Happy Tuesday. With a bit more time on my hands, I have been thinking about how strength training crosses over to our current situation. In a way, we have been training for situations like this. Strength training is training for life. Have a read to see why it is so important to train.
1 – Strength training is all about getting out of your comfort zone
Strength training makes you physically stronger but I would argue that the true magic is in testing your grit and mental fortitude. Strength training is about seeing what your body is capable of. It’s about making you resilient, bulletproof and even antifragile. I truly believe that the strongest trees grow in the strongest winds
So when the shit hits the fan, you aren’t the warning but rather the example
2 – Your ability to adapt and pivot will determine your success
When you first started training you had this wonderful clear picture in your head of how you were going to get to your goal, then out of nowhere you were hit with a curve ball.
- Your kids got sick so you couldn’t get that gym session in.
- Your husband forgot to pick up the veggies on the way home.
- Your knees were sore, so you couldn’t squat
- You were handed a huge project at work and you just didn’t have the time for training
- The gym closed
- A virus attacked humanity and everyone had to stay home
You were going to stick with the plan but life got in the way. If you want to be successful you need to pivot and adapt
Life never runs in a straight line, nothing is perfect so you must prepare to adapt to any given situation. The circumstance is out of your control but how you respond is up to you
3 – Embrace the suck.
Sometimes life can be hard, sometimes things just suck; but it’s a mandatory part of the journey. Everyday isn’t going to be rosy and neither is every workout. My workouts typically run on the rule of three. One workout is amazing and I should be signed up for the All Blacks. One workout is simply just punching the numbers and one workout is crap; my energy is low, I lack motivation or I for whatever reason just can’t get my head into it.
The next time you have a terrible workout, embrace the suck. Chock it up for what it is…one crap workout. Get over it, move on.
It’s not going to be your last bad workout, there will be more. Try not to get too emotionally invested in it.
4 – Focus on what you can do and not what you can’t
Regardless of whether your limitation is temporary or permanent it doesn’t matter. There will be exercises that you can’t do or maybe just can’t do for a while. Maybe you don’t have equipment, maybe you have an injury, whatever it is forget it. Focus on what you can do in your given situation. Too many people blame their lack of results on what they can’t do. Don’t get caught in this victim mentality. Give up the blame and take responsibility. Focus on what you have and what you can do.
5 – Don’t overlook the basics
You don’t need a lot to be fit, strong and healthy. We all get sucked into the newest, latest and shiniest. But the truth is; the basics are the difference that make the difference. Simply eat real minimally processed food, lift heavy things and be consistent.
It’s easy to get caught up in the stuff but sometimes it might not be a bad thing to have some time to reflect on what’s important – The basics!!
There is no magic bullet
6 – When life gets crazy, don’t stop taking care of yourself from your to-do list
When life gets messy, the first thing people do is neglect themselves. They stop their training, they justify shitty food decisions.
Sometimes life hands you a big bag of whoop ass and yes, it’s okay to take some time out. But you have to get back on the wagon.
Things in life will go wrong, problems will happen, shit will get messy and this is inevitable BUT we must not give up on our self care. Taking care of yourself is of the utmost importance. As cliche as it is ‘ your health truly is your wealth’
So, get your training gears on, and continue training. Stay strong, stay healthy!
Paul “health is your wealth” and Krystie “get strong” Miller
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