It's All About Mental Fitness...

When I speak with people who are asking how things are going with my training, one thing I try to make sure they understand is that this is more of a "mental" challenge than a "physical" one. Have you ever thought about that?

Well, let's address it...

Are you one of my readers who hasn't worked out in a while? Maybe you haven't opened the doors to a gym in quite some time? Maybe you haven't jogged around the block in years? Do you typically take the elevator instead of the stairs when you're just going up or down a few floors? When you come home from work, do you get into your "comfortable clothes" and relax with a few "drinks" to unwind? Do you go to a restaurant and "clean your plate" because that's what you've been told to do by your parents (starving kids in China)?

Well friends, I hear ya... and I know exactly where you are...

Making "life-changing" decisions is difficult. First, they have to be challenging yet attainable. You have to decide what results you are shooting for, and go out and be dedicated to the cause.

Believe me... I'm not one to preach with authority because I'm just barely one month into this. But, as one who is striving to achieve some awesome results, I want to encourage each of you to not focus on the "physical." You have to change that "mental attitude" before you can really commit to the physical side of it all.

So let's say you make up your mind and decide that you are going to conquer that mental block. All I can say is you'll know it when you've had enough of your current situation. It may be that you're tired of not fitting in your clothes. Or you're huffing and puffing just walking in a parking lot to your vehicle. Whatever the case, I swear... you'll know it. Basically, you'll come to a point where "Enough is enough."

Now comes the physical part. Someone I work with asked how much weight I've dropped this month? When I told them 12 pounds, their response was "I envy fat people and how fast you can drop weight like that." Nice. Appreciate that.

It takes a lot of focus - remember, "diet and exercise." You can't do just one... you gotta do both. Eat healthier, choose foods with fewer calories, eat smaller portions... it's not rocket science.

And how many calories can you burn? I've noticed that when I'm on the treadmill I burn about 100 calories per mile (I enter my weight). However, on the Crossramp I typically burn 150 calories per mile. I've wondered how accurate these readings really are...

This is from Runner's World:

In "Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running," published last December in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, a group of Syracuse University researchers measured the actual calorie burn of 12 men and 12 women while running and walking 1,600 meters (roughly a mile) on a treadmill. Result: The men burned an average of 124 calories while running, and just 88 while walking; the women burned 105 and 74. (The men burned more than the women because they weighed more.)

Now what have we learned here? Let's say you come home every other day and decide to walk 1 mile AND you're eating habits are changing... don't you think you'll drop a few pounds in a month? What if you increased it to 1.5 miles... or joined a gym and spent 1 hour/4 days a week on one or two machines?

Finally, find out what's preventing you from achieving your goals. Maybe you need to join a gym due to the weather? There are plenty of gyms in the area: 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, etc. Maybe you like the outdoors and need to go to a park or walk around your block? Whatever you think might be hindering you, it can be "beaten."

I'll end with this: I've taken on the attitude that this is my sport - running, working out, etc. I enjoy it, I like how it de-stresses me, and I especially like the feeling I get when I finish my workout. While this past Sunday I ran 5 miles, today was more about "Taking care of business." I needed to get a good 4 mile run so that I can continue to maintain the progress I'm making. In essence, I couldn't skip it.

Sure, it's hard during the week... coming home from work, we all just want to plop down on the couch and do nothing. But, if you have the mindset to change your circumstances... take on a new goal... then you'll actually come home and change into your gear and head out to do what is necessary to achieve your goals...

Just my 2 cents today.