8 Steps to Positive Change
By Garrett McCoy PT Manager, CSCS, PES, CPT
gmccoy@wellbridge.com 813-202-1950 X147
Article based on John Berardi’s 8 Lessons on Change
1 Measure What You Want to Change
“Successful people make the major decisions in their life early and manage them daily” John Maxwell
It may sound very basic, but what get’s measured get’s done. If you want to loose weight, weigh yourself. If you want to loose fat consult a trainer to do your body fat. If you want to fit into those “skinny” jeans try them on. It’s startling how many people are scared to face reality and find out where the really are. This realization can be humbling, but it’s step one of a process toward your goal that you can check periodically. Plan out your retesting increments in at least 2 week periods to give you enough time to make progress. Each of these “check-ins” will increase your self esteem towards the realization of your goals or provide a reality check to get you back in line.
Many people obsess over the number or the result, but it’s the measure of your daily habits that are really the catalyst to change. The person who weighs them self everyday will undoubtedly become frustrated due to the natural flux of weight. However, they fail to track their exercise or measure what they’ve put into their mouth. That would be like the person focused on saving money that doesn’t produce a budget or monitor their spending habits. Don’t hope to loose weight or save money.
Know you will achieve your goal by
1 Establishing a baseline measurement
2 Plan retesting intervals
3 Manage your decisions daily to maximize results at your next check in
2 Scoreboard
“You can’t hit a target that you can’t see.” Brian Tracy
An important part of the measuring process is what I call the Scoreboard. Most people are visual in nature and want to see the progress that they have made. It is often difficult for us to see the small changes we make on a day to day or even a week to week basis. That is why tracking the process is essential to success. I am a big fan of the “The Law of Attraction” from Goals! by Brian Tracy – “Once you have clarified goals and track them. You begin to attract people, opportunities, ideas, and resources that help you to move more rapidly toward your goal and your goal moves more rapidly toward you.” If you were in the market to buy a car, all of the sudden you begin to notice car commercials, see dealerships you didn’t know existed, and you see models of cars on the road that you like. The law of attraction has awakened a subconscious place in your brain that makes your goals and desire of a new car inevitable.
Here are some tips of how to make a scoreboard to “activate the law of attraction” to help you with your fitness goals
1 Take pictures every two to six weeks to see the changes in your body. Make a slideshow after 3 months to watch your transformation.
2 Hang a monthly calendar on the wall and highlight the days you exercised
3 Create a food journal to track your diet. Studies show that people who use a food journal consume 20% fewer calories out of awareness alone!
4 Blog or post status updates daily about your exercise journey
5 Our trainers are here to help! Think of us as your fitness concierge. We can provide complimentary Body Fat tests and measurements and assist you in tracking your results.
Stop by the trainer’s office or approach the fitness coach working on the floor.
6 Run a race- Training for a 5K, 10K, or higher provides the ultimate scoreboard. Train for the race or the scoreboard will slap you in the face on race day.
3 If It’s Important Do It Everyday
“Neglect enough todays, and you’ll experience the “someday” you’ve wanted to avoid” John Maxwell
Habits are formed by doing things every day until they become routine. Studies prove that it takes at least 21 days to form a habit. Therefore, when beginning a new routine it is important to do at least a little something everyday. Leadership guru John Maxwell compares the dedication to a farmer tending to his crops in his book Today Matters, “hoping for a good future without investing in today is like a farmer waiting for a crop without ever planting any seed” John Maxwell. This doesn’t mean that you have to invest tremendous time working out each day, but you do need to water the crops and tend to them daily.
The concept I teach my clients is the idea of active rest. Active Rest means that you are doing something active, but it could be low intensity or even for enjoyment. I often take a walk on the beach with my wife for my active rest days or going for a leisurely Stand Up Paddle. I find great enjoyment in these tasks, I still burn some calories, and the light movement can actually help my body recover.
Active Rest Ideas- a walk, playing catch or other sports with your kids, that honey-do list you keep procrastinating on, stretching out, gardening, basically anything outdoors and active.
If you use the scoreboard technique and make sure you do at least 30 minutes a day for 21 days I guarantee you will be hooked on fitness. Those days I feel lazy I am reminded of coach legend John Wooden’s quote, “you have to give 100 percent every day. Whatever you don’t give, you can’t make up for tomorrow. If you give only 75 percent today, you can’t give 125 percent tomorrow to make up for it.” Today matters do at least a little something for your health.
“Make each day your masterpiece.” -John Wooden
4 Be S.M.A.R.T. With Your Goals
“Goals give you a sense of meaning and purpose. They give you a sense of direction. As you move toward your goals you feel happier and stronger. You feel more energized and effective. You feel more competent and confident in yourself and your abilities. Every step you take towards your goals increases your belief that you can set and achieve even bigger goals in the future.” Brian Tracy
The goals I usually hear from new members joining the club are “I want to tone up”, “get in shape”, and “lose a few pounds.” There is nothing specific about these “goals” nor a sense of urgency. How likely are you to tone up if there is no measure or time frame? We learned previously in “scoreboard” and “measure what you want to change” that you have to have a specific target to hit it. As fitness professional I am trained to get your “super why.” This takes the blandness of “lose weight” and adds the motivation, support, and time frame to the pursuit of your goals. Loose Weight as a super why sounds like, “I want to loose 20 lbs before my cousins wedding April 17th.” Bingo, now I can help you create a plan to achieve your goal and I know the “button” or motivation to push.
Here is the Loose Weight Super Why broken into a S.M.A.R.T. goal.
Specific - loose 20 lbs
Measurable - weigh ins every 2 weeks
Attainable - 2lbs a week for 10 weeks is attainable
Realistic - Will you make the time commitment and healthy eating choices?
Time Specific - 10 weeks
A person who takes their “super why” and breaks it into S.M.A.R.T. goals is much more likely to reach success than the member who wants to tone up. Use the previous three topics in this article to help you form the habits to make your goal reality.
5 1 Habit at a time
“Successful people conquer their feelings and form the habit of doing things unsuccessful people do not like to do” -John Maxwell
One of the biggest fall backs of people forming healthy habits, is their desire to do too much too fast. If you try to do too much too fast you are setting your self up for failure. John Berardi, author of a fitness article entitled Lessons to Change states, “numerous studies show that people are typically quite successful when they limit their change to one behavior at a time for, say, 3-4 weeks before introducing a new one. BUT: introduce even 2 new behaviors at once, and the failure rate is nearly 100%.” I strongly agree with Berardi about narrowing focus. The goal I set for my clients for the first 3 weeks is to do something active for a minimum of 30 minutes a day and make healthier eating decisions. This approach get’s people into a healthy mindset and creates the habit of health. After the first 21 days of my clients program we then make more specific goals to maximize their training and diet. We have to crawl before we can walk and we need to have fundamental healthy habits before we get too intense with workouts and too restrictive with diets. If you mix your S.M.A.R.T. goals with a simple habit forming approach you are set up for success.
6 Circle of Influence vs. Circle of Control
“The reason most goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.” -Robert J. McKain
Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of the greatest books ever about forming positive change. A concept I love is the idea of the circle of influence vs. the circle of concern. It deals greatly with maintaining your focus on what you can control.
The circle of influence- Are things that we have direct control of in our lives. Words such as “I will” and “I am” are the predominate phrases of the positive responsible thinker.
I will make time to exercise today
I will make healthy food choices at each meal
I am responsible for my action and behaviors
The circle of concern- are things that we are concerned about, but can’t control. People who think too much in the circle of concern are often reactive people who make excuses.
The words “have”, “be”, “if”, and “so” dominate their vocabulary.
I don’t have time to make it to the gym
I work all day so I always eat out
I’ll be happy if I could loose 10 lbs
You can’t always control the outcome of your efforts, but you can control your attitude and effort. If you are going to achieve your fitness goal take responsibility for all of your actions good or bad. Doing something means not doing something else. If you choose to go home and sit on the coach you have chosen not to go the gym. One of these will move you closer to your goal, give you more energy, make you feel better, and relieve stress. The other accomplishes nothing. Think about what you can control when you manage your schedule to get to the gym and what you put in your mouth. The responsible answer is I didn’t make the time, not I don’t have time.
“You cannot buy or win happiness. You must choose it” John Maxwell
7 With a Little Help From our Friends
“Your outlook on life, your estimate of yourself, you estimate of your value are largely colored by your environment. Your whole career will be modified, shaped, molded by your surroundings, by the character of the people with whom you come in contact every day.” Orison Sweet Marden
A system of support is essential to your success in your fitness goals. It’s hard to always get it at home. Your spouse or kids may not be on board with your change in lifestyle or diet. That’s why it’s important to think of Harbour Island as your home away from home with a built in support system.
John Berardi, a fitness presenter, cites the following as reasons to why having a workout partner, hiring a trainer, or attending group exercise regularly can help.
-Rapid dissemination of wisdom
-Role modeling (at first, it’s easier to mimic than to learn)
-Social pressure
- Inclusion in something greater than oneself
- Validation and acceptance
- Constructive competition
8 Accountable to Someone
“The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it's the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friend.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Everyone needs a leader or a coach to help them reach their potential. Hiring a Personal Trainer can hold you accountable to all the lessons learned in this article and more. One of the biggest benefits of hiring a trainer is to schedule appointments that you have to make. Your trainer will not only take you through a workout, they will let you in on their fitness wisdom and hold you to your S.M.A.R.T. goals. Trainers can plan your “off days”, days you are not with them to maximize your routine. Best of all they plug you into the “social pipeline” of the club. You will meet other gym employees, clients, and members. Your support system compounds the more time you spend in the club. Trainers can be expensive, but there are many affordable ways to work a trainer in on any budget.
Get a group of friends together for 2 on 1, 3 on 1, or even small group rates- In many cases this allows you to get all the advantages of a personal trainer, but with a lower price tag and bigger support system
Join a program class or start your own- I currently run a program called Ultimate Fitness Training Friday mornings at 9. It is only $25 a class or $160 for 8 sessions. It’s a more intimate setting, with more science, equipment, and follows a progressive plan. We accomplish what group exercise can not. If you have 3 or more friends you can schedule your own class at any time. Many other programs are offered for similar rates including bikini body boot camp coming in March.
Try a free 15. Harbour Island trainers demo their skills and knowledge in 15-30 minute increments. Check the events page for diverse programming options. What a way to pick different trainers’ minds.
A journey of a 1000 miles starts with one step. Make your first step; it’s much easier than you think. Trainers and other gym employees are passionate about helping people attain their goals. That’s why we are in this business. If you need someone to be accountable to or need help getting started HIAC’s trainers are always here to give complimentary advice. So get started on the new you, one habit at a time
“Though you cannot go back and make a brand-new start, my friend, you can start now, and make a brand-new end.” John Maxwell
If I can help you in any way feel free to contact me at:
gmccoy@wellbridge.com
813-202-1950 X147
Works Cited
Today Matters by John Maxwell
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stepehn Covey
John Berardi’s 8 Lessons on Change from ptonthenet.com
