-Do’s.
Everything NOT on the list is the Don’ts.
I highly recommend not consuming tons of training and nutrition information once you have your plan. But if you do, make sure you don’t let it plant seeds of doubt in your mind. Choose the plan you’re following. Follow it well. And don’t get distracted.
Don’t hop from plan to plan. That’s a distraction. And distractions won’t get you Healthy and Fit.
It’s also important to regularly remind yourself of the goal. So you keep your eyes on the prize.
Don’t look to the left or the right.
Look straight ahead. And keep going!
Consistently Work the Plan
Now it’s time to work hard!
But the beautiful thing is your hard work will absolutely pay off because now you have a simple effective plan and you’ve eliminated distractions.
Work the plan day in and day out.
Do the best you can with what you have.
Some days that’s 110%.
Some days that’s 30%.
And most days are going to be 70%-80%.
That’s great! Just keep working the plan consistently.
The more work you put in, and the more consistent work you do, the better your results will be!
Be Patient
Ahh the part everyone has such a hard time with.
By this point you are seeing good results.
You’re working hard at your simple, effective plan with no distractions. The results are arriving!
Surprisingly enough, many people ease off the gas pedal once the results start coming.
This is why we must be diligent.
Part of being diligent is being patient. Being in it for the long haul.
Keep working consistently at your simple, effective plan.
Don’t get distracted.
Enjoy the results.
And be patient.
This means keep doing the work, but expect to do it for days, weeks, months, and even years.
Because the most valuable things in life (Health and Fitness are definitely on that list) are worth working for.
If you’re ready to diligently pursue Health and Fitness, but you aren’t getting the results you want, we can help!
A good Personal Trainer (that’s us!) will help you with all 4 of these steps in detail.
Now at the end of the day, you’re the one who has to do the work. We can’t do it for you.
BUT while you’re the hero of your story, we’re the guide. And it’s our job to help you get there as quickly, safely, and enjoyably as possible.
