Train Like A Kid
Step 6: Point, Shoot, Aim
By Douglas Pieterse, Co-Founder & Head Personal Trainer
"It may be simple but not always easy"
It’s Sunday morning, you get up, half-awake you make your way to the bathroom for your “morning watering ritual”. You look down and instead of seeing what you’re doing, you only see your two feet poking right past your round belly. You think to yourself, it’s time for a change, you know it, I know it and I’m sure anyone you ask along the way would probably agree. But knowing what exactly to get started with and finding motivation to workout seems so daunting. With the abundance of media messages and options that all promise to deliver results to everyone else’s body but yours.
It’s Sunday morning, you get up, half-awake you make your way to the bathroom for your “morning watering ritual”. You look down and instead of seeing what you’re doing, you only see your two feet poking right past your round belly. You think to yourself, it’s time for a change, you know it, I know it and I’m sure anyone you ask along the way would probably agree. But knowing what exactly to get started with and finding motivation to workout seems so daunting. With the abundance of media messages and options that all promise to deliver results to everyone else’s body but yours.
Like the saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail", so the changes to your lifestyle can’t quite happen yet until you complete your research. Once there is a systemic, evidence-based comparison done to every Facebook ad on “How to lose weight”, “Scientifically proven ways to motivate yourself to workout” and a secret training plan is prepared, you should be ready to get started. With some luck, you could have this complete in the next 6 months or so… In the meantime, you might as well have your toenails painted.
So how can you realistically set fitness goals and motivate yourself to do it? When you look to children, you will often find them coming up with games on the fly, without knowing all the details, restrictions and rules of a game. They start the funniest contests and add in parameters as they go when they encounter problems. They don’t allow their enjoyment to be held up by technicalities – it doesn’t even cross their minds! For them it really is, “point, shoot, aim”.
So how can you realistically set fitness goals and motivate yourself to do it? When you look to children, you will often find them coming up with games on the fly, without knowing all the details, restrictions and rules of a game. They start the funniest contests and add in parameters as they go when they encounter problems. They don’t allow their enjoyment to be held up by technicalities – it doesn’t even cross their minds! For them it really is, “point, shoot, aim”.
The point is, there is a lot you will need to learn about fitness and nutrition, and it is very likely it won’t happen overnight, so just start! There is always time and opportunities to tweak and modify your plan along the way. What is most important is you get started and your mind is in the game to start training. That can be enough to have domino effect on your health and fitness efforts and provide you the results to motivate you even more to work out and train. Once your mind is on board, you will make better choices naturally. You’ll say no to the chocolate bar and enjoy the cucumber salad instead.
Remember, to play the game you just need to start. To play the game well, you will need to learn the rules. But sitting on the side-lines waiting for the perfect gaming strategy means you may never get to play.
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