Hey Team,
Thanks for (another) awesome week in the gym. I know I bang on about it all the time but what can I say…getting up at 4am every day is HARD. Somehow I have pretty much done that 6-days every week for (more than) a few years now…and it is all because I know there is going to be a motivated group of people lining up out the front, banging on the door to get in and accusing me of ‘sleeping in…again’. We all appreciate you guys choosing to come and spend time with us every day.
We have the new SUMMER SLAM coming out soon – it all kicks off in the first week of October and you can sign up HERE. As I have been putting together the supporting booklet (only finishing off the new recipes remains!) I have been doing a heap of thinking about the gym, training and what it all means. This year I (intentionally) shut down all of the challenges we usually run (traditionally we run one every second month with 3-every year featuring food restrictions) but ‘Summer Slam’ will be only the second challenge we run in 2019…and the first since 28-Days Later (way, way back in Feb).
Why? Well, somehow everyone just seemed ‘over it’ when we ran 28-days Later early in 2019. The usual enthusiasm to ‘Get it Done’ just didn’t seem to be there…or I guess maybe it was just me that “didn’t feel it”? It felt to me as if we had all decided that “I’ve been there, done that” before…and even worse, decided that the sacrifice of the challenge just wasn’t worth the outcomes.
It made me wonder. Every now and then people just ‘drift away’ from the gym with little or no explanation – the usual ‘life/work’ type reasons that I’m sure you’ve all heard from colleagues, friends and family when you try to get them to come and train with you – and what I wondered was if their thoughts run along the following lines:
“What if I just decided not to try anymore? Would it make any difference? Would anyone even notice?”
The more I thought about it, the more I realised that everyone probably has fantasies of failure when it comes to the gym…everyone has the idea from time to time that after making the jump to living a ‘healthy’ life – getting into the gym, eating clean – that NONE of it is ‘worth it’. When rather than thinking of reasons WHY, you think about reasons WHY NOT. You think about excuses that will allow you to simply ‘bow out’, watch NetFlix and eat pizza! I mean, after all, you’ve been working so hard, the scales have barely moved…what does it REALLY matter?!
After all, first of all – there’s work. I mean, things are C-R-A-Z-Y busy at work and it is hard to make time. Next, the kids have sport – someone needs to take them to practice and games. And of course, you need to pull your weight with the jobs around home – and find some time to spend with your partner. And there is that treadmill sitting in the garage at home that mostly gets used to hang washing on, but you could always use that instead – that way, no travelling back and forth to the gym…and you’ll 100% be out on that thing every spare moment!
It’s OK to admit that you’ve thought about it. Training is HARD. Watching your food is HARD. Fitting everything in to your crazy busy life is HARD.
The reality is, things wont get ‘better’ – no matter what you decide to do – unless you commit to 100% taking control and being ‘RESPONSIBLE’ for the outcomes.
The reason you are dreaming of failing/giving up is because you can’t see a clear way forward. You are looking ahead to your holiday at Christmas time and thinking to yourself – “No matter what I do, I am not going to look like (insert image here), so why am I wasting my time?” “I may as well just quit NOW – save myself a whole heap of time and trouble – than draw this out any longer”.
And to be honest, if you can’t get yourself to focus on a PLAN, you may have a good point! If you cant figure out how to solve your problems, every single one of them is going to be with you for a long time. So maybe just ‘GIVING UP’ is exactly what you should do?
But guess what? This whole idea of just giving up? Try explaining that to one of your gym buddies (don’t try to explain it to one of your couch dwelling mates – they will tell you what you want to hear). Explain to them how you are going to throw away 3-6-9-12-months of ‘hard work’ because things aren’t progressing as fast as you want. Let them know that you are fitter, stronger, eating better and more energetic than you used to be…but that you are going to give it up. Let them know you have spent 3-hours every week in the gym EVERY week this year (3x per week is pretty good!)…and then tell them EXACTLY what you would have accomplished during those 3x hours that would have made you fitter/stronger/more energetic…tell them WHAT exactly you have been missing out on! ‘Cos I mean, everyone needs to spend an extra 3-hours per week at work right! J
If you are battling and are unsure what to do, well, fantasising about quitting is NORMAL. But there is a reason so many people say ‘focus on my fitness’ and ‘lose weight’ are their ‘resolutions’ every January. Because eating well and exercising are GOOD for you – they are GOOD parts of your life and they are things you should be PROUD of. If you are battling and unsure what to do – move past the fantasy of ‘giving up’ (if you are frustrated by a lack of progress when you ARE exercising, what do you think will happen if you STOP!) and ask for some help. Because with just a little bit of help and direction, you can find your way to the end.
Now, none of us at the gym want you to fail. We want you to THRIVE, to be SUCCESSFUL. To achieve all of your goals. You are dreaming of quitting because ‘just not coming anymore’ is a simple, actionable and easy to understand – whereas creating a path to be successful…well, that seems confusing and IMPOSSIBLE right now. Well, that’s what we are here to help you with.
I don’t want to sell you on anything right now – after all, if you are reading this you are ALREADY with us. But if you are lost and stuck and unsure what to do next, let us know you need help – don’t battle away in frustration and misery – and we will find a way to help you create a path that will work for you.
See you in the gym,
Michael.
We know this can be a daunting time. You’re probably wondering if we really are the right fit for each other. And it’s OK! Many people before you, have felt the same, and that’s why we want to offer you something special – our $29 Health Check.
Let’s work out together to see if we’re the right fit. Just hit the button below to let me know if you’re ready to see what’s included.