In the fourth and final part of this series, we are going to cover a few other concepts that may not be as powerful on their own as being Consistent, Lifting Heavy and Nutrition but The Small Things will have a huge long term effect on Maximizing Your Results in the gym.
Effort
It goes without saying, to be successful in anything, you need to put in the effort. Simply coming to the gym doesn’t guarantee success. There’s a physical effort that is required and most people understand this, but there’s also a mental effort too. Connecting your mind & body to allow you to move well, with intent – to get the job done, is essential.
The other piece that is worth mentioning, that is often overlooked in the fitness industry, is being mentally engaged in your training. Understanding what you are doing and why. Aimlessly doing circuit training will get you to a point but you won’t get maximum results until you measure your progress, understand your capabilities and push beyond them (we track everything at Defy).
Focus on what your body can do and put in the effort to improve that.
NEAT
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis is energy that is expended NOT doing exercise or sports related training. Things like doing the laundry or raking the leaves will all contribute to your NEAT for the day. We are designed to move. Doing a one hour workout then sitting for 8 hours is the reality of most people’s day. Look for ways to increase your NEAT as much as possible. Here are some ideas:
- Add a weighted backpack to anything you do – walking the dog, picking the kids up from school etc.
- Walk whenever you can, bike if you can’t walk, take the car as a last resort
- Park as far away as you can from where you’re going so you have to walk
- Always take the stairs
Just some simple ways in which you can increase the amount of energy you expend on everyday tasks.
Lifestyle
A lot of this blog series focuses on many different aspects of lifestyle. In this section I’m referring to things like sleep, alcohol, managing stress levels etc. All of these can have a positive effect on your fitness journey if taken care of properly. None of it is easy but definitely worth it as it can have profound effects on your health also.
I’m no lifestyle expert by any means but I’m sure we can all agree that good sleep hygiene (bed on time, less screens, dark room etc.), limiting alcohol and taking time to manage stress (spend time in nature, connect with people) are definitely good for us.
No Days Off
There are no days off from an active lifestyle. That doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym everyday. It does mean you should be doing something physical everyday.
I see many people come back from summer vacations and they are frustrated that they have regressed in their fitness. You may not have access to equipment, it may not be ideal conditions but you can absolutely get 10-30min of intentional movement everyday. Go for a run, do 100 burpees, anything.
Every day you want to make a deposit into your health & fitness account…
Read that again.
EVERY DAY you want to make a DEPOSIT into your FITNESS ACCOUNT.
The compounding effects are like any other investment.
Final Thoughts
Over the years I’ve worked with 1000’s of people. I see progress with some people and then I see GREAT progress with others. I’m not the reason that people make great progress. The individuals themselves are the reason. They did all or most of the things mentioned in this blog series (parts – ONE, TWO, THREE).
If something in this series inspired you to make a change, let me know. If it helps one person on their fitness journey then that is awesome.
#DefyAllOdds