Real random blog entry today...but its on my brain so I want to share.

I had a conversation a couple days ago with a mother during a session about encouraging her children to make their decisions based on what is best for them, not what they think is expected.  One child is a senior in high school, the other is a sophomore in college, so they have a lot of life altering decisions coming up.  My two cents was just not to make a decision based on what is expected, or what others are doing.  Just like how we cater every movement in their workouts, they should cater every decision to their specific needs, regardless of how other people are moving around them.  You don't need to bench press on Monday just because every other meathead is bench pressing on Monday. 

I love when fitness examples apply to life's larger tasks.

I also love when fitness becomes part of life's larger tasks. 

I had a client text me the other day to let me know he wasn't going to be able to make our regular Saturday appointment.  No Problem.  He had just gotten back into town from dropping his son of at college 10 hours away the day before and was going to turn his brain off and play in a golf tournament.  I completely understand and support that decision.  Freshman years are also tough on parents.  So I sent him a comic about being a hack of a golfer, and wished him luck in the tournament.  Saturday was going to be beautiful so I was actually a bit envious.  

But then Saturday at 9am rolled around and my client surprised me and was at the gym.  He wasn't going to skip the session. The tournament was at 1pm so he had enough time squeeze in a session then run home, eat, and head to the course.  We worked on some mobility and restoration,  mainly focusing on getting him moving again from being in the car so much the last couple of days.  At the end of the workout he said that was "perfect and exactly what he needed."  Boom, another satisfied customer. 

I didn't make him a better golfer, human- yes, golfer- no.

But that wasn't really his goal for our Saturday session.  His goal was to move better, feel better, keep his routine, and stay injury free.  He's not a professional golfer.  He's a professional husband, a professional father, and a professional lawyer.  Golf is a fun hobby, everything else mentioned is a priority.  I didn't see anyone else from the tournament at the gym that morning though.

Our conversation on Monday morning went like this:

Me: How did you golf on Saturday?
Client: terrible (laughing)
Me: Great! Did you have fun?
Client: Yeah it was fun
Me: Is anything sore?
Client: Nope, everything is good
Me: Great, lets get after it!

If he had shot a 68 or a 98 it wouldn't have mattered.  What mattered is that he enjoyed himself and could do it everyday without experiencing an ounce of pain.  Our priorities are aligned so that he can enjoy every and any activity he partakes in.  Successfully or not. 

Availability of an athlete or client is the first key to success. 

Enjoyment then tends to not be to far behind. 

Your goals do not have to be milestones. Goals can be the small things that sometimes get overlooked.  Those goals then tend to snowball real quick into milestones.

Keep your fitness goals simple.   

Every fitness professional is going to tell you that you need to set goals to be successful...I agree with that and highly encourage goal setting.   This blog isn't going to be about applying the S.M.A.R.T principle and achieving your goals in an organized and timely fashion...In fact this isn't even going to be about achieving your goals at all, because truthfully, sometimes they won't actually matter.  The PROCESS of how you go about the business to achieve your goal(s) matters.

I'm not saying goals don't matter, I'm saying when all is said and done you will reflect on the PROCESS and remember those details, so pay attention along the way and enjoy where you are going.  Mindfulness will help keep you laser focused on the goals and stay the course when your body is slow to adapt.  Slow adaptation does not mean your body is not transforming.  It means we are painting the background of your portrait first. 

Typically, if you do not achieve your desired result there is a very logical and sound explanation.

Fun Mom story.

During one of our family vacations (dad's work convention) my mom decided that she was going to take us kids out and explore the National Treasure that is Daniel Boone's cave.  Yes you read that last sentence correctly, contain yourself from excitement .   So we set out in our minivan one summer in Kentucky to find Daniel Boone's cave.  No map. No real plan. But if you know how everyone in my family operates we never really plan, we just adapt along the way.  The logic kind of went like this...there are these minute men road signs that point you in the right direction so we just have to follow the signs like a map and we will arrive at our destination.  The suspense is really just part of the "fun" said my mom. 

Its all part of "making a memory" she is now (in)famously quoted for saying .  I love my mom. 

BUT

After hours of driving in circles and following the same signs all over the state of Kentucky, we never found the cave...after hours of driving my poor mother had no clue where she was going, and had 3 kids asking every 15 seconds "are we there yet?" 

We were "making a memory," she would reply in answer to every question.  We laugh about that story at every family gathering.  My mom will never live it down.  We had fun driving around that day, and that event has provided material to pick on my mom now for years.  I think us kids can actually say we're glad we didn't find the cave.

When I reflect on past events I really cannot remember all the final outcomes.  I remember things along the way though.  I can tell you that I drove my mom to church every Sunday once I got my license, but I cannot recollect a single sermon.  I can remember grocery shopping with her every Sunday night, but cannot remember a single thing we ever bought.  I remember watching her favorite show "friends" with her at night, but couldn't repeat a single line from years of episodes.  I cannot remember any of my times from track events, but I remember she made me "power bread" for every track meet. 

We remember the PROCESS. The PROCESS is what we learn from, how we form habits, AND what we appreciate and remember in reflection. 

The PROCESS in fitness is what is worth the drive to the gym every time you are tired after work.  The PROCESS gets us to our goals, and sets the standards that we strive for in every session.  Skip parts of the PROCESS and you will more than likely fall short of your goal.  Try to shorten the PROCESS and you will be more likely to start collecting injuries further setting you back.  Most importantly, by not reflecting along the way and taking self awareness notes you will miss the true value of fitness.  Don't let goals consume you, lots of external factors can play into your results, but stay the course.  If you are doing everything right and developing a great work ethic and habits, stay the course.  How you get to your goal really can be more important than achieving your goal. 

This is shown by those people that can then go out time and time again and achieve their goals.
The PROCESS of replication.
The PROCESS of diligence.
The PROCESS of growth.
The PROCESS of self awareness.
The PROCESS of self fulfillment.
Successful people have learned the PROCESS of success.

The enjoyment of knowing they work hard, and have something to show for it.

Fitness is meant to be fun, enjoyable, and most importantly purposeful.  

Enjoy the process of your purpose!