5 Top Fitness Tips for the New Year

Campbell Gerrish  |   Thursday Dec. 1st, 2016

Get Real And Get Educated
How many times have you thought about training, started something, and then it fizzled out? Is it frustrating? I know that for me, until I got a good education in what it means to train, how to move properly, it was not sustainable. I had visions of training like a Navy Seal, but could never sustain it, nor have the motivation to learn about how to train hard. If you want to train, and become a regular exerciser, get real about what you want. What are you willing to do to get it?  In my mind, one of the most important factors in making the decision to train is to become committed to learn and receive an education in training. Then you will be free to move and groove with this skill for the rest of your life!

Integral Training
Training is often held as a separate piece of our life, outside of work, family, an extra thing that we have to go make time for and do. Consider making training an integral part of your life. Just like waking up, eating breakfast, all of the regular patterns of a human life. Find a gym that you connect with and where you like the people, where you are acknowledged, and where you can learn. Make it more important than going to a bar or eating ice cream. Find a place where you can dig in. And make the experience of training an integral part of your life. When you find an environment that is appealing to you and you are able to make a solid social connection with the people, it will be like spending time with family. Get that experience.

Nutrition
75% of success with achieving body composition goals and maintaining good energy throughout your day and for your workouts comes from nutrition. This is another piece of education. There is so much to learn here. Without knowledge of the food and fuel that works well for your body you are left in the dark to suffer and slog through your days. If you invest in a coach, or a book, or some way to fine tune the nutrition that works for you, welcome to a life with the lights turned on. It’s not about lowfat yogurt, kale salads, and pine nuts. It’s about high quality protein, fats, (think burgers, butter), vegetables, and the appropriate desert. What about alcohol? That’s another story. My recommendation is – consider how much time you’re spending under the influence.

Team
Training is completely boring and meaningless unless you can use it as fuel for deeper growth in your life. I often train alone. When I’ve recently started to train more in a group, the experience magnifies tenfold in a positive way. You don’t always have to be with people to train, but again, consider finding your tribe, the group of people that you fit with and can support you to train consistently. Don’t make training an activity to tick off your list and complete unconsciously while listening to some podcast to distract you. Dig in. Go deep. Feel your existence.

Progression
Training is an endless lifelong process and this is good news. It is common to set goals for training. At the end of achieving a goal the question is, what do I do now? Keep going. You can take some time off, then make a new goal. What would be exciting to you? Our bodies are constantly changing and adapting. It is common to look towards a goal and then fantasize about when it will be over and you won’t have to work so hard anymore. Once you complete that goal however, you have a whole new horizon in front of you. You will have more capacity and greater heights to look towards. There continues to be more territory to explore, and this is good news.  

About the Author(s)

Campbell Gerrish

Campbell Gerrish is the Owner and Trainer at Stone Tiger Collective. Stone Tiger Offers Personal Training, Group Fitness, and Coaching Intensives. Campbell can be contacted at (406) 599 - 6725, campbell.gerrish@gmail.com, or facebook at - www.facebook.com/stonetigercollective

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