I’m getting hooked on Twitter. It’s full of fitness motivation – quotes, tips & insights from trainers, gym rats and fit nuts like us, it feels like having a cheerleader in your cell phone. That’s why I added my twitter feed here… just scroll down and you’ll see it on the right. That’s how I discovered Bill Crawford, Fitness trainer, National Fitness Hall of Fame Inductee & Owner of Basic Training MedX in Scottsdale, Arizona. One of his tweets in particular spoke to me… actually it kinda yelled at me:
“People don’t plan to fail. They fail to plan. Get a strategy to achieve your goals. Fitness is not recreational or leisure. It is routine.”
So true. But I wanted more. I wanted to know how to achieve my goals, how to make fitness routine, so I went straight to the horse’s mouth and asked Bill himself. Here are his top stick-with-it tips.
Commit to Get Fit
People don’t plan to fail… they fail to plan. Now is the time to plan a winning strategy to achieve your fitness goals. If not now… when? Fitness training is not a recreational or leisure activity. It must be worked into daily non-negotiable tasks you must do in your daily routine. Make your fitness training part of your life and get more out of life.
I tell my clients: “Put fitness training in the same category as all the things you may not want to do, but must do. Like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, and wiping your behind.” Make exercise a daily required task.
Find a location close to your home or workplace. If it’s hard to get to… you won’t get there. It needs to be in the way so you have to go over it, under it or through it to get to work or home.
Don’t confuse sports and leisure activities with exercise training. This is a mistake. There is no substitute for deliberate concentrated exercise for the purpose of exercise.
Go to an expert and invest as much as you can in fitness for value. Sure, you can do it on your own. You can also sew your own clothes, have a baby at home and grow your own food. When athletes train, do they go into their garage and lift weights or join a gym? No. They hire a trainer. They know a trainer will push them farther and harder than if on their own. Commit to get fit and buy as many training sessions in advance as you can. You’ll be less inclined to cancel. When the trainer has your money they have your attention and commitment. When committed; you’ll show up and get results. Results start when you do!
