AlphaFitt

                Problem: Ah! Is that time of the Year again, when we all think about what we can be like for the next year. Mr./Mrs. Eager beaver lines up at the gym door, right on January 1st; so dedicated and eager to try and drastically change every aspect of their lives, all at the same time:

I'm going to lose weight!

I'm going to exercise 5 days a week!

I'm going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

I'm going to eat healthier

I'm going to stay away from junk foods!

ETC..

WOW! It's tiring just looking at that list. Each and every one of these goals isn't going to happen when you wake up Jan 2nd! So why bother make a huge list and end up not finishing any of them? Most people that put high expectations for themselves ends up getting disappointed on what they can actually accomplish.

How so?

You see, the problem with Eager beaver is that, he tries to accomplish multiple tasks at once, even if it is successful for 1-2 Weeks, once life gets in the way, it all falls apart.

We all have a finite amount of willpower - think about it as the sand in an hour glass, and picture the tiny hole in the middle (hole that the sand goes through) as your goals. The more goals you try and complete in soo little time and willpower, the faster your going to run out of your sand. This is why everyone gives up on their new years resolution mid-way through January.

Solution:

 Think small. Even though your intentions are good, if you make drastic changes all at once your never going to accomplish any of them. By thinking small your allowing yourself more SAND (Willpower), to provide you the right amount of boost to accomplish your goals. Not only do you need to think small, but you also need to ACT!. It's like praying to win a lotto jackpot, but haven't actually gone ahead and buy a ticket! You need to prove to yourself that your DEDICATED, and really wanting a to change, stacking up your willpower and using it one goal at a time.

So Keep your Willpower Full!

It's not always easy to challenge yourself especially with in terms of achieving your fitness goals. It takes time to see changes and sometimes that can be a negative factor to your motivation. "Patience" is key to improve, don't expect to see big muscles or a leaner body after one workout, cause its not going to happen.... If your looking for some sort of push to keep going after your workout, just think about how accomplished you feel, because you did accomplish something.... and that is a step closer to your goal.

So I started a challenge to myself, and that is to train and at least have a workout each day! I will be posting my progress and workout here for you guys to see what I'm up too, and maybe join me in this challenge!

Need help? Let me know! I'm here as your workout buddy, we will help each other to push through those last set of push ups, that last burpee and that 1Min Plank!

Here's what I did yesterday, all body weight but it sure kicked my butt!

Warm Up:

- Any cardio machine for 15Min ( RPE of 12-13 )

Workout:

This workout consists of 3 Cycles. After finishing each cycles with minimal rest in between, take a 3Min break between. Aim to have a maximum of 15sec rest after set. After completing each exercise and their sets have at least a 20sec break, then go Again!  

Cycle 1:     

                                                 Set 1   Set 2   Set 3

Push-Ups                         x15      x10     x5

Squat                               x15     x10     x5

Crunches                         x15     x10     x5

Squat Jumps                   x15      x10     x5

Cycle 2:

1 Leg Push-up                 x15     x10      x5

1 Leg Squat                     x10     x10    (Each Leg)

Spiderman Crunch           x20     x10     x10

Toe Touch + Jump           x10      x10     x5

Cycle 3:

Judo Push Ups                x10       x5        x5

Squat Kicks                     x10       x6        x6

Mountain Climbers          x20       x20      x20

Ankle Touches (Core)     x15       x15      x10

Cool-down:

- Light cardio bike or any cardio machine with RPE 11-12

SONG OF THE DAY

Radioactive- Imagine Dragons

Let me paint you a sad picture. I've never been a big runner. I've always had issues with my knees, my asthma, whatever it was, I had an excuse not to run. Excuse was a hard word for me to use though, because the second I got on the treadmill, it would take a lot out of me NOT to run. I craved it. But I didn't know how to do it. 

But then this one day, I was mad. Like really mad. I couldn't wait to hit the gym, walk it off. But then this song came on and I blared it. People totally looked at me, I'm sure they could hear it loud and clean through my headphones. I didn't care. Then... it happened.

I ran. And I didn't stop until the song was over. I was so mad, so power driven, it made me go faster and longer. I felt exhausted when I was done, and my workout was cut short, but each week I built it up a little more until I could run for more then half my workout. 

Back when I decided to change my lifestyle and habits, someone asked me a question which might seem a bit far fetched the first time around. It went like this. 

"If you went to visit your grandmother and while taking out some china dishes for dinner you dropped one, would you go back and break every other dish?"

Obviously, I said no. Then they asked again. 

"If you were climbing the stairs and fell down one, would you throw yourself down the rest?"

Obviously not, that would be stupid (and painful).

"Right. Now you have to imagine this for your eating habits. One bad meal does not mean you have to throw it all away. You can still clean up the broken plate, you can still keep climbing up the stairs, you can still be healthy."

Holy crap. That hit me right in the gut. I had been struggling with 'cheating' and making what I called 'mistakes'. We all make mistakes in life but we don't give up on the spot. Why do we feel like we have to do this for when we're trying to be healthy. One bad meal doesn't mean you've lost, you're going to gain it all back, just like one good meal doesn't mean you'll be thin after you eat it. 

STOP assuming you've even made a misake.

START recognizing your accomplishments. 

STOP trying to limit yourself.

START regarding good on what is it. Energy.

STOP beating yourself up.

START seeing this one plate broken, this one stair missed, this one meal you ate as something that makes you human. And get past it.

SONG OF THE DAY

Shake Senora- Pitbull

Yeah, I am a sucker for this man in my workout playlist. I may or may not in the near future make a playlist devoted to all his songs. It would have me running so hard! But this song I choose today because... well...Beetlejuice anyone? It has such a good beat, it's perfect for any workout. Or jamming in your car. Because they should be one in the same. So, here it is, I have let you all down with common workout jams, but how could I not? 

When I saw this picture, I was floored how real this is. I knew I had to write about it, and fast. I had a list going on all the topics I needed to cover and this flew quickly to the very top.

WHO ARE YOU WORKING OUT FOR? 

If your answer to the above is anything other than 'myself', you have to rethink you're choices. 

If it's important to your parents, you'll find an excuse to ignore the healthy eating kick you've been going on the second you move out (or they go away for the weekend... speaking by experience...) They may be important to you, but you're only trying to make them happy. 

If it's important to your friends, you'll find plenty of excuses why not to join them on the 6am run. Why you can skip the class you planned to do because you're tired and need to sleep. You won't feel bad when you miss out because it's only for them, and if they're really your good friends they'll understand why you bailed. 

If it's important to your significant other, (or if you think it is) then I'm not quite sure why you're with them. Being healthy is one thing, but most couples admit they only work out/eat clean to look good in bed. We all want to look good, but being healthy will get you there the right way, not for anyone else. 

If it's important to "fit in", this sort of ties in with the boyfriend/girlfriend story. No one should care about your body but you. This lifestyle is what you'll have to stick with forever. I am sick and tired of researching workouts and following blogs that crave the "gap" between your legs, and the perfect summer bikini body. I can't even begin to describe how much this hurts the youth of our generation. We should be pushing healthy choices, not rash body changes and flash diets. A healthy body is different for everyone, we all look stunning!

But if it's is important to you, you'll never find an excuse not to walk further, eat better, try harder. Make goals, short term, long term, anything. Stick to them and celebrate a job well done. Treat yourself. Give yourself the reason to get our of bed and go outside. Don't punish yourself when you're actually too tired or can't escape work.