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My Most Hated Video – Stop Exercise Shaming!

My Most Hated Video – Stop Exercise Shaming!

by | Feb 8, 2022 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness

You know why there are so many different perspectives out there in fitness?

Because there are a ton of different things that can work based on your needs and goals.

Are some of them a bit far out there and only work for those rare few?

Yup. But as my husband was told growing up because of his weird approach in baseball, “You don’t tweak the freaks.”

Now while I’m not encouraging you to go find the strangest thing possible to test, I do think it is key we start to embrace the opportunity in different perspectives and see these differing opinions as a chances to learn and improve.

Over simply demonizing moves or opinions as wrong.

I can’t tell you how many times early on I “wrote off” a cue or training technique because it didn’t fit the “tribe” I was in at the time.

This ultimately held me back from becoming as strong and as fit as I could be as efficiently as possible.

It’s why I can deadlift more now than when I won the MA/RI State Powerlifting Championship.

It’s why I’m leaner now than when I fought tracking and focused only on “eating clean” and restricting arbitrary foods.

We need to seek to learn and even challenge our own perspective with differing opinions. This is the way we can find little tweaks to make to help ourselves personally improve and create the Frankenstein program right for us.

Because ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL.

Now I bring this up because of the interesting comment chain I read on my Underrated Arm Exercise.

Let’s get one thing straight about what creates results and helps you build muscle…

If it challenges you, it will change you.

Heavier loads are only ONE way to create progression and muscle hypertrophy.

Muscles grow stronger and bigger in response to a challenge that forces them to adapt.

Time under tension using different tempos, changes in range of motion, changes in tools used, changes in the exact movement pattern and your postures, all can create a new stimulus and challenge for your muscles.

And all of these can force your body to have to adapt and grow.

Progression can be simply created from doing the SAME BUT DIFFERENT!

And that’s why I love that amazing arm exercise.

It isn’t just a bicep move. It isn’t just a basic tricep extension. It isn’t just an overhead press.

It works your entire arm in one movement.

And there are so many ways you can vary and tweak it to match your specific needs.

Now I wanted to address a few “concerns” people raised to hopefully share a different perspective on things and help guide you to determine if this move has benefit to YOU personally…

First concern…

Now what if one muscle is weaker and limits the weight you can use?

Many people mentioned that one of the muscles involved was stronger than the others so that they felt like they needed to use different weights on each move to truly challenge each muscle group.

There is definitely ALWAYS a limiting factor in movements. It is why for especially stubborn areas, as I mention in the full video, you may at times still include isolation exercises.

However, these same people vilifying this move because a muscle required for the movement may be stronger than another also love bench press and do push ups and pull ups and squats.

In all of these compound, multi-joint movements, there is a limiting factor. Be it your shoulders or triceps or chest on bench, something impacts the loads you can move.

It doesn’t still mean you don’t get results from it and that you can’t create progression to create hypertrophy.

Not to mention the actual technically ideal strength ratio between your triceps and biceps SHOULD be 1:1. So if you have a huge difference between the two that is actually something you may want to work on.

And it is probably based on what you’ve trained or utilized more.

Technically the triceps accounts for around 55% of upper arm muscle mass, while the biceps takes up about 30%. While many mentioned their biceps being stronger, this is likely due to preferential training.

And although the triceps are a bit bigger than the biceps, both are equally important. As antagonists, an equal strength ratio can be key.

So maybe more of us need moves like this that force us to work BOTH muscle groups more evenly.

Not to mention both the triceps and biceps play an important role in our overall shoulder health. Why not work them at the same time we also get the benefits of an overhead press!

And instead of simply writing this move off because one area is stronger so the weight doesn’t challenge it as much, why not tweak the exact version of the move you do?

You could slow down the tempo, especially of the eccentric portion of the exercise component you wanted to make more challenging.

You can do an extra rep in that piece of the movement even, performing two curls to one overhead tricep extension.

And on top of all of this, we have to remember that our hypertrophy goals may all be different. Not all of us are training for a bodybuilding competition nor super experienced lifters.

We may not need to use isolation moves to truly challenge those muscles. 

It’s why we need to understand that different moves may be right for different training experiences and goals!

Now the second concern…

Why use a hybrid movement?

It seems like a lot of people confused what a compound movement is for a hybrid movement.

To get the best results, I believe we need to use a diversity of movements.

While compound moves are the most time efficient and key for overall functional strength as you’re working more muscle groups at once, for those stubborn areas that sometimes need extra focused work, isolation moves are key.

If a client comes to me wanting to really build muscle, but short on time, I may completely forgo any isolation movements to start. We want to think “bang for their buck” in their workouts.

However, a more advanced lifter who has an area that refuses to grow or change. Maybe you opt for a progression focused on more isolation movements than you would usually do.

The key is you’re embracing the options.

Same goes for hybrid movements – which are movements that combine multiple different movements into a single flow.

A hybrid movement CAN have isolation exercises included.

A bicep curl is still an isolation exercise for the bicep even if you combine it in a flow with an overhead press (which is a compound movement) and then an overhead tricep extension (another isolation movement).

So by doing this flow you aren’t wasting any time doing a bicep curl then a tricep extension.

You’re also getting in the BONUS of an overhead press which works not only your shoulders but also your triceps before that overhead tricep extension.

More time under tension for those muscles! You’ll be surprised by how much you feel that burn adding up!

Another benefit of hybrid movements is the increased energy demands because you are working more muscles in a short amount of time. Especially when usually you’d be doing say 8-12 reps of just a very isolated movement. This can be good to get more benefit in less time if you’re trying to keep your training sessions short!

While you may be thinking why not just superset tricep extension and bicep curls? You have to consider the change in rest you’ll actually be giving the areas. While yes it is only one curl to one overhead extension, the rest between each is shorter than doing your 10 reps of curls before your 10 reps of tricep extensions.

Not to mention you’re then not working in that overhead press at all!

I also called this an UNDERRATED arm move not the BEST arm exercise or the best tricep or bicep move. This move hits the entire arm which you can’t say about those other isolation moves. Not to mention underrated means not valued highly enough, which I believe this move clearly isn’t.

And often the people not seeing the value, haven’t even tried it.

So instead of writing it off, like I feel far too many have done, try it to actually SEE whether it benefits you. You may be surprised.

Now…even with all of this you may decide the move is not “underrated” as an arm exercise (note I didn’t say bicep or tricep or shoulder exercise, but arm exercise).

You may not include it. But why not see opportunity in this movement to allow yourself to be open to options and improve your training.

You may find at some point it does come in handy…I can’t tell you how many times something I decided not to use I’ve brought back in special circumstances or with a client who really needs it.

Think about this…

What if you only have one weight?

Not everyone has a whole gym full of weights.

This is a great way to make use of that one weight in a time efficient matter if someone has 20 minutes to train and wants to spend most of their workout on those key compound lifts and movements.

What if an area IS stronger, but someone likes the look of this move?

Why not even hold in one position as the other arm goes through the movement? You could hold a curl halfway up as the other arm goes through for added bicep work.

SUMMARY

Instead of just writing a move off…Why not find ways to even TWEAK the basic move? Whether it’s changing tempo, making it a unilateral move, adding in holds…There are so many ways we can adjust moves to match our needs and goals.

We have to remember that not everyone has the same needs or goals or even training situation and experience.

So instead of just writing a move off, why not learn who or when it could benefit someone? You may find it ends up being the missing piece to your training!

Too often I see the same people who are labeling moves as bad or pointless, struggling to achieve the results they want. And it’s because they aren’t open to new perspectives, instead sticking by the mantra of their fitness tribe.

Don’t hold yourself back from achieving the results you want. Be open to progression through the same but different. See opportunity in different ways of doing things even if they aren’t right for your needs or goals!

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FHP 406 – Stop Fighting The Process

FHP 406 – Stop Fighting The Process

by | Feb 8, 2022 | podcast

So often we are our own worst enemies. Not intentionally but we are.

We’ve all been guilty of this…fighting the process.

We start a program but we keep trying to do things we’ve always done. We keep fighting against the new changes. We find reasons NOT to do them or to keep doing some of the “safe” things we’ve always done.

Why?

I’ve asked myself this multiple times.

Why do I struggle to embrace certain changes more than others? Why, even when we’ve invested time and energy and money into something do we fight against actually doing it even though the other isn’t working?

It’s definitely a weird quirk of us humans… repeating the same thing we’ve always done expecting a different result while KNOWING that is the definition of insanity.

But if we want results, we’ve got to STOP fighting the process.

I know letting go of control is hard, I know making a change is uncomfortable…

But isn’t being stuck and frustrated while working hard worse?

Isn’t it better to at least have HOPE and try the suck and pain of change?

I think so.

So here are 3 tips to help you stop fighting the process and better embrace change.

#1: Build Awareness – Compare Habits

I think awareness is the first phase of making any change. If we don’t truly know we are doing something, we can’t change it.

And often I don’t think we are even aware of when we are defaulting back into the old and comfortable. Because well…it’s instinctual and safe.

So I think before starting a new program, we need to make ourselves aware of the habits we may want to default back to and the new ones we want to repeat.

List out the 2-5 new habits you’re working to build and list out the actions you USUALLY have repeated. That you’ll want to default back to.

Post this somewhere you can see and remind yourself of this daily to start.

It can be helpful to post it somewhere you’ll even see when you may be guilty of wanting to repeat those old habits…like say skipping your warm up to get to the good stuff. Or adding in more to your workouts. Or eliminating rest. Maybe you put a reminder in your workout space or on your workout log.

Then at the end of each day, each week, mark your adherence and even when you deviated. It can help you stop reverting back to old habits and truly show you why your results may have been amazing or not so stellar.

So often we think we’re doing the habits just because we started a program, when we aren’t in reality. And then we get frustrated when our results aren’t there. This can often be a practice that shows us the habits really weren’t there either….

So today list out 2-5 habits you plan to start and the ones you’ll have to break in the process…

#2: Realize Your Mindset Is The Problem

Our mind is ultimately in control of our success or our failure. Because if we tell ourselves we “can’t,” that something “won’t work,” honestly…it won’t.

Because we won’t really embrace the changes. We’ll easily allow habits to slide.

We’ll implement things half-heartedly.

So if you want to truly make a change and see results, you’ve got to Act As If you are the person you want to be.

You might hate change, but you’ve got to “Act As If” you like it. You’ve got to find ways to embrace the new systems and processes.

Maybe it’s breaking things down. Maybe it’s understanding the why behind things to know why they’re worth testing.

But you’ve got to find ways to truly MENTALLY embrace the new habits, not just replicate actions.

Because so often when we say we’ll do something just because we’re told to, we don’t actually ingrain the change. We often easily fall back into old patterns.

Now with Acting As If, you aren’t faking things. You’re finding a way to embrace the habits and mindsets of the person you want to become.

This means you’ve got to embrace learning. Find reasons WHY something may work or is worth the test.

Remind yourself of why you want the changes, why you chose the program.

Realize that if you don’t change your mindset toward the changes, you won’t see the results they can bring.

Just remember what your mind believes, your body achieves as cliche as that is.

And if your brain doesn’t want to do the changes, your body won’t either.

Take time today to assess your mindset. What are you truly telling yourself about the new habits?

What are three things about each new habit you want to create that you can find as a good reason to keep repeating and embracing them?

#3: Change Your Expectations

We all come into a program with a goal. Something specific we want to achieve.

And we can define success in binary terms – did we or didn’t we achieve that very specific outcome.

But this honestly holds us back from lasting changes.

Because if we didn’t hit that outcome, we deem the changes a failure and often give up on them even if we’ve learned things not to do and have actually made progress forward.

I’ve seen it countless times, people lose weight doing something but not “enough” weight and give up.

They go back to old habits. Jump ship to try something crazy new.

Just because they didn’t hit their ultimate goal even though they moved forward.

And this is why they end up yo-yoing right back to where they started to ultimately have to start over again.

If they’d instead seen the progress as a win, and kept going, they would have actually achieved their ultimate goal!

We need to change how we view our wins and successes.

Honestly I feel I’ve gotten the results I have because I’ve never thought any program I’ve done was a failure.

Sure were there some that didn’t move me forward toward the goal I’d set for them?

Yup.

BUT they taught me something that didn’t work for me so I could avoid going after another program that was similar.

Because I learned from each experience, I was able to use each as a building block.

If you just say nope, didn’t work. It was a failure and don’t assess or use it to learn and see that as a win, you’re likely to end up repeating exactly the same mistakes again and again and again.

Change how you view success. If you see it as taking away something that will move you forward, even what not to do, it’s a lot easier to embrace the systems and process.

You realize that embracing the systems IS the win.

So as you even go through anything you’re doing right now, make notes. What makes you feel good? What has been tough? What can you use to make good decisions in the future? What will you avoid in future programs?

Even recognize those small steps forward. Stop overlooking that progress as even though you might not be there yet, that’s still closer than you were to start and you can build off of that momentum!

FHP 405 – There Is No Starting Over

FHP 405 – There Is No Starting Over

by | Feb 1, 2022 | podcast

It’s a Monday. A new month. A New Year.

We tell ourselves we’re “starting over” yet again.

But we aren’t starting over.

We’re just moving forward.

Life doesn’t stop. Doesn’t pause…unless you’re dead….

Everything we’ve done prior is still there and still impacts our current situation.

Starting over hints at a clean slate.

But that isn’t the case.

I mention this because so often we sort of dig ourselves a deeper hole over a weekend or a week or an extended prior of time because of plans to “start over,” only to ultimately make it harder and harder on ourselves to move forward.

We need to stop this horrible cycle.

We need to remind ourselves that life doesn’t pause.

That the only way to get results is to find a way forward even when times aren’t ideal.

If we aren’t doing something to move forward, we’re losing progress.

And the thing is…that only makes where we’re “starting over” from worse.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 tips to help you get out of that pause and start over mentality to see that you can do something to keep yourself moving forward to RAMP UP when you’re motivated.

Because that is truly what we’re doing…not starting over but RAMPING UP!

Tip #1: Stop Expecting Perfection. Seek To Learn

I don’t care how amazing you are, you’re not perfect.

And you’re never going to be.

And that’s not a bad thing.

But we need to stop expecting a perfect time in life where everything is going to go right and we are never going to mess up or slip up on a habit or routine.

Because there will always be deviations.

And it isn’t so much the mistakes that hold us back.

Nope!

They can be valuable learning lessons, sometimes even the best learning lessons, if we allow them to be.

Instead too often we make ourselves feel GUILTY about the mistake.

We feel guilty we aren’t perfect.

And this holds us back. It makes us feel the need to “start over.”

It makes us feel like we have to pause our workout routine or program because we can’t do it perfectly.

But all that ultimately does is dig that hold. Make us quit on something that may have been working.

It prevents us from LEARNING from the experiences to move forward faster ultimately.

I think going in, the more we can admit there will be mistakes and even embrace them for the learning they can provide, the more we will move forward even when we feel like we’ve made a mistake that has set us back!

Tip #2: Set Minimums. You Won’t Always Be Motivated.

I say this often but we need to at time embrace doing the minimum.

I know many of us feel that if we can’t go all out, do things 110% they aren’t worth doing.

But that holds us back from taking even small steps forward as we’re able to capitalize on later.

The simple fact is, life often will try to get in the way. And we won’t always be motivated.

But we can still move forward to lay that foundation in these times by setting minimums.

And by staying on these minimums we can often CREATE motivation. We can CREATE a better situation.

Instead of digging ourselves a hole.

So if you feel like you need to pause your program, you need to start over another day that is better, instead find one thing you can keep doing.

Sure it may not be ideal, but you’ll be surprised by how much it prevents you from going backward.

How much it even helps you get back on track faster.

The more you do, the more you do. Keep that momentum moving forward.

And remember that small steps forward are still steps forward!

Tip #3: Catch Yourself In The Act

I think the pausing a program, quitting to start over mindset, is so ingrained in many of us, we don’t fully realize we are doing it.

Heck going into this last holiday season I saw it come out strong in myself.

Healthy habits wanted to slide since I was planning to test out some new stuff anyway in the New Year.

I mean…if I have all of this stuff coming up anyway….

And I caught myself in the act of making the excuse.

When I realized it, I started to set minimums.

Sure I may have to slightly adjust my workout schedule.

What could I have ready for those times I needed something quick or wasn’t motivated? What may be more “fun” even if it wasn’t ideal?

And sure, maybe there would be lots of days it would be harder to hit specific macros…

But I could still track. I could still set a calorie cap. A protein minimum.

I could still focus on dialing in meals around ones I wasn’t in control of.

There is so much within our power to change and control. We need to see those opportunities.

And that starts with catching ourselves in the act of thoughts and actions that don’t move us forward.

We can only change something when we start to catch ourselves in the act of doing it.

So as you’re making changes, if you find yourself saying you want to pause something or start over, STOP that thought and give yourself one thing you can still do that day even if it isn’t ideal.

3 Cardio Mistakes For Fat Loss (And What To Do Instead)

3 Cardio Mistakes For Fat Loss (And What To Do Instead)

by | Jan 30, 2022 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

Honestly for fat loss, cardio is overrated.

If you enjoy it, do it.

But…

A. You can’t out exercise your diet if you want optimal body recomposition results

…and…

B. Cardio can make it harder to build and retain lean muscle, which can already be a slight challenge when in a deficit to achieve fat loss.

However, if you are going to include cardio in your training routine for overall optimal health and because you enjoy it, I want to share some key mistakes most people make when it comes to cardio and fat loss and how to avoid them!

But before I dive into those common mistakes, I do just want to point out a common problem I see when it comes to our view of our training in general and fat loss…

Too often we view our workouts simply as a way to burn more calories!

It’s why we think doing more cardio is better.

We see those calories adding up faster during our training sessions.

And while yes, training can help us burn more calories to create that deficit to lose fat, focusing solely on our training as a way to create that deficit is short term thinking that often backfires.

It’s why we actually often STRUGGLE to get the results we want.

Because if you are constantly trying to only create the deficit through your training, you’re ultimately going to burn out because you’ll have to keep trying to do more.

Our body adjusts and adapts and becomes more efficient. So unless you’re constantly finding ways to train longer or do more in your cardio, you’ll end up burning fewer calories over time.

Not to mention, you’re most likely not going to see optimal body recomposition results between metabolic adaptations and a lack of attention to building muscle in your training.

You’ll especially struggle to see results if you’re focused on doing more in your training sessions while eating less.

While we may be burning a ton of calories in our training, if we’re undereating, our body will try to “protect” itself by actually finding ways to use less energy during the rest of our day.

So you’ll actually create metabolic adaptations that will backfire long term and be why you quickly regain any weight lost if you don’t keep up your insane training schedule or continually lower your calorie intake.

This is why our workouts need to have a focus beyond purely being a way to burn more calories!

Now what are 3 Cardio Mistakes And How Can You Avoid Them?

Mistake #1: Putting cardio BEFORE strength.

If we want to see the best body recomposition results, we need to stop valuing cardio over strength work.

The best way to not only achieve our desired lean aesthetic, but actually maintain it long term, is to do all we can to build and retain our lean muscle.

More lean muscle helps us burn more calories at rest and, well, look leaner and more toned as we lose the fat.

It helps keep our metabolism humming so we can more easily maintain our results long term as well.

That’s why we need to stop prioritizing cardio or doing it first in our day before our strength work.

While I’m not a huge fan of two-a-day sessions, we have to remember that what we do first, we are freshest for.

So the best way to truly lift weights and perform exercise variations that truly challenge us in our strength sessions is to do those FIRST.

If we instead do cardio first, our strength sessions will suffer. Sure we may “feel” like we’re giving them our all, but our 100% intensity won’t be a true 100%.

So if you are doing both strength and cardio sessions together in a day, put that strength work first.

And if you can, instead of even doing a harder cardio on strength days, try just going for a walk after.

Especially the closer you are to the lean look you want, the more this may actually IMPROVE your fat loss efforts, utilizing the mobilized fatty acids from the tissues surrounding the areas you worked!

If you do plan in harder cardio sessions, try to save your cardio for a separate day, even a day you have a rest day after before your next lift!

Mistake #2: Focusing on the LENGTH of our sessions over the purpose.

Interval training and “HIIT” sessions are all the rage.

And they can be a great way to get in a killer training session when you’re short on time.

But too often now we take what should be a quick INTENSE workout and drag it out for an hour.

More is better, right?

NOPE!

Generally the longer your training session, the more your intensity dips. Unless your training sessions is long due to proper rest periods.

But usually our interval workouts aren’t longer due to changes in our work to rest intervals. Usually they’re longer because we took what should be just 20 minutes of work and doubled it.

We take that 5 round 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off circuit, and instead do 2 of those in a session.

But all that does is take us past the point of diminishing returns. Our intensity drops dramatically and we don’t get the same benefit. If you were trying to work on speed even, you can ultimately end up training slowness.

By doing more, we may, sure, burn more calories, but it is often not quality volume or work. It is often where we ultimately end up compensating out of fatigue which can lead to injury and hold us back from consistently training to see those aesthetic changes we want.

Not to mention the wasted volume can be why we are so tired for subsequent training sessions and then don’t get the full benefit.

And often these sessions lead to increased levels of hunger that can derail our diet and leave us feeling depleted energy-wise.

So stop focusing on simply doing longer sessions. Design workouts based on your goals. Even if you have an hour, not every workout needs to fill it!

Mistake #3: Thinking more is better.

Our training should be fun, but our workouts need to have a clear focus and be designed with a specific goal in mind if we want the best results.

We need to stop focusing on just doing more to burn more calories.

We have to recognize that the QUALITY of our work really matters.

So while you may increase the length of your runs or rides to train for a race, simply doing more for the sake of doing more may make you “feel” more in control, but it won’t lead to better results faster.

And often it can backfire. That steady state cardio can be catabolic to muscle tissue and fight against your fat loss goals.

It can especially hold you back if you’re pushing that deficit while also trying to do more in your training.

Not only can this negatively impact energy levels but it can create metabolic adaptations that actually hinder us from continuing to lose fat.

This overtraining while under fueling can also lead to hormonal imbalances that ultimately lead to us regaining the fat and more.

SUMMARY:

Everything we include in our training needs to have a purpose and be focused on our ultimate goal.

More is not better, as much as doing more can make us “feel” more in control.

As hard as it can be, ultimately results come from trusting the process.

Dial in your workouts AND your nutrition to see the best results as fast as possible…

–> The RS Formula To Fabulous Results

FHP 404 – Positivity In Pain

FHP 404 – Positivity In Pain

by | Jan 25, 2022 | podcast

What drives us to make a change?

Pain.

Pain is an incredibly powerful motivator.

And by pain I mean also often FEAR.

It’s an odd thing, but we humans are truly more driven by pain than by gain.

We may want a specific outcome, a specific positive…

But we are most likely to actually make a change toward that goal when there is pain not just something to be gained.

The idea of a six pack, the idea of millions of dollars, the idea of running a PR…well…as weird as it sounds…they aren’t really powerful motivators as much as we think we want them.

They only become powerful motivators if there is a great pain with NOT moving forward toward them. Or a great pain in where we are now.

Pain is what drives us to make a change.

Like think about during the holidays….when we feel…well…out of shape, disgusting, clothing feels uncomfortable and tight…we feel like blobs.

We feel “in pain” so to speak.

This is when we most often take action.

However, in taking action often we lose focus on this pain and start to focus on the gain we want.

While you’d think focusing on a positive outcome would be good, it may actually be what holds us back from achieving our goal.

Instead we may actually need to EMBRACE and OWN our pain and use it as a POSITIVE.

Yup.

There is positivity in embracing and truly feeling and reminding yourself of your pain.

While we tend to shy away from fear and pain as negative emotions…emotions to be avoided at all costs, instead we need to find ways to use them to actually achieve the goals we’ve always dreamed of.

And here are 3 ways I think you can do just that.

#1: Pain Reminders – An Anti-Vision Board.

So often we hang inspirational photos or quotes around to motivate us.

Like I’ve tried years ago personally to hang inspirational physiques on my fridge to help keep me in check when I first started even trying to “eat healthy.”

But honestly, they never inspired me to make a change. If anything, often the inspirational images would backfire…If I ate something off plan, I’d be like welp, ruined the day may as well give up upon seeing those images.

Because honestly, the pain of restriction in the momentum was greater than the GAIN of achieving the physique I wanted shown in those images.

As negative as this sounds, it was actually better to remind myself of the pain of my current situation.

A reminder of where I didn’t want to be.

A. Because I understood that emotion.

And B. Because I didn’t want that pain any longer. It was worth embracing the hard of change.

Pain can be a motivator. A driving force to change.

Instead of running from it, use it to move you forward.

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of the negative to get ourselves to embrace change.

So if you’ve felt like nothing will motivate you, if the idea of a gain doesn’t keep you passionate about moving forward, remind yourself of the pain.

Create an “anti-vision” board. Put up things that remind you of why you want the change.

Again as negative as this sounds, put up a result of a race you didn’t like the outcome of.

Put up a photo where you didn’t fully want to embrace the time.

Because you aren’t dwelling in the past, you’re reminding yourself of why it’s worth it to move forward even when change is hard!

#2: List Goals Less In Gains And More Eliminating The Pain.

Again, it sounds so negative but this is about using your pain as a positive.

So often we say we want a six pack. Or we want to move better.

But those things truly aren’t motivating. Especially if we’ve never had that thing before, we have no real connection to the outcome.

But what is motivating is pain and fear.

What will happen if you don’t move forward toward those goals? Why don’t you like being where you are currently?

List out goals as how you’re going to move forward out of the pain.

This can sometimes even make us feel vain because it’s about avoiding how clothing feels. Or what we see in the mirror, but these goals are just for you and guess what?!

Aesthetic goals aren’t shallow. They’re valid. We each deserve to feel and look the way we want and life is meant to be about being our best, healthiest, fittest, most fabulous selves.

“I’m going to dial in my macros because I’m sick of feeling lethargic in my training and like I’m working super hard in the gym without those results showing. I’m frustrated by the fact that I don’t look like the athlete I am so I’m going to change this and get a six pack.”

Or if your goal is to move better….Instead of saying you want to move better, maybe you remind yourself of the pain right now of not being able to chase after your kids. Or not being able to do an activity you love.

“I’m going to do my mobility work because it’s horrible waking up every morning feeling like I’m 20 years older than I am unable to walk around the park without pain. I’m going to get rid of this constant ache in my back and move better through this mobility work!”

While you want to focus on the positive outcome, you want to use that pain to drive you to change.

#3: See Pain As A Positive.

No one likes to experience pain. No one wants to suffer from fear.

But instead of running from these emotions, instead of hiding from them, realize they are a powerful tool you can use for good.

See pain as a positive as you can harness it to make a change.

Realize that if there is some pain, it means you’re able to make a change.

If we live life out of avoidance, ultimately we won’t avoid pain. We’ll experience more of it and keep ourselves stuck.

So recognize that you can use that pain, even that fear of pain, to drive you forward and achieve wonderful results.

Remember too, you can’t know the good without the bad!

Pain can be used to help you drive toward GAIN!

SUMMARY:

So as negative as it can feel, embrace the pain of the situation you want to change and remind yourself of that pain to keep you on track and moving forward toward the ultimate gains you want to see!