Your class participants deserve congratulations for caring about their health and wellness — and for getting started now. To help them prepare, here are the 3 biggest mistakes people make when starting a health and weight-loss program — and what you might advise them to do instead.[private PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus]
MISTAKE #1: Thinking “Diet” Instead of Health
“Diet” is an outdated term for a temporary change in eating habits. From the start, the goal of a diet is to lose the weight so you can go off the diet and get back to eating “normally.” Which is probably what caused the problem(s) in the first place.
INSTEAD, suggest that they focus on health and think long-term. Fortunately, most people have abandoned the diet concept in favor of lifestyle and lifetime changes. Change what you eat — not just your portion sizes, not just your calories (I don’t care what anyone says). Suggest that they make changes gradually so they don’t feel as if they can’t wait to get back to their old habits.
MISTAKE #2: The All-or-Nothing Approach
What’s all-or-nothing with exercise? “I don’t have time for my cycling class, so I won’t work out today.”
What’s all-or-nothing with food? “I ate a cookie, so I blew it. I’ll start again on Monday.” (That can be really bad if it’s Tuesday — and they spend the week eating bags of cookies to gear up for Monday’s diet.)
INSTEAD, with exercise, think Better Than Nothing. Do whatever time allows. Won’t 15 minutes burn more calories than skipping their workout altogether? In fact, it’s a good idea — some say a better idea — to follow current thinking on high-intensity interval training. Plan a workout of, say, 10 or 11 minutes. Start with a short warm-up, followed by intense bursts of 30-45 seconds and 15 seconds of rest. Keep repeating till you’re done. (This was covered in a previous post last holiday season.)
With food, review Mistake #1. They’re in this for the long haul. What’s 1 cookie over the course of a lifetime? After a splurge, planned or not, go right back to healthful eating. Not next Monday, but now — or at the very next meal.
MISTAKE #3: Confusing Motivation and Enthusiasm
Which comes first — motivation or results? Often, people say motivation. How can you get results if you’re not motivated to start? Sure, there’s some truth in that.
But my first fitness job was to show new members how to use the equipment and begin their programs. Some were excited; others were resigned: “My doctor said I need to exercise to lower my blood pressure.” “My wife told me I have to lose weight.” Some were even resentful; they did not want to be there.
Yet once the members started to see results — lose weight, feel more energetic, sleep better, get compliments — they wouldn’t miss a day. They’d leave a pair of cross-trainers in the trunk because it messed up their plans when they forgot them one day. Sometimes results come first.
So what is motivation? Many people think it’s excitement, but that’s usually on a sliding scale.
The early A.M. gym crowd, for example, is pretty consistent. A man who’s at the gym most mornings once told me, “I didn’t want to be here today, but I said, ‘Gotta do it.’”
On any given day, many cycling class regulars probably feel exactly the same way.
INSTEAD, suggest that your participants take a more open approach:
– Accept love-it-hate-it feelings about exercise and eating better. One day, working on their health will feel great. Next day, they’ll hate it. Embrace the dichotomy.
– Prepare healthy meals while grumbling. Exercise with a scowl. Complain to anyone who’ll listen. No matter how much they didn’t want to do it, they’ll be glad they did.
– Redefine motivation as a neutral state. It’s not always enthusiasm, let alone excitement. If they did it, they were motivated.
Sometimes motivation is just planning, then getting where you have to be, doing what you need to do, and pushing through the obstacles that come up — so you can get the goal you say you want.
In keeping with that view, one of my favorite quotations comes from George Bernard Shaw, who said:
“Forget about likes and dislikes; they are of no consequence.
Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.”
Of course, I’m also partial to the short but effective Nike slogan: “Just do it.”
No one ever said, “Jump up and down with excitement first and then do it.” [/private]
This morning I found myself failing (By my standards) in a very big way. And what has stuck with me the most all day, is that it was due to laziness. Kind of wondering when I slipped into this rut and wondering who else feels like this.
As someone who has taught the same Saturday 9:00 am spin class at the same gym for over 15 years, you could say I have developed a style, a format, and a following. I teach other days and sub many classes, but to my recollection have never taught a Sunday 9 am at this particular gym. I was asked to do so by someone desperate for a sub. I said “only as a last resort” because Sunday is the one day that I have my kids the whole day. During the week they go to school and Saturdays ,y ex wife has them half the day. So Sundays are without a doubt the most valuable day of the week to me. But as I know the feeling of being desperate for a sub, as I am sure you all do, I decided to help him out.
15 years ago I would have prepared, made a new song list, polled the people at the gym OR the instructor on what “their style is” so I can adapt a little and combine his with mine. Even some of his music may have made a difference.
Now you all know what happened so I won't bore you with the details. I am sure everyone reading this can relate to members who only like the regular instructor and don't like a sub no matter who the sub is. I have experienced both sides of that. But today was different. Today I had to look my self in the mirror and say “I lost my mojo and have gotten too lazy in my preparation.” I used to prepare my music, my quotes, my stories, and got excited to teach every single class. Lately all I have are excuses. I was able to use the divorce as an excuse for a year……but that's getting old. I still use the “I am a single dad with two toddlers” excuse but that too has worn itself out. Then there's the “I can't stand the new pop music out there” which is still extremely valid lol but truth be told I could be searching harder; even if it's to find better music from the 80's and 90's. Maybe if I had done SOMETHING different today, 5 people wouldn't have walked out in the first 30 minutes of class. All I know is, it's time to get off my ass and find my mojo again. Attached is a story/metaphor about how I plan to do LIFE from now on. Time to stop whining about my marriage ending, my limited free time, my chronic back pain…….in fact it's time to stop bitching all together. I have more Joy, Happiness, Gifts than any one deserves and it's time I start acting like it. If you're in the same rut as me, than let's get off our asses together !! DEAL ?????
Getting to the Top
We’d been climbing all day long, and the wheels on my bike had seen better days. Today’s stage would finish at the top of the mountain and then a well-deserved rest would follow. Knowing I had only a mile left to go, I set my sights on the road ahead, and the three cyclists in front of me.
Maybe it was the fatigue, or maybe it was my imagination, but when I looked up ahead and saw the three remaining opponents, I saw words on their back. A closer examination revealed that each one had a single word in big bright letters stretched between their shoulders. Directly in front of me was the first opponent wearing the label “ Good.” In front of him was the opponent labeled “Great,” and the person in the lead wore the label “Excellent.” I thought to myself, “where do I fall in this group?” I decided I needed to find out.
I had little time to think about what I had done thus far, it was much too important to focus on what I was going to do now! If I wanted to reach the top first, I would have to do much better than “Good.” I tightened my grip on the handlebars and drove my heels into the pedals. My speed increased and I pulled onto the left side of “Good.” Digging into every stroke, I quickly pulled up beside Good, and then it hit me; I was much better than good! Not missing a beat, I pushed thru the strokes and before I knew it, I passed him. I moved back into the right lane and reflected on my victory.
Second later, my focus shifted to Great. If I wanted to reach the top first, I would have to be better than Great as well. So with the same tenacity as before, I rose out of the seat and crushed the pedals. I pushed as hard as I could and though I made progress, I could see that Great was much harder to pass than Good. But I didn’t give up, and the hard work paid off. I was there, beside Great. He looked at me and saw without a doubt that I was not satisfied here. I still needed to be better than Great. Seconds later, I pulled ahead and took my new place in front of Great.
In the last few minutes I had eaten up half the distance to the top. One person left between the top and myself. Excellent rode strong and I could see that his strength was only equal to his confidence. He turned back to look at his follower He smiled at me, and then turned back front. I knew that if I would ever win this, I would need to attack strong. There would be no time for chatting or even thinking, I just needed to throw everything I had into the climb and let my body do the rest. Without hesitation, I jumped out of the seat and began my attack.
Completely shocked at my attempt, Excellent found himself caught off guard. As I slingshot’d past him, he tried to recover, but it was too late. I had the upper hand and I gained distance with every pedal stroke. In a matter of seconds I had the lead, and after almost a minute, I had made enough gain to seal the deal. The hill was mine and today I owned the stage.
I managed to look ahead and there it was. The finishline. Fifty yards from my grasp, it stretched across the road in the form of a yellow ribbon. As I gleamed with pride and exhaustion, I felt a shift in my bike. Before I could react, my bike collapsed. The abuse I had put on it in the last mile proved to be too much. I never felt pain from the fall, at least nothing external. Instead, I felt pain within. I had worked so hard that day and had proven that I was better than Good, better than Great, and better than Excellent. How could, after all of that, it not be enough?
As I laid stretched across the road, I heard nothing around me. The world was silent, except the sound of my own spirit screaming for me to “GET UP!” But a closer look at my bike revealed that it had been rendered useless by the fall. I changed my focus from the bike, to the opponents whose position I had taken moments earlier. They saw the fall, and were all coming towards me at full speed. They saw an opportunity and were ready to take it.
Suddenly, my inner voice took control. It said that if I was better than Good, Great, and Excellent, than what must I be? In the standards of life, when you are “almost” to the top, what does it take to get you there? One word came to mind, and it was that one word that I knew I possessed within myself, otherwise I would not have made it this far. So like any champion would do, I stood up, wiped the dirt and blood from my knees, picked up my broken bike, andstarted running towards the top. Race rules state that a cyclist must past the finish line “with” their bike, and not necasarily “on” it.
At this point, win lose or draw, I was being my best. I was being unstoppable. No amount of pain, no amount of bad luck was going to keep me from finishing this the way I started it. And when I reached the last 5 yards, I knew I had done it. I leaped forward and broke thru the yellow ribbon. Only a few feet behind me were my three opponents Good, Great, and Excellent. Any thoughts they had about why I was able to do what I did, were quickly put to rest, because just like them I too wore a label. And when they saw it, they knew that today like any other day, OUTSTANDING was better than Good, Great, Or Excellent.
The lesson?
When you’ve done your best, and have outdone Good, Great, And Excellent…………That’s when you really have to start working. Outstanding is a higher standard and it takes courage, tenacity, and determination to get to this level. Anyone can be less than that, only a few find the guts to rise above and take what’s theirs! So the next time you feel excellent………….. get off your ass, pick up the bike, and be OUTSTANDING!
Below you'll find Week 1 of October's @ or Above Threshold Keep it Simple and Progress indoor cycling profile.
Workout Basics:
4 minute 30 second warmup
15 minute benchmark ride to find “Maximum Sustainable Wattage”
2 minute recovery
3 x 3 minute interval w/1 minute 30 secondrecovery after each
3 x 2 minute interval w/1 minute recovery after each
3 x 45 second interval w/10 seconds recovery after each
5 minute interval increasing intensity throughout
8 minute cooldown
Workout Goal:
“Can you increase your average wattage for EVERY interval until the last song?”
4 minute 30 second warm up
Slowly and steadily elevate the HR or Wattage to above threshold
1 minute recovery
15 minute “Maximum Sustainable Wattage” Test
Settle into a sustainable intensity, HR or Wattage
The songs change every 3 minutes
Change riding position or RPM with song changes
Remember Average wattage at the end of the 15 minute interval
2 minute recovery
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 3 minutes seated at a constant RPM between 80-110 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
1 minute 30 second recovery or reset
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 3 minutes standing at a constant RPM between 60-80 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
1 minute 30 second recovery or reset
3 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 3 minutes seated at a constant RPM between 60-80 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
1 minute 30 second recovery or reset
2 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2 minutes seated at a constant RPM between 80-110 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
1 minute recovery or reset
2 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2 minutes standing at a constant RPM between 60-80 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
1 minute recovery or reset
2 minute interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 2 minutes seated at a constant RPM between 60-80 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
1 minute recovery or reset
45 second interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 45 second seated at a constant RPM between 80-110 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
10 second recovery or reset
45 second interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 45 second standing at a constant RPM between 60-80 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
10 second recovery or reset
45 second interval goals and specifics:
Ride for 45 second seated at a constant RPM between 60-80 rpm.
Complete the interval with a higher average wattage than the previous interval
30 second recovery or reset
5 minute interval goals and specifics:
Increase intensity every minute until end of song
Cool Down
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My client was crying. She was upset about what she thought I had just asked her to do. She was afraid she’d have to go hungry all day and starve herself. She was afraid she’d end up over-compensating with a binge the following day — or even for several days afterward.
It wasn’t true that she’d have to starve, but her emotional reaction was genuine.
What had I asked her to do? Simply to try an exercise that I’ll share with you in a moment.
I knew the exercise would ground her in a solid awareness of her body’s signals of when to eat. I expected a bit of pushback, but not quite like this. As she cried, I addressed her concerns point by point.
So What Was The Scary Food Exercise? [private PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus]
I won’t keep you in suspense. The client picks one day — or even half a day — to try this. Here’s what you might tell him or her to do:
The goal is to get hungry as often as possible during the day. Eat only small amounts each time you feel hungry. That will ensure as many hunger experiences as possible throughout the day.
BUT!! Every time you feel hungry, it’s time to eat! Eat only enough to take away the hunger, rather than to satiate yourself completely. But do eat.
One of the points of this exercise is to develop body awareness. Part of that is avoiding eating on autopilot. So before eating when you usually do — say, first thing in the morning or when it’s “time” for lunch or dinner — check in with your stomach first to see if you’re really hungry. Discover what hunger feels like.
Another key is to avoid “preventative eating” (eating now to prevent hunger later). Stay in the moment with your hunger and your eating. Keep the behavior logical and predictable: I’m hungry. I eat. I get hungry again. I eat.
Important suggestion: If you have a cycling participant try this, suggest that he/she do it on a day that with a light schedule — or no set schedule at all — to really tune in to the process.
I Didn’t Invent This “Mean” Food Exercise
Many years ago, I read about this process in a book. Unfortunately for me — the PhD who always cites her sources! — it was a long time ago, and I’ve forgotten whose exercise it is. I’m definitely not trying to claim it as my own; I simply can’t recall who came up with it. My apologies (and thanks) go to the author.
This Exercise Is Great Because It Works
What happens? Every client I’ve taken through this process — every single client without exception — has reported feeling grounded and aware of the hunger/eating cycle after trying it.
My clients report that they now feel confident in their ability to tune in to signals that tell them when their bodies need food — and when they don’t. They feel confident that they can trust what their bodies are telling them. They feel confident that they can respond appropriately.
I have never asked a client to eat this way longer than one day. But it has never been necessary. Each and every client who follows the instructions seems to have the same positive experience.
To be clear, your participants don’t have to go through life eating only a bite or two of food at a time — just the day of the process.
And What Happened To My Crying Client?
She did understand what I had really asked her to do and agreed to try it for half a day. She ended up doing the whole day — and said she “got” what I’d been trying to help her discover regarding hunger, food intake, and much more.
Anything that helps my clients feel more aware and sure of their decisions is a boon to their self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-image, and self-efficacy. This “scary” exercise makes them more effective in following my system and getting results.
The exercise is also in keeping with one of my favorite quotations. It’s from Simone de Beauvoir: “Confidence in the body is confidence in the self.” [/private]
