The long term goal of any physical exercise program should be rooted in health. The ability to move one’s own body properly, the ability to move other objects efficiently, and the ability to maintain physical work for a given period of time are all integral components of overall physical fitness - mobility, strength, and endurance.
Plan: A method for achieving an end.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. I don’t much care where… Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
All training should be properly planned to initiate a stimulus for adaptation based on current fitness levels and goals. Training is rather futile if not purposeful. It is my job as a coach and trainer to take into account a client’s current fitness levels, capabilities, and goals to create workouts that are appropriately challenging.
Proper planning ensures that the time and resources invested in training are put to the best use possible, injuries are avoided, and our long term fitness journey does not become stagnant but continues progressing in the correct direction
Pursue: To engage in.
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.”
-Vince Lombardi
The first step is always the hardest. If a healthy lifestyle including physical fitness was easy, we would not be faced with the myriad of lifestyle-related diseases that we are battling in this world. Like any new healthy habit, the more the activity is engaged in, the easier and more enjoyable it becomes – simply because the mind recognizes the beneficial impact of the habit.
It’s easy to be lazy. The operational norm of society even enables all but minimal walking. The body is made for movement and no one can argue the benefits of purposeful physical activity. Physical health, mental health, quality and longevity of life are worth taking the first step.
Persevere: To continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”
-Winston Churchill
There are no magic pills. There is no easy way. We live in a society in which we have to intentionally invest in purposeful movement or it simply doesn’t happen. This gets challenging. Some days the body does not cooperate and the mind has to push through. Some days we meet our goals – others we do not. Life is not a sprint, but a marathon… physical health and wellness is a journey. The big picture must always be in mind.
The most significant difference between people who succeed in their fitness goals and those that don’t? Consistency.