The other day on Sparkpeople.com I posted this status update: "You can't
'Cliff note' fitness. If you only learn what you should do without the why, you won't stick with it because you won't know why it's important."
I have had many people tell me
that they don't want to read a book or get informed about how to make
their own diet or exercise plan. "Just tell me what to do and I will do
it", they say. They'd rather not be bothered with taking the time to
learn the details.
While, to a large degree, this kind of attitude is what keeps us
personal trainers employed, it's also what tends to keep well-meaning
people from reaching or maintaining their goals. Look, if a person
doesn't understand the mechanics behind why what they are doing is
working, they won't feel compelled to keep it up once they have reached
goal.
I give long pause to eating buttered popcorn because I am fully aware of
the reasons why the combination of carbs, fat, and sodium is going to
cause a scale hike that will take a couple of days of disciplined eating
and water consumption to undo.
You can't go into denial about stuff you have full knowledge of. This
is a powerful tool in the battle of maintaining your goals once you have
reached them.
I know it can be boring. At the age of 19 I started this whole
weight-lifting thing. Back then we didn't have women's fitness
magazines that were designed to engage the mind of a female. We had
Flex and Muscle and Fitness- both geared primarily towards men. I would
force myself to read the details in the articles that talked about why
what they were suggesting worked. I read books on fitness and proper
eating, forcing myself to pay attention in the more boring parts. After
a while, as I started to understand more of the terminology, it got a
little more interesting. But trust me, some of this stuff is still
about as fascinating as reading the prescription information that comes
with your antibiotic.
However, twenty-eight years later this discipline has given me a
no-excuses ownership of the shortcomings that have led me to struggle
with weight gain. This has been extremely facilitative in initiating
change. Without this information banging around in my head, and growing
as I have continued to educate myself, I am sure my struggle with
excess body fat would have been even greater.
As a trainer, I love it when my clients ask questions. The people with
the curious minds who inform themselves are much more likely to stick
with the program and get good results that last.
So educate yourself. Turn into a giant two-year-old by learning to ask
"Why?". Ask your trainer why you are super-setting chest press with
step-ups. Look up the reasoning behind the eating plan you are using.
Read articles. Read books. Don't blindly follow; Educationally follow.
If for no other reason than to enable yourself to be able to make your
own exercise and eating plan if, God forbid, you can no longer afford
to pay for assistance.
