People often assume because I’m a fitness professional I live like a monk.
No booze, exclusively protein and veggies, go to bed at 8pm so I can get my first of 3 workouts in at 4am… that type of thing.
It’s simply not the case.
I live a remarkably normal life.
I just work out a few times a week, don’t eat too much junk food, and enjoy alcohol in moderation.
Case in point, I was in Philadelphia last weekend for a seminar with a bunch of other gym owners around the world.
I was one of the presenters and helped put the whole event on, so it was a full weekend and fitness had to take the back seat.
- I ate a lot more food than I usually do (and had the best cookie of my entire life)
- I drank a lot more alcohol than I usually do (when people keep handing you top shelf Patron, you don’t say no..)
- I didn’t workout a single time
- Thanks to travel and social events, my sleep schedule was… how do I put this… a dumpster fire
If you’ve ever beat yourself up for not being perfect, or staying “on track” enough, or are hesitant to start a program because “well I have X Y Z going on but once that’s done things will be normal and then I can start”.
This is for you.
I was with 50 other gym owners. They are industry experts and I can tell you for a fact they all enjoyed the weekend.
We made healthier choices when we could, but still got dessert.
We all stayed up later than usual and dragged our butts a bit the next morning.
The focus was the event, not counting calories.
It’s absolutely about balance, and balance is a verb.
You keep things in balance – it’s not a state you achieve.
Sometimes that means you overindulge in a new city with lots of great friends, and when you get home you go to bed early and have some extra veggies for a couple of days.
Here are the 3 things I did, and you can do too when you have a weekend that’s “off track”.
- Don’t beat yourself up. I chose to go to Philly. I decided to have fun. I chose fun over fitness, and I’m okay with that. I’m an adult, and so are you.
- Set parameters. You know that one cookie becomes one box becomes a week of indulgence. There is power in saying “For this weekend I’m focusing on fun” and not letting it become your new normal.
- Get back into a routine immediately. God knows I would have loved to keep staying up late drinking expensive tequila, keep eating those unbelievable cookies, and not exercising. It was awesome! When I got home, my alarm was set, my workouts were planned, and my food choices were healthy (even if I didn’t really want to get back into routine).
In a decade and a half in this industry, I haven’t met a single person who is perfect.
Even the friends who compete in physique competitions, have a photoshoot for a magazine or have the abs you dream of live like remarkably normal humans.
In fact, it’s because they have such a regular routine most of the time they don’t get burnt out when they need to step it up temporarily for a big event (trust me, they know how to step it up, but they also love their food and drink).
Reaching your fitness goals is easier than you think it is.
The first step is accepting it doesn’t have to be so hard.
Click here to book a call with our team and let us help you achieve your fitness goals while enjoying life to the fullest. It’s time to make fitness easier and more enjoyable.
