Top Ten Fall Fitness Tips

As a full time exercise enthusiast and coach I am always working on ways to motivate and lure others into fitness.  I love studying and analyzing why we do what we do.  Here are some tips based on some recent client interactions and commons struggles I face when trying to help others reach their fitness goals.

#1.  Set goals each and every week (write them down).

#2.  Be OK with modifying your goals and updating as you go.

#3.  Shoot for 5-6 days of exercise each week (mix cardio, strength and flexibility).

#4.  Enjoy the Fall weather and get outside when you can – don’t take it serious everyday.

#5.  If you miss a scheduled workout, move on and try again.

#6.  Ask yourself why you didn’t reach your goals in the past & make adjustments.

#7.   Rest – If you are finally reaching your goals make sure you take some time off.

#8.  It’s easy to get too bogged down in all the details.   Keep it simple.

#9.  What is your reward?  This is important to know.  We all need a REWARD.

#10.  Be proud of the work you do!  Keep it up and you will get results.

I hope you find these simple tips helpful.  Check back each month for some new motivation (if I reach my goals of updating monthly.).

Coach Gibby

Happy New Year! Resolutions…

There is lots of talk about New Year resolutions so to change it up a bit let’s kick off 2013 with a plan to achieve better Focus, Fitness and Faith.  It’s estimated that only 40% of resolutions are maintained or achieved past 6 months.  If we put some energy and effort into these three areas of our lives we can accomplish new levels of greatness.  Let’s create new habits that will enrich our lives for the long run.

Focus - Finding Focus can be tough.  In today’s multi-tasking world this is more difficult than ever.  How do you find yours? As we begin a new year it is a great time to spend some time thinking about how you can create better focus in your life.  I find my best focus while running, riding and swimming.  Other ways I find focus include writing, listening to music, practicing yoga and reading.  Challenge yourself to focus on what is important to you.

Fitness - Record your baseline and set some realistic benchmarks for all levels of your fitness.  Think beyond physical fitness and include goals for financial, mental, family and your community.  Set SMART goals.  Create a plan to reach your goals and be ready to work hard.  It is best to set goals with different deadlines.  I recommend setting a goal for each of these areas to achieve by the end of today, the week, the month, mid-year, end of year, 2 years, and 5 years.

Faith – This is a very important yet very personal aspect of finding balance in your life.  Today I want to share the below blessing with you.  This Irish blessing made an impact on me this past weekend, may it stick with you throughout the year.

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

May the hand of a friend always be near

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Week 9: Progress Check & New Year Plan

I hope each of you have a Very Merry Christmas and enjoy this time with your family and friends.  As our first 9 week fitness “blog” venture comes to a close I am excited about what we will achieve in the coming year.  Thank you for reading and checking in weekly to read my updates.  I would love to hear about your fitness successes and struggles so please reach out to me and let’s discuss how you can create new healthy habits in 2013.

I have been busy working on the Tri Fit Solutions business plan (workout plans, marketing plans and fitness education).  I love working with clients of all fitness levels with goals ranging from weight loss to peak race performance.  My niche focus is on gaining and improving your fitness level so you can complete your first triathlon or improve on your best time in a triathlon race of all distances.  As a newly certified personal trainer I want to bring a unique approach to triathlon training.  My individualized focused training plan and NASM OPT fitness program is the first of its kind in Columbia, SC.

Take this week to evaluate your goals including your strengths and weaknesses.  After the first of the year I challenge you to set new goals and create a plan to achieve them.  The first step in making fitness a part of your routine is to take action.  As your personal trainer I can help you create a customized plan to reach your goals.

My goals this week:

-         Create 3 swim drill videos and upload to my YouTube page.

-         Develop a 9 week triathlon training “blog” series to launch in January

-         Begin marketing triathlon “cross-training” fitness plans – general online plan & individualized personal training plans

What are your goals?

I am here to help you….together we can achieve…

Focus, Fitness, & Faith,

Jason

Week 7: Turn it up A Notch

Let’s take a quick look at our 9 week fitness journey…  After all it is about the journey.

1. Keep a journal & Set SMART goals
2. Eat Smart & Stay Active | Burn more calories than you eat & drink
3. Expect Setbacks
4. Sleep is Important
5. Muscle Confusion works – Mix it UP
6. Balance – Life & Fitness

You are well on your way to better fitness and reaching your goals.  This week’s focus is on Intensity.  Intensity is essential to creating change.  Thanks for following my weekly advice – Keep up the great work.  If you are ready to turn up the intensity and not sure how, please reach out to me so we can implement a personalized training plan.

Take Action Today – Don’t wait until the New Year.

Jason

Week 1: Getting Started

Get a journal, tell your friends & family about your decision to get healthy, set some goals and get started.

This coming week is more important than it appears.  It is physically pretty easy, but represents change and the beginning of a new process.  Start by making the decision to make a change and getting serious about making the time each day to work on your health.

Step 1.  Get a journal – record as little or as much as you like, but make sure you capture your diet trends, activity and general feelings each day.  Some of you will love this part and some will hate it.  Find your style and keep track.  This is a much more important aspect than you would think.

Step 2.  Set your goals - record your base weight, resting heart rate or any other physical or physiological measurement as your starting point and set some goals of where you want to be this time next month, 6 months, year, and 5 years.  (We will go into more details on these check points, but trust me you want to take the time to think of them all.)  I will also add that you should make sure you use S.M.A.R.T goals.  I would love to get some dialogue going on this topic so if you would like to know more please post a comment below or send me an e-mail.

Step 3.  Get Started – Make sure that you dive right in.  Create a schedule that works for you.  This is the beginning of a wonderful new process, one that can make a huge difference in your lifestyle.  

“Learn to love the process.” – M.Jordan

It's all about the journey...

It’s all about the journey…

So whether you are just beginning or getting ready for your next event you need to remember you must enjoy the journey.  Start by keeping a journal.  I have always been a journal writer and although most of my journal entries are pretty boring and probably something none of you would enjoy reading they generally do help me focus on what motivates me and what holds me back.

I wanted to kick off a series of posts to help encourage all of you to first, visit my blog frequently and second, create habits in your life for a healthier you.  I am working on some basic workout routines that I will share soon, but first I want to have some regular readers – You.  Please check in weekly for an update on my 9 week plan.  Ask questions, discuss & reach your goals!  I am working on having a more interactive site and will be setting an “office hour” soon so you will know when I am logged in and available to answer fitness questions LIVE.

Here is my 9 week plan which will get us to Christmas:

Week 1:  Getting started:  Get a journal, tell your friends & family about your decision to get healthy, and set some goals.

Week 2:  Watching your intake:  This information will be basic but useful.

Week 3:  Stumbling is normal:  A few setbacks are O.K.

Week 4:  Sleep:  Getting more of it with lots of benefits.

Week 5:  Embracing Change:  Every 3-4 weeks mix it up.

Week 6:  Balance:  Need I say more?

Week 7:  Review week:  Time to turn it up a notch.

Week 8:  Daily Routine enhancements:  Breaking bad habits

Week 9:  Progress check + Next 9 week planning

I am excited about this new 9 week blog venture and know that as we create this and implement change it will grow into a powerful tool.  I also know that all of my plans are subject to change just as they always have been so let me know if there is something you would like to see and I will try to implement it into our plan.

“Focus, Fitness & Faith”  - Tri Fit Solutions