Happy New Year EVERYONE!!! As a fitness professional I suppose my first focus should be on exercise, diet, New Years resolutions.. However this year, is different. With all that has transpired in the last few months around the recent election and all the emotions swirling I feel that my focus shifting inward. One of the things I say to clients and if you’ve ever trained or taken class with me you already know is; “Working out is nothing more than working within.”
I’m calling upon that phrase as we kick off this year to encourage all of us to dig a little deeper. Lets be a little more mindful of our bodies, of our stress levels, of what we allow to lift us higher and also what effects us negatively. One of my steadfast rules to working out has and continues to be, “no negativity in the workout”. That being said, my own personal goal this year is to stay engaged politically as a female but not be consumed with worry, frustration or anger. My goal for my clients is for you all to commit to a solid workout program and FOCUS within. Consciously connecting to what our bodies do and how we FEEL during the day makes a huge impact because it keeps you aware IN the moment. Take the five extra seconds and really focus on that extra rep in the gym, or that extra few seconds holding a sprint during a cycling class, and use your mental capacity to turn your thoughts into a positive rather than a negative.
I work out six days a week, and no matter how I feel I am in session with clients or on a bike instructing a room full of people. REGARDLESS of what has happened to ME during the day, I put my worries, fears, frustrations, joy, pain, into the workout! I USE what is happening within my life to work(out) my life.
We all have the capacity to SHIFT our energy and make choices that will either result in a positive or negative experience. Its all about mindset and aligning yourself in the direction of your desire. Set a goal, set an intention and go after it. Focus on that goal fully, feel the energy of your full capacity to MOVE, be grateful for every chance you get to use your body fully (some people don’t have that luxury) and commit fully in the moment.
Show up in class, be in the gym, mind your diet, meal prep, do what YOU need to do that will help YOU. Here are my five tips on how to reset and bring the focus back :
1)LOG OFF. Get off social media. Instead of posting every gym selfie and hashtag under the sun FOCUS on your workout, how you feel and what your body is doing. The time you take posting, applying filters and finding the right angle could be better used into program design. Book a session with me, and I’ll show you what I really mean about optimizing time 😉
2) After you log off, DON’T LOOK BACK. Give yourself a set amount of time where you will commit to the basics and grind on your workouts. Go forward, and don’t beat yourself up over things in the past that you can’t change. Work with me or your own trainer to set up a plan for yourself. One week, one month, six weeks of a solid commitment to being in a workout routine. Know what your goal is, map it out and execute!
3)SHOW UP. With the exception of being ill or an emergency, show up to your workout. Show up for yourself. Instead of a resolution, make a commitment and stick to it. Do not over commit. Start small, and go forward from there.
4) Ditch the negative. If there’s anyone or anything in your life that is deterring from your progress, listen to it less. I can’t make the blanket statement to just ignore it because some of us have to help those who do not hold our values. However, we can filter, re-frame and move forward. My idea here is for you to FIND YOUR FIERCE and move in the direction of your desire.
5) DO YOU. Seriously. Mind your business this year. Try not to compare yourself to anyone but yourself. Strive to BE your BEST and grab your personal gains on your own time. Comparing yourself to anyone else is never a good idea. Keep it simple, enjoy your process and give yourself the chance to allow change to happen.
Peace & Love,
Dani