Some time between 3:45-4:15 a.m. each morning, I’m waking up to get my day started.
I normally give myself one day each week to sleep in and that day usually falls on Sunday.
Sleeping in for me might only be sometime around 5-6 a.m.
As a result, it’s a real struggle for me to stay up late anymore unless we’re out at a concert or other event that pushes us later into the evening (and that’s rare).
But when you run a personal training business, you have to have early morning hours to be there for all the folks who need to train before they go to work for the day.
There’s not a day that goes by when it wouldn’t be nice to sleep in longer even though my alarm is telling me it’s time to get up.
There’s both a professional and personal obligation to show up at work and start the day just like those early-bird clients.
When you’re trying to improve your health, you only have so much time in a given day.
Yes, we all have 24 hours but those 24 hours don’t look the same for each of us.
Some people have far more control over what the scheduling of those days looks like than others.
The work you need to do to improve your health has to be done and no one else can do it but you.
In the 15+ years since I opened the doors of RevFit, I’ve come across a large portion of clients who don’t love exercise but they keep showing up.
They show up because they know the value of what the training does for them.
As funny as it may sound, being the owner of said business, I’m not much different than those clients. I’ve been lifting weights for over 25 years and the process of exercise is rarely something I love doing…but I love the end result of what training does for me.
I love the gift of a strong, mobile, capable body even if it frequently aggravates me with aches and pains.
I’ve been guilty of being the coach who says: Find a way to move your body that you enjoy and can stick with.
When I say things like that, it’s not because I think you should be overjoyed to lift weights and start doing cartwheels every time you step in the gym. It’s because you need to find something that you can do as consistently as possible that benefits your body and your brain.
For instance, I hate running. I’ve always hated running. If I wanted to do traditional cardiovascular exercise, running would be my least favorite option. Instead, I might pick an elliptical or a rower. I won’t love those either but at least I’ll use them and I prefer them over running.
With lifting weights, it’s not so much about loving that process. I really love what it does for my body and I love that it helps me appreciate what my body is capable of doing.
It’s not perfect, it’s often uncomfortable, but I stick with it and no one else can do that work for me.
It’s mine alone.
Coach Jon Goodman, in a sentiment shared with other coaches, said (I’m paraphrasing): Your competition isn’t other gyms, it’s Netflix.
We live in a world custom-built for convenience and leisure time. Why go to the gym when you can just hang out on the couch or in bed?
I can lose myself in a YouTube vortex or get lost in a streaming show just as easily as anyone else. Netflix (and similar services) make it so convenient to let hours pass by as one episode glides into the next.
But Netflix won’t give me the body I want (and it sure as hell is a terrible resource for quality nutrition information) so while I love a good binge-worthy show, if I don’t get myself to bed, I can’t give my body the rest that it needs for the next long day of work and training.
And if I don’t get enough sleep, my cravings will get the best of me and my diet quality will suck the next day. No amount of caffeine or sugar will save me then.
But you can have it all (sort of): you can have a strong body, you can watch a good show from time to time, and you can have your busy life and social events.
Just make sure you’re doing the work to prioritize yourself.
Not everyone can afford a personal trainer but you could probably go out for a walk or do some bodyweight squats to get some movement in.
Not everyone can afford organic, free-range, nutritious food to feed their family but maybe the next time you go to McDonald’s, you can stick with the Big Mac and ditch the fries.
You’re trying to build a life that you can improve bit by bit. Get your training in, work on your mental health, have good coping mechanisms for your stress, get a good night’s sleep, eat the most nutritious food you can, rinse and repeat.
It’s boring advice but it works.
And if you’re struggling to make the pieces fit, I’ve compiled years of knowledge and advice into my 8-week online group coaching program, Fat Loss Simplified. The final intake of 2024 starts the first week of October. If you’re interested, drop me a message and we’ll get you started.
