Hey guys,
obviously I haven't blogged in a little while, life's good like that, it does tend to get in the way (in a good a way),
and this can tend to get in the way of your workout. But only if you let it….
you might work 9-5 (or 7-7 for a good majority of us), work part time and do uni full time, or you might be a full time mum (or dad)…either way your life is probably absolutely packed full. How on earth are you supposed to work out as well.
Because you have to. Too many people don't make their health a priority and let the areas that need the most attention slide due to their careers and getting ahead (like sleep and eating properly).
Now yes, I'm a PT, its my job to train other people and myself, but I'm also a bartender and a full time uni student doing a science degree. So I need to practice what I preach just as much as the rest of you!
Here's my TOP 5 TIPS FOR FITTING FITNESS IN YOUR LIFE!
1. Set GOALS!
In sport's psychology there is a much loved theory of SMAART goals… Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Action, Results oriented and Time Bound.
Specific -you need to make sure your goals are important to you (not your doctor, not your partner…you need to WANT to get healthy!),
Measurable as in you'll know when you get there (kg's lost, fit into those old jeans, finish that race),
Achievable as in if you're keen to run a marathon but can barely scrap out a 1km, probably don't choose one that's in a month.
Action Oriented - have a plan! How are you going to get there?
Results Oriented - your aiming for an end goal, how will you know when you get there and what's your next goal?
Time bound - have a start and a finish date, like 10 weeks from now, so you don't keep running towards an unknown end date, it's nice to know there's some light at the end of a tunnel (and a hot bod!)
2. Have a workout buddy - or better yet a workout group!
This one is so important, because it keeps you accountable. Its pretty damn hard to drag yourself out of bed at 5:30am in the morning for a run (trust me, I ran my bootcamp in the dark this morning!), but its a bit easier if you know you've got a mate waiting for you (or a whole group of mates) ready and waiting at the gym or in the park.
Plus everyone knows you get a great chat and catchup in and people to have a coffee with after. And I do LOVE coffee…
3. Crack open your diary and schedule it in!
if you have a meeting, exam, doctor's appointment, whatever, you schedule it into your diary or your smartphone right? Why should a workout be any different?
Take 5 minutes on a Sunday and suss out your week, find a 1 hour hole per day (or 1 less hour of watching the idiot box…we're all guilty) and set out a 45min/1hr workout (45min leaves you 15min for a shower). You wouldn't shirk on your boss or your doctor so why would you shirk on an appointment with the no.1 VIP in your life….yourself!
4. Bring in the professionals!
Yes, I get that I'm a little biased here, but it's seriously the best way of making sure you get an effective workout in the limited time you have. Chances are if you're battling to find time to workout, you sure as hell don't have time to write up an effective program. And if your not unto scratch on workout routines and moves or have equipment (like kettlebells or weights and battle ropes) your program might be limited to treadmill running or basic and boring weights routines. Leave it to a PT, to design a workout thats fun and original and uses your time efficiently!!
5. Join an actual gym. With classes.
I'm not knocking any of the 24hr gyms, they definitely have their place, and some of them are running classes now, but when you join a bigger gym, they generally run classes of all different types at all different times, so regardless of when you go, there will be a well planned, high intensity class that goes for an 1 hr run by a professional. Or a yoga class that you can unwind in after your fantastically planned out week of workouts…..
Put these into practice and I guarantee exercise will start becoming a normal part of your weekly routine. The best part is when you don't workout one day, and it feels really weird. like you've forgotten to put on pants…that's when you've made a habit. Well done you!
What's a goal that works for you? Any motivational things you do to get your butt up an moving in the morning?
- Ash
Hello to anyone that might be reading this!
First up I thought I'd introduce myself.
I'm Ash, I'm a PT and I study Exercise Science at uni.
now the formalities are out of the way,
I'll go into why I actually started AH Fitness Solutions, and how scaring the frigging crap out of yourself might be the best thing you do all year...
A little background on me…
I started AH Fitness Solutions (my burgeoning personal training business) as almost a knee jerk reaction to some health problems my family went through in 2014. A few different things happened, but one in particular…my dad having open heart surgery scared the friggin' crap out of me.
For anyone thats met my dad, they would know that it was a massive shock that this tall, strong, moustachioed ex-army dude actually had a ticking time bomb of an embolism sitting on the front wall of his heart.
Dad was lucky, due to a routine stress test, we found out he had actually already had the heart attack long ago without actually noticing it (!!) and that the doctors had caught the embolism just in time, and that it was a matter of a little (ha) double coronary bypass and ant. wall reconstruction to get in and repair the damage.
Now, yes my family does have a history of heart disease.
And yes Dad did smoke. For a very long time. So it shouldn't really have been such a shock.
However, anyone that's experienced a major health event in their family would know it tends to trigger off other events, some good, some bad.
So dad's heart surgery triggered me to do something big. Knee jerk reaction big. 'Heart in my throat scared' big.
I stuck my hand up and said I'd run the New York City Marathon. This year. I've never run a marathon before…a couple of (slow) halfers but 42km (whilst jet lagged is a friggin long way).
I'm running it for the HEART FOUNDATION (their vital research is why Dad's still here, us raising money keeps them doing it!), and I'm raising $7500 (plus) that goes purely to them.
So in order to raise funds, I started AH FITNESS SOLUTIONS a personal training business, that runs charity bootcamps…all profits go to the Heart Foundation.
Simple right?
Surprise…business is hard work. Especially when your mid-way through a really hard Exercise Science degree and have to work as a bartender at night to make ends meet…and train for a marathon (next post I'll talk about working through a plateau and finding motivation again. trust me I've been there)
I'm currently in the beginner stages…the stage where I'm told most people quit.
I went to an International Business Women's day lunch run by the fantastic Jane Copeland of Coping With Jane, where Anthea Cahill (of Real Chai Founder and Iquitmyjob.com.au) said this (I'm paraphrasing here), to stop procrastinating! to dive right in even if starting my own business scares the shit of me! and to remember that business isn't a marathon….it's a sprint.
Being a runner that last one resonated the most with me. Both Jane and Anthea's sites are absolutely cracking resources for those of you who also have knee jerk reactions and start a business.
Starting a business is terrifying. But good terrifying. Like being at the top of a really high roller coaster. With a blindfold on. In the nude.
Putting myself out there is pretty scary. The look in people's eyes when you tell them to do 50 burpees is scarier.
But not having my Dad around to see me walk down the aisle or meet his grandkids would have been scariest of all.
take care of yourselves,
Ash
What's happened in your life to make you have a knee jerk reaction?
Have you/are you starting a business right now and peeing your pants in terror?
