Be PROACTIVE not REACTIVE.
Proper planning prevents poor performance. That was my Mother’s favorite saying.
Prioritize.
We’ve all heard the above advice countless times, but do we always listen to the clichés and sayings we’ve grown up hearing our whole lives?
Waiting until the last minute to make a move, or a decision rarely works out well. If you want to maximize your results in the gym, or in life, it pays off to be proactive and have a plan. Believe me, I’m all for spontaneity and improvisation. I often have to think fast when I am with my clients and make adjustments to workouts on the spur of the moment. However, I always come with a plan. Many of my classes have improvisational elements to them, I constantly have to adjust to the energy and level of fitness of the group I am working with on any given day, but I always have a plan of what my workout will be like ahead of time.
Here are my five tips for maximizing your time and staying ahead of the game, in life an in the gym.
1) Look around.
Take notice of what is going on around you. What do you want? Ask yourself questions, and take time to wait for answers to come to you. From there, develop your mindset to match your goal. You need to align you mind with you body. Your actions are like your posture, the more neutral and less tense you remain, the easier things flow.
2)Vibe.
Look on the bright side. Gaze up at the sky. Step forward and keep your eyes open. Get your head out of your phone, computer, social media and EXPERIENCE the world around you in real time. Don’t wait for vacation to take a picture of the sunset, or for a funeral to be grateful for someones presence. Don’t wait for a diagnosis to be happy with your health. NOTHING IS PROMISED. Wake up and be present in the moment you have.
3)Prepare.
As a fitness instructor in the industry over 10 years I’ve learned and seen a lot. In order to be on top of your game you have to come prepared. Prepare for what you are going to do. I don’t care if you are a yoga instructor or a fashion designer, if you have a project due or a class to teach- PREPARE FOR IT. Know what you want your message to be, what you want to impart to others and how you want to come across.
4)Listen.
If someone with experience, knowledge and competence offers you advice. LISTEN to it. If you start your relationships in life with trust and respect there should never be a reason to not listen. Listening is the key to success, in my humble option.
5) Pause.
Think before you act. We’ve ALL been there; speaking or acting before we’ve clearly thought something through. When coupled with frustration, fear, or anger, impulsive decisions fail on a grand scale. Many of us are not even in touch with our emotions so we tend to react before thinking. Road rage anyone? It happens to the best of us! In the heat of a moment take a step back and before you make the impulsive move, take a breath. Ask yourself: Is this really worth it? Will this matter in five years? How will this effect me in the long run? A moment of pause can make a huge difference in the course of your life.
We can’t be perfect but we can be better. Take a breath, a few seconds, regroup, re-process and then make you’re moves and decisions. Stay in the moment and hell, if you’re super frustrated: Stop drop and do some burpees!
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Dani