When I talk to individuals about health/fitness (regardless of where they are on the fitness path) I always stress the importance of eating and exercising smart. Many times I get the question "what does that mean"? Well, eating and exercising Smart consists of two factors:
1. Having a specific goal/plan in mind (what, where when, and how much)
2. Staying consistent
Having a specific goal in mind is smart because once you know where you want to be health wise; its easier to take the necessary steps needed to get to your destination. To give you a example of how critical setting goals are; I'll use myself for an example of what NOT to do.........
Back when I first started exercising, I use to work out with a 3 other guys. We would all go to the gym and basically "throw weights around" 5 days a week. None of us knew much about goals/plans, or why we were even there in the first place. All we knew is that we wanted to "get strong" and "out do" each other.............
After about 3 months of these "testosterone fueled workouts"; everyone's elbows and knees' were super sore. At times; my elbow felt as if it were constantly being hit with a hammer! I didn't realize at the time that what we were doing (lifting heavy weights everyday) wasn't a sustainable plan. Needless to say, our I little exercise crew broke up within a few months. We all used various excuses/reasons why we couldn't exercise together anymore. But we all knew that we were just too sore to go on. This is what happens when you don't have a plan or goal in mind.
Staying consistent goes hand in hand with having a specific goal. One could have the most elaborate eating/exercise plan,yet still not come close to reaching the goal. We can hire the best trainers, and buy the latest/greatest fitness programs; yet if were not consistent, our plans will fail. Consistency is simply putting in the work and effort a regular basis.
These are the two core components of exercising smart.
No comments:
Post a Comment