Better Late Than Never (#26)

“One year from now you’re gonna wish you started a year ago.” -anonymous

 

 

This quote is something that I keep in the back of my mind whenever I feel like “the ship has already sailed”. The reason it’s difficult to begin a task after taking time off is often because we start considering where we could or should be. The alternative to this, of course, is to focus on where we’re currently at.

 

In workout consistency, I discussed how it took me a long time to finally begin playing the guitar consistently. Initially, I had every intention of playing my guitar every day and getting really good at it. However, the “busyness of life” took over and before I knew it five years had passed without me knowing how to play much of anything at all! At that point I could have thrown in the towel, chalked it up as “wasn’t meant to be”, and just sold my guitar. But instead I recognized that in five more years from now I’ll have yet another opportunity to gain back that same five years of experience.

 

The key takeaway here is to… [*wait for it*] – GET STARTED NOW!

 

 

Each journey begins with a “TODAY”.

 

What are some improvement areas in your health and fitness that are “better late than never”? A 5k run? A meal prep plan? A lean body? Perhaps taking the first step means starting a new gym membership.

 

One of the things that keeps us feeling youthful and vigorous is keeping an optimistic outlook towards the future. In life, when we tell ourselves that it’s “better late than never” we give ourselves another opportunity to make things right. We know that we prioritize the things most important to us, so why not take advantage of time management strategies like Mini-Habits to get started? 🙂

 

Those of you who truly want this will have no problem getting started TODAY!

 

Trust me, your future-self will thank you 😉

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Focus on where you’re currently at (today), rather than where you “should or would” be
  • Starting “late” rather than never
  • We will always be able to make time for things that are important to us
  • A year from now you’ll be grateful you started a year ago
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Mini Habits! (#21)

You and I are creatures of habits. It’s amazing how many decisions are made in our daily lives without thinking. Some studies even show that subconscious habit makes up 40% of our daily actions! Therefore, in order to keep that ‘40%’ full of healthy actions we’ll discuss how to change unhealthy habits with “mini habits”.

 

One misconception about habits is that they take a lot of effort to build, but I disagree. Nature shows us that a small snowball rolling downhill will eventually get bigger and stronger with enough momentum. The snowball doesn’t require much “effort” once it gets going. In the same way, we’ll use effortless mini habits to build daily momentum towards our goals.

 

 

A small snowball (mini habit) doesn’t require much effort once momentum kicks in.

 

 

There’s a saying that goes “success is built upon success”. Fortunately this quote never mentions how big the success has to be! Think of a mini-habit as a daily task towards your goal that’s SO simple that it’s hard not to do it every day. For instance:

 

  • If your goal is to improve your gym consistency, start a mini habit of driving past your local gym on the way home each day (nothing more!)
  • If you want to build a strong core, start a mini habit of simply laying in sit-up position on the ground for a few seconds (yep! that’s it!)
  • If you want to drink more water each day, start a mini habit of simply filling up a water bottle (I didn’t even say you had to drink it!)

 

“Great! But isn’t this a little TOO simple…what’s the catch?”

 

Mini habits are designed to get you comfortable with taking the first step towards your new goal (a healthier habit).

 

 

Therefore, these too-easy-not-to-do mini-habits simply serve as your “daily bare minimum” accomplishment for the day. However, I assure you it won’t be long before you naturally feel compelled to do more simply because you “might as well”. You’ll figure:

 

  • “I’m already driving by the gym each day (mini habit accomplished), I might as well go inside on the treadmill for a couple minutes”
  • “I’m already down here in sit-up position (mini habit accomplished), I might as well do a couple”
  • “I’ve already filled my water bottle (mini habit accomplished), I might as well drink some”

 

Remember: The “mini habit accomplished” is your main goal, anything else is an extra bonus.

The power of a simplistic habit checklist goes a long way.

 

Furthermore, I would seriously recommend making your momentum visible by utilizing a journal or checklist calendar. Keeping track of your progress this way is a great way to see your “success building upon itself”. Seeing your daily momentum gives yourself a satisfying sense of accomplishment every day. The longer your daily “success streak” gets, the more you’ll want to keep it alive.

 

And boom – you’ve just created discipline without even realizing it.

Let’s get that snowball rollin 🙂

 

Key Takeaway:

  • New habits are best acquired through daily momentum
  • Daily momentum is best sustained through simple, mini habits
  • A mini-habit (baby step) is something that’s “too-easy-not-to-do“
  • Keep track of your daily progress in a journal or calendar checklist
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“Why Not Me?” (Effort) (#9)

Man looking at sky.
“Wow, that person seems like such a natural, I’d never be able to achieve that!”

 

If the above quote sounds familiar to you, no worries. In fact, the person writing this article has also feel victim to these thoughts on numerous occasion. While it’s easy to get visual overwhelmed at the sight of someone’s progress, we often slip into the trap of disregarding the hard work these people put in on a consistent basis. Today I’d like to challenge your thinking from “how did they?” to “why not me?”

 

Remember: The people who are in incredible shape weren’t born that way. 

 

I’m a firm believer that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others, but rather focus our attention on becoming the strongest version of ourselves. Asking ourselves “why not me?” immediately shifts the focus to our personal potential.

 

It’s impossible to live up to someone else’s standards, so why not have fun and live up to your own?

 

For instance, instead of :

 

“How in the world will I ever be able to lose 10 lbs as quickly as Laura did!?”

 

How about:

 

“What’s stopping me from putting forth my own best effort like Laura and seeing what happens?”

 

One common denominator of success that I’ve noticed is that success begins with something each of us can control – our effort. Focusing on your best effort, rather than the result, enables you to realize you have less control over the results as you think.

 

Thankfully, having this type of process-mindset keeps you from comparing yourself with others and redirects your attention back to your progress.

 

So, if the first step towards your health and fitness goal is something that you can control (your effort), then why not you?

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Challenge your mindset by simply asking, “Why not me?”
  • Our attention should be on becoming the best version of ourselves
  • Achieving our fitness goals begin with something you can control – your personal effort.
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True “Motivation”: Personal Desire (#7)

A couple years back a friend asked why I’d never done a bodybuilding show despite having a lean muscular physique. My main reasoning at the time was because I didn’t want to stick to the strict dieting required for a show prep. Eventually I gave in and reluctantly committed to a strict 3-month meal prep for a bodybuilding show. It wasn’t until this moment that I learned the difference between being motivated and having true personal desire for something.

 

The next three months where personal living hell.

Imagine eating like this for 3-months: Not fun.

 

During the next three months I struggled with what I call ‘passive motivation’. Passive motivation is when we do things “just because” which offer little-to-no value to us.

 

So despite still taking 2nd in my class and 3rd place overall, I couldn’t help but wonder how much better I could’ve done had this competition had any true value for me. This experience ultimately lead me to the simple conclusion that

 

We thrive when things are valuable to us – like staying healthy for family and friends. 

Free Full length smiling ethnic male fitness trainer and plus sized black female in warm jacket jogging together on snowy pathway in frozen winter park Stock Photo
Often times friends can help remind and encourage us towards our goal.

 

So here’s the deal: If your reason for going to the gym is simply because you’re “supposed to” then it’s not very likely that you’ll stick with it in the long run. Because while it’s important to develop gym consistently, it’s equally important to recognize the value that something brings you.

 

Try asking yourself: “Which parts of health and exercise bring me value?“ Once you can clearly answer this question you’ll start developing what I call “Personal Desire” (ie. true motivation). Moreover, your personal desires should complement those goals which are meaningful to you.

 

For instance:

 

GOAL: I want to get into better shape

 

Personal Desire: To look my very best for my spouse or significant other

 

GOAL: I want to lose weight

 

Personal Desire: To fit into that cute summer outfit and feel better about myself overall

 

GOAL: I want to exercise consistently after work

 

Personal Desire: To clear my head of any work-related stress before going home

 

As you complement your goals with personal desires you equip yourself for long-term success!

 

DAILY FIT BOOST CHALLENGE: Write out your exercise goals along with your personal desire. As you go through each day, make a conscious effort to shift your focus from your goal to your personal desire!

 

Related Video: “How to Become Motivated”

Key Takeaways:

  • Passive motivation is another form of just “going through the motions”
  • Motivation can be defined as “personal desire”
  • Make a conscious effort to shift your focus from your goal to your personal desire
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Why We Struggle with Workout Consistency (#4)

If you’re like me, you’ve struggle with consistency in one area or another. (And if you’re really like me, you’ve struggled to keep consistent with playing the guitar!) Arrghhhh! 😒)

 

I’ve started and stopped the guitar dozens of times!

 

When I first practiced the guitar I noticed a trend: I’d practice guitar for an hour or so – and then not touch it again for several months! This cycle continued for years until I finally realized that my skill level was a reflection of my consistency (or lack there of).

 

Developing consistency is something that’s vital for our all-around personal development.  When it comes to exercise consistency, my personal belief has always been quantity over quality. Through my years as a personal trainer, I’ve witnessed far more with the guy who exercises to 4-5 times a week for 15-minutes, than the guy who does intense 1-hour workouts whenever he “has time”.

 

There’s nothing like the feeling of stacking up consecutive victories!

 

In my experience I’ve found that success comes from taking small, consistent steps. The awesome part is that taking small, consistent steps can be applied to practically anything:

 

  • Instead of trying to exercise 5 times a week for 1 hour, trying starting out with 3 times a week for 20 minutes.
  • Maybe commit to reading one chapter a day instead of trying to finish an entire book in one sitting.
  • Rather than setting out to meditate for 20 minutes each day, try three minutes instead

 

Consistency leads to habits, while habits lead to long-term success. They say it takes 21 days to build a new habit, so determine to develop that 3-week foundation and you’ll be exercising regularly in no time!

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Your consistency is paramount to your success
  • For developing consistency, quantity of effort means more than quality
  • Trying to do “too much, too soon” can hinder your progress (start off small!)
  • Consistency will lead to your long-term success
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Why Exercise? (Exercise Incentives) (#2)

Throughout the years I’ve learned to look at my exercise routine as a daily journey. The past several years of my exercise journey have taught me key values like discipline, consistency and mental focus, as well as a comprehensive understanding of how our body works. These exercise incentives have taught me the value of regular exercise.

 

This questions unlocks the key to you enjoying your lifelong fitness journey.

 

Excellent question! People have all sorts of exercise incentives: to fit into that wedding dress they love, a desire to feel stronger, to gain more confidence, to clear one’s head after a long day of work – the list goes on. So with that, I’m going to answer the above question with another question:

 

How does keeping good health impact the things that are most meaningful to you in life?

Your health affects not only yourself, but also your family, friends, and loved ones.

 

For instance:

    • Does the ability to squat down and play with your grand-kids someday have any meaning to you?
    • How about feeling more energetic throughout your work day?
    • Do you want to be able to sleep better at night before those big business meetings in the mornings?
    • How about a stress release at the end of a long work day?
    • How important is your health for those home & gardening projects you love so much?

 

Here’s the key: We’ll only commit to a purpose if it adds value and meaning to our lives.

 

Stop and write down the things that are important to you in life. Really think about it. Your exercise incentives are personalized to you.

 

Keeping others in mind while exercising puts you into a different mindset.

 

Whether it’s family, business, hobbies, or personal well-being, there are exercise incentives in just about every area of our lives. This is why it’s so important to constantly remind ourselves of what (or whom) we’re exercising for. Doing so also keeps us consistent on our journey at times where we don’t feel like working out.

 

Here are some additional exercise incentives:

  • Increased lifespan
  • Oxygenated body
  • Reduced risk of diabetes
  • Improved memory
  • Decreased stress

 

Even if you’ve been putting off exercise for a while – don’t worry about it! Instead, recognize today as a new day and start celebrating the beginning of a new YOU!

 


Key takeaways:

  • Your health impacts the quality of those things which are valuable and meaningful to you in life
  • Your exercise incentives are unique and personalized to you
  • It’s important to constantly remind ourselves of what (or whom) we’re exercising for
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Friday’s “People Like You” Podcast: Gannon Brown (Episode #31)

Or Listen/Download:

 

This Episode is especially for you if you:

  • have bad habits,
  • struggle with consistency,
  • have a constant busy schedule,
  • are tired of making excuses

 

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A SPECIAL THANKS: To Gannon for coming on and sharing about how he sustains a healthy environment!

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Fitness Opinion

Fitness Opinion discusses my opinion on if working out in shorts at the gym is necessary for a good workout. Turns out that I tend to have a bit of a contrarian unpopular fitness opinion on this one. Leave a comment below on whether or not you agree or disagree on this fitness opinion!

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How To Do Lunges For Beginners

How To Do Lunges For Beginners is a fundamental video for beginners to learn how to do a proper lunge. Today’s video breaks down each step in this leg exercise, and also offers an alternative on how to do lunges for beginners specifically. Lunges are an easy and effective way to exercise your legs whether at home or at the gym!

 

Check out the benefits of home body weight exercises at: https://dailyfitboost.com/non-weight-exercises-calisthenics/

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Friday’s “People Like You” Podcast: Sean Carroll (Episode #28)

Or Listen/Download:

 

This Episode is especially for you if you:

  • have a heart for youth fitness and athletics,
  • want to stay fit with a busy schedule,
  • have had setbacks in life,
  • need better consistency

 

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A SPECIAL THANKS: To Sean for coming on sharing how consistent fitness has impacted his life, and the impact it’s had on those around him!

 

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