Seems like an odd question for a personal trainer to ask her clients, but I do. I have a theory that not every one is willing or able to accept that the sole outcome of their fitness and nutrition program is based on personal responsibility. There are a few circumstances in which an individual has no control over their weight gain or weight loss, but for the majority of us our results can be expressed by our resolve.
A few things prompted me to write this little article about personal responsibility. One is a television show that I watched last night. Other reasons include a few emails I received this past week and a personal friend's comments to me. Each of these situations taught me something rather interesting. Something I already knew, but didn't quite think about until now.
There is a race to melt fat, tone up, slim down, and feel great about your body before the summer hits. Have you noticed an increase in diet pill commercials lately? What about exercise gadget infomercials or new diet books? The dreaded warm weather means many of us are about to bare skin that we'd rather keep hidden.
In this frenzy to shed the weight I have been receiving a bombardment of emails from folks looking for a magic solution. They are convinced I know something they do not. A few emails this past week blew me away. One of them accused personal trainers of knowing the secret to weight loss, but thought they refused to tell anyone the answer so they wouldn't lose clients. Another email practically begged me to spill my guts about my training program because the person thought I had a super-duper program that only personal trainers use.
Admittedly I got a bit upset at first. I mean do people actually think personal trainers know the secret to fat loss, but are unwilling to share it with others? Nonsense. We share it with folks all the time. It's all about eating well and enough and being active out often. And just for the record my nutrition and exercise routine are the exact same routines I talk about on my site and in my ebook. I actually follow my own advice!
Two other things worth mentioning happened to me within the past week as well. I watched a television show about changing your family lifestyle. The point is to become active and eat healthy so that children grow up healthy. I loved the idea behind the show and that is why I watched. About half way through this particular episode I was in shock.
The children, aged 8 and 10, were actually eating better and becoming more active. They were following the rules the nutritionist had set for them. They were healthier and happier. Guess who was unwilling to change? Mom! She sat out on her front porch swing, smoking a cigarette, and talking to the camera about how this show was supposed to be for and about her children and not her. Therefore she should be able to eat when and what she wants.
Lastly I had a friend approach me and tell me how lucky I was to be fit. She went on to talk about how she wishes she could go kayaking and hiking as much as I did. She talked about how I am so lucky to work in the fitness industry and what a coincidence it was that I enjoyed my job. She went as far as to say she wishes she could have some of my luck.
Between those few emails, the television show and my friend's comments it became abundantly clear that many people lack personal responsibility. Each scenario boiled down to one basic tenet- only you are responsible for you. No one can make you lose fat. Not even me! I cannot force you to stick to an exercise program. I cannot demand you kayak more or love your job. I wish I could, but I cannot.
Only you can make changes in your life. You are the only person who can create a happy, healthy, vibrant, loving and thriving life. I can provide the tools and motivation, but you are the master of your destiny. You are the sole force that determines how successful you will be in your life. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you love waking up in the morning because you are excited about your day?
- Are you truly happy with your body?
- Are you thrilled with your personality?
- Do you really believe that you are in control of your life?
- Do you acknowledge that your thoughts are not enough? Action is key.
I help many people find a path to joy through living healthy and fit lives. I can beyond a shadow of a doubt proclaim that once you push aside the excuses, once you really step up to the plate, you will hit a home run. There will be hard times, but with the proper tools, motivation and goals you can and will overcome them.
Personal responsibility is the main success factor in fat loss. It is not luck that I find time to hike and kayak. It is not coincidence that I love my job. We all have 24 hours in a day. How we decid to spend that time really determines our life's outcome. Watching 4 hours of television each night is not conducive to you if your goal is fat loss. It's all about personal responsibility and doing what you know is right for you. So I ask, are you responsible enough to lose fat?
If you have never thought of yourself as an athlete or very athletic, I urge you to get over that now. Especially if you have ever used that as an excuse to dodge exercise or in any way avoid moving your body. Like declining to take part in recreation, games, dancing, any exercise or movement, because you believe you are not athletic, and will not do well.
If you fall into this category, from now on I want you to think of yourself as an athlete. Because you are, no matter how big a klutz or how non-athletic you think you are.
You are an athlete and I encourage you to treat yourself like an athlete. And that means getting regular physical exercise. Training, working out, practice, drilling, repetitions, whatever you want to call it. Dedicated athletes never miss their workouts, their practice. Follow that pattern and you will see fat melt from your body, I promise you. It is one of the most effective fat loss techniques I know of.
I have personally gotten remarkable fat loss results from thinking of myself as an athlete, and treating myself that way. In fact, I think of and treat myself like an elite athlete, performing at Olympian levels of skill. That is my personal choice and it works spectacularly for me. Thinking that way and taking care of myself that way, you can bet I never miss my daily exercise, and I do not.
For the better part of my life I thought of myself as not very athletic. I never considered myself an athlete by the time I graduated from high school. I played some Little League, played football one year in high school and enjoyed various sports, but I never became particularly skilled at any of them. So I bought into the absurd notion that I was not an athlete, and believed that for many years. No more.
It helps to understand just what an athlete is: somebody who has the necessary abilities to participate in physical exercise, especially in competitive situations such as games, races, and matches.
I urge you to carefully read that definition again, and open your mind as you do. Notice that first half: somebody who has the necessary abilities to participate in physical exercise. That includes everyone, including people who are in wheelchairs, and amputees and other physically challenged folks who climb mountains, play tennis, snow ski, participate in track and field, play basketball, water ski and every other recreation and sport you can possibly think of.
The big point is that a person who is totally paralyzed and can only wiggle their left thumb is participating in physical exercise when they wiggle their left thumb. They qualify as an athlete. And so do you, whatever your physical shape or level of athletic skill.
The second half of the definition is where many people get hung up, especially folks who do not think of themselves as athletic. Those who might tend to sit on the sidelines and not participate in activities involving physical movement. It says, especially in competitive situations such as games, races, and matches.
Now, that is what an athlete is, many people say, those who compete in games, races, matches, contests of athletic skill. But that is a very narrow and limiting definition of an athlete. A person, say, who enjoys jogging or running, and runs or jogs for the pure pleasure of it, and chooses not participate in races is no less an athlete than runners who race.
Same with a bicyclist, dancer, archer, weight lifter, horseback rider, skier, or any other person who does not care to compete. They are still athletes. Not sort of athletes. Or not really athletes. They are athletes. And so are you and anybody else who moves in any way.
Absorb that. No matter what you do or how you do it, if you move in any way, you are an athlete.
Now the final hang up to rid yourself of is anything that has you saying things like, okay, but I am not very good at it. Get rid of that. Stop judging yourself and your performance and instead just enjoy. Do not buy into the absurd and dehumanizing nonsense of comparing yourself to anyone else athletically.
You are an athlete. And athletes get daily exercise, in whatever way they enjoy. Do the same and you will lose fat and get fit healthfully, permanently, guaranteed.
Both Lynn Vandyke & Jeromekellner are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Lynn Vandyke has sinced written about articles on various topics from Personal Desktop, Fitness and Health. Lynn VanDyke is the head trainer at . Her wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat, comes complete with over 100 exercises, 1. Lynn Vandyke's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Jeromekellner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fat Loss, Lose Weight. Jerome Kellner is a fat loss and fitness professional and author of The Maui Diet. Find out more about fat loss the easy, healthy way, by of whole, natural foods at http://www.themauidiet.co. Jeromekellner's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.