If you read my previous article and successfully completed the wall sit challenge, good for you. You’re the best.
Now, if you want to get really crazy, go back to the same wall, assume the same wall sit position, and double your time from yesterday. It wont be easy, but I can guarantee that it is not impossible for anyone out there.
It goes back to the mental toughness, the dedication to pursuing something that is important to you.
Now I would be completely off base to assume that everyone reading this has the drive to be a bodybuilder or athlete. But I know that the majority of the people in the US today have a need to lose weight or gain function to improve what might be a health problem, or a quality of life issue. That should be all the motivation that you need to go about making a positive change, and pursuing something that looks like fitness.
Now, hypothetically, let’s say that you’re there. You’ve decided that you want to make a change, and you’re going to do it, no matter what.
Congratulations, you’ve taken the first step. But be careful, lest you become like those who are always “starting p90x”.
First things first, you need a plan. As the proverb tells us ” He who fails to plan, plans to fail, and all of his crops will burn and the Visigoths will salt the his land and take his gold” (the extended version doesn’t get much secular coverage)
So make a plan that suits your life. Workout 3x per week for 1 hour. Put it into your schedule, and don’t miss. This is a good start. It’s not going to turn you into a chiseled greco-roman decathlete, but it’s a good jumping off point. For someone who weighs 200 lbs, 1 hour of just doing the stairs is going to burn around 800 calories. Over the course of the week, this is an extra 2400 calories burned, or 9600 per month. At that rate, without changing anything else about your diet, or lifestyle, even if you continue to stay at home, watch dancing with the stars on your couch, and eat pasta with your hands, you’ll lose around 3 lbs per month. Not too bad right?
Now imagine almost tripling that number by using more advanced techniques, lifting weights, eating the proper macro nutrient ratios and changing nightly habits that we all have. Sound good?
Great, I’m going to assume you answered with a resounding cry of “YES!” while leaping onto your desk chairs and causing coworkers to stare, and children to cry. This is the right amount of enthusiasm.
But, hold on just one second grasshopper, what happens if you miss a day? What about if the kids are sick? The Bachelor is on? Can’t find your pants? As the infallible Michael Gerard Tyson says: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. Don’t let a slip up throw you off your game plan. Treat this just like you would any other appointment you have. If you’re gonna have to miss it for any (good) reason, reschedule with yourself. Get your game face on and get it done next time.
I’ll outline some different strategies for optimizing workouts in the next article, so you’re not perpetually stuck on the elliptical next to Janice, the cougar who hasn’t changed workout attire since ’83, and talks on the phone to her ailing mother about her stool size, shape, and consistency.
Until next time. Do it, to earn it.
