The last fitness regimen you will ever need is not about doing the same thing every day until you die. In fact, the last fitness regimen you will ever need is not a training program—it is a lifestyle.
When you learn how to create lasting changes in small daily habits, you have found the last fitness regimen you will ever need. Habits create rhythm and routine and are two key components of the last fitness regimen you will ever need.
As my client Mike says, “The secret to your future is hidden in your daily routine.”
Most people who “work out” are actually just doing the same thing day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, and year-after-year. There is certainly a lot to be said for consistency, and decision fatigue is real. Those are two great reasons (and signals) that it’s time to hire a professional coach.
How Professional Coaching Works
A professional coach is someone who is competent, caring, and consistent. There are a million personal trainers and group class instructors in the world, but finding what resonates with you is about collaborating with someone who understands all of you. What are your individual needs, limitations, goals, priorities? A professional coach listens to you and works to understand your priorities so that she can program a training plan that meets ALL of your needs.
A personal trainer will babysit you through an hour or two a week, but what are you doing in between those sessions and do those sessions actually add up to results? Group classes are, by definition, for no one, because they are for everyone. Fitting yourself into the workout of the day means fitting yourself into something that was never designed with you in mind.
There are no real athletes who only train once or twice a week. The only athletes who train as a group are teams working toward the same goal—even then they differentiate based on position.
Getting stronger, leaner, faster, healthier, is a daily regimen—a habit.
Ever wonder why you can’t stick to a “diet”? Because diets are about fitting yourself into a box that was not designed for you.
Finding the last fitness regimen you will ever need means creating daily habits that you can actually DO every day. Some habits are activities but some habits are not. Creating the time to train is a first step. What you do in that time should vary with season, goals, sport, obligations of work and family, life stresses, injuries, etc.
Sleep and nutrition are the two most important parts. To support your immune system, your brain, your hormones, your muscles, your gut health…your everything, you must sleep at least 8 hours a night in a dark, cold room. To support your gut health your brain, your immune system, your muscles, your nervous system, your everything you must eat a variety of foods that are fresh and organic.
You must cook your food and not buy it prepared because you don’t know what you are eating if you don’t prepare it. Does that mean you can NEVER eat out? NO. It means what you do 80% of the time dictates your outcomes. The other 20% has room for flexibility.
Doing things at the same time daily is a great habit—but doing the same thing day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month, year-after-year is not sustainable—and it is not enjoyable. Happiness requires making progress. Set goals and crush them! When you sleep great and eat great it’s hard not to wake up every day ready to crush life.
If you want to make real progress, work with a professional coach. Find someone who is competent (educated), caring (listens to you), and consistent (creates programming that gets you where you want to go). Working with a professional should feel like a great collaborative effort.
The last fitness regimen you will ever need is really about deciding what you want and going for it. Setting goals is not easy. Reaching esoteric goals is impossible. Find a coach who can help you set realistic goals AND meet them.
The journey you undertake when you take your health seriously is not just a physical journey but also a spiritual journey. Engage in your life at the deepest levels and see where you can go.