It’s a New Year, So… Break Down Those Fitness Barriers!
By Dr. Mark Wiley, OMD, PhD
Whether you have goals of pain free living, building your fitness profile, or changing your diet… it’s a New Year and time for a fresh start!
Yes, you’ve been focused on “thinking” about your fitness and health goals for years. But for every reason you can think of, you have not yet reached your goals or achieved your desired fitness. No matter how your “try,” you are finding the ability to follow-through on what is asked of you or what you ask of yourself.
Taking personal responsibility for your own health and fitness is difficult. It requires dedication and patience. Life is tough. But it’ll be less tough if you start fresh now, and here I will tell you that everyone experiences the same barriers to achieving their goals. And I will tell that when you focus, you’ll see how they are not really barriers at all, and can be easily broken down and overcome!
The Time Barrier
The most obvious barrier to achieving optimal fitness is time. There is only so much of it and when we finally do find a free moment, it gets eaten up by unsuspecting sources like: work, family obligations, events, projects, you name it. Something always seems to get in the way of doing our exercises, driving out of the way to purchase organic whole foods, eating balanced meals, getting a healthy amount of sleep, hitting the gym on a routine basis.
Look, I know you’re busy. You’ve got kids, a demanding job, a hectic family schedule. But if you need to exercise, you can prioritize 20 minutes at a time, 3 days per week. Forget reruns of Seinfeld; do your stretches instead. Better yet, why not do the exercise ball and bands exercises while watching your favorite sitcom or the evening news? Skip reading the morning paper tomorrow and go for a jog instead. Skip the take out lunch and go to the farmer’s market on the way home from work, then prepare a healthy lunch in advance.
There are always sets of minutes in a day that can be “constructed” into health minutes. You simply need to prioritize your days — your life — and establish the time. So do yourself, your family and your loved-ones a favor and break down that Time Barrier. It doesn’t exist; it’s an illusion. Only laziness and lack of creativity make time short. And you’re neither lazy nor uncreative!
The Mental Barrier
This is a huge subconscious operation below the surface of your mind, sabotaging all your attempts to start with a clean slate.
With exercise being one of the most popular New Years Resolution Ideas, let’s use it as an example here.
You wake up January 1, filled with energy, and say: “That’s it! This time, I’m going to do it!” You strap on your new running shoes and take a brisk, cold run around the block in the freezing cold and it makes you feel Great! Next day, you may even do it again. Then you go back to work, the holidays are over, life, family, and work get in the way. Now your new shoes sit in a corner collecting dust.
Now, what begins to take place subconsciously is a constant chatter of “I’m a failure,” “I’m no good.” These thoughts are extremely powerful in a totally negative way. You try fighting them mentally but the only way to really beat it is to get back out there and DO IT.
Then this thought of… “I’ll try this again,” gets sabotaged by your subconscious firing off… “I’m a failure, this will never work.”
This creates a vicious cycle of negative thinking and a negative environment for new ideas and attempts that carry into other areas of our lives. To beat this cycle, it’s necessary to develop a new way of thinking. One of positive affirmation for yourself. Give yourself compliments and follow them up with action. Tell yourself you are a “fit and healthy person” and then follow it up with a workout.
The Money Barrier
The third most common barrier is money. The gym costs money. A personal trainer costs money. A weekly massage costs money. Acupuncture can get expensive. Supplements aren’t cheap, but their protocols are long so they add up.
The main thing is to prioritize your wellness dollars. If you are spending X amount on health each month, how can it be maximized? And if you are spending money on extra cable TV channels, expensive dinners and unnecessary clothing–then why not cut back on these and spend the money on your health instead?
One of the best things you can do is to learn methods of reducing stress, of stretching and of exercising by yourself at any time of day. This will allow you to keep in routine and stay on your fitness path, even when the gym is closed.
I recommend consulting with my good friend Dennys Passeto of Achieve Fitness for what the best program for you may be—given your time and goals—and he can give you ideas of how much money needs to be allocated to reach those goals. There are gym memberships, personal training, workout videos, good sneakers, simple free weights and balls/straps for the home… whatever you may need. But Dennys can help you focus in and only spend on what you need. Then you can allocate the fitness dollars in your budget into what approach will work for you. Then money is no longer a barrier!
It’s a new year. It’s 2009! By focusing a bit and breaking down the barriers to health NOW, nothing can block your path to the amazing life you so rightly deserve.
Dr. Mark Wiley is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Ph.D. in Alternative Medicine Mind-Body Health Practitioner, Author, Celebrated Teacher. He is an internationally renowned mind-body health practitioner, author, editor, lecturer, and seminar instructor who has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan to conduct field research on the oldest indigenous and modern holistic healing practices.
If you have any questions about our fitness programs or would like some advice on the available and recommended resources that are out there to help you get in shape this year, please don’t hesitate to contact us at mike @ achieve-fitness.com. We would love to tell you what would work for you based on your budget, time, needs and help point you in the right direction.
Tags: Break through time, Fitness Barriers, Get in shape in 2009, mental and monetary hurdles
