Your true potential in life is not reached by large bouts of effort few and far between, but by daily incremental steps in the right direction. Humans, for the most part, are creatures of habit and routine, and therefore rituals are a list of activities and actions designed to point you in the right direction for success - daily.
Personally I can’t take credit for these life lessons, as they were instilled in me by a host of people; my parents, my coaches, my peers and mentors, and my life in sport before personal training. Only by writing them down I hope you can take inspiration, break your current mould and create a plan of your own.
As part of our ‘Basic Lifestyle Guidelines’ my coach Matt once told me “by hitting snooze and staying in bed, you are telling the world that you would rather lay there and do nothing, rather than getting up and taking charge of the day”, and although he was referring to rowing training starting at 6:00am, he was still right. Matt emphasised that laying in meant your goals weren’t strong enough to encourage your actions, and that potentially you have lost sight of what life will be like once you accomplish your goals.
Broken down we can establish a plan by indicating a; where, why, what and how;
Where do you want to be?
Why you want to be there?
What will be like once you achieve your goals?
How you will feel and how will your life have improved by achieving your goals
But bare with me, these can be deeply personal, and throughout the planning process it’s important to be honest about your objectives. At points you may doubt yourself; restart the process, and only finish when you are committed to where you want to be, and 100% clear on why you are doing it.
The missing link is mentality
From a young age we’re taught a healthy human should; enjoy plenty of physical activity, sleep 8 hours a night and eat a broad diet with various fruit, vegetables and proteins. So if we know we should do something, yet our actions say otherwise, what’s the missing link? It’s in our understanding and mentality.
If I told you not to watch television until midnight, get up at 6am, eat more green vegetables, exercise for an hour and drink 3 litres of water everyday, it simply wouldn’t work because there’s a deeper compulsion that needs to be addressed.
For some, figuring out where you want to be and why you want to be there is more important, and will give someone the drive to go further.
For example;
Person A sets their goals after multiple media outlets told them to be healthy, and they feel obliged to workout. This person invariably skips sessions, and cheats their nutrition because their why isn’t strong enough to enable their action.
While, person B sets their goals because they want their body at its peak potential, giving the best physical performance to a specific task. This person likely shows up early for training, and nails their nutrition because their why is strong enough to warrant the positive habits.
And as trainers we get it, we understand, hitting PBs and training hard might not be your vibe - but if you knew having your body functioning closer to its optimum state would help you achieve more of what you actually wanted in life - would you stop hitting snooze?
So ask yourself what is it you really want to achieve? And would being in the best physical and mental state help?
Or on the other hand, if you started missing out on things you wanted because you were too stubborn or afraid to look after your health, would you be disappointed? If the answer to this is no, then maybe its back to drawing board.
So now we’re agreed not to hit snooze, here’s some daily rituals to think about:
Set an alarm. Preferably for the same time everyday, and keep your phone far away - no late night insta swiping or Netflix.
Drink water first thing. Jazz it up with lemon, pink Himalayan salt, or apple cider vinegar.
Make breakfast. If you’re training early; protein, carbs and a little fat, and if you’re not; protein, fat and a little carb. Sit down and chew slowly.
In a notepad or diary, write down what you need to achieve today, and how it relates to your goal, repeat the goal as a mantra.
Avoid using your phone or social media for the first hour of your day.
Get some sun, when possible.
Sleep.
Work to lower your stress and anxiety - mindfulness, read a book or get outside.
My 6 minute diary, is a single page mindfulness diary, allowing me to write gratitudes, positive affirmations, and goals / learning experiences for the day ahead. Laid out simply, 3 minutes in the morning and 3 minutes in the evening. It's a small piece in my mindfulness jigsaw I try to complete each day, I'll write a mindfulness post at some point in the future.
Moving Forward from here
Remember, it’s about the next right decision that takes you closer to your goal, an adverse situation may cloud your judgement but you have to think through it.
If you know what to do now, I encourage you to dive in head first. But if you’re unsure, be kind to yourself, these tips are part of a toolkit for goal setting, so please reach out if you would like more advice.
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