Stop Exercising, Start Training

 

 

 

 

What are you training for? Why are you training?

It doesn’t have to be an event or a competition, but identifying WHY will keep things in perspective, guide your habits, your decisions, and your life! Each one of us has a different reason why we train, but your WHY is the root of what drives you to succeed and the reason you push forward!

I train for life. I train and eat well be healthy, energetic, and joyful. I want the quality of life, so knowing that I want to feel healthy, feel my best, and be strong and fit to meet the demands of life, THAT will drive my decisions and my habits.

Even for those who have been in the fitness industry for a while, it is good to revisit our why and our values to remind ourselves of the big picture, keeping things in a healthy perspective as well as keep us on track to practice our habits consistently.

For example, let's look at the big picture from a high vantage point, to get a better perspective. My why and what is training for health and vitality. When I remind myself why I eat, and why I train, I am able to enjoy what I am doing and it takes the pressure and expectation off. After competing professionally for three years, I can easily place high standards and expectations on myself, so for me, it is good to regularly remind myself that I am not competing anymore, I am eating and training for health and vitality.

This viewpoint can also help to give yourself grace and margin in your life. Missing 1 workout in the big scheme of things isn’t the end of the world, eating something that falls within the 20% of 80/20 rule is okay. It gives us peace of mind and room for when life happens.

We don’t want to miss the forest for the trees. We want to keep the forest, the big picture in mind, and consistently practice skills and habits that move us toward the big picture. The skills and habits are the trees, and the forest is the big picture, our "why."

Maybe its for family, maybe its for health, for the longevity of life, for vitality.

Whatever it is, keep that "why" in your mind regularly. Revisit your why often and revisit the basics often! When we have the basics pretty much mastered, we have a solid foundation we can return to often.

- Charissa

 

Charissa Sutliff is an Online Fitness & Nutrition Development Coach, a Competition Prep Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, and holds a B.S. in Kinesiology. She also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration. She is enthusiastic about faith, working out, healthy nutrition, meditating, learning, growing and coffee!


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