Fit For Life: Life Is a Marathon Not a Sprint

Fit For Life: Life Is a Marathon Not a Sprint

A majority of what I consider my job description to be is to motivate people. It’s not only the technical part of working out effectively, but having the motivation to do it on a regular basis to live a healthier lifestyle.  In other words, to be Fit for Life. Motivation is key to creating new habits that will stay with you for life. 

When I work with my younger clients, I try to make them understand that how they eat and train today will dictate many variables when they get older such as body mass index, posture, and energy levels. With my youth athletes, I bring home the message about the importance of proper movement patterns, strength, speed, and core stability and why they need to be in condition before the season starts. With my older adults, I stress the importance of functional training and how eating the proper foods will elevate and maintain vitality levels, keeping them fit and pain free forever. When someone I train wants to lose weight, I help them through the process by making exercise and nutrition simple, fun, and easy to follow, because consistency and staying on the path to results is key here.  Make it too challenging at first, and they lose motivation. Staying on a steady path to results is most important. 

I adapt the training program because I know about the importance of motivating people to help them achieve their fitness goals.  Finding that balance and that moment when compliance is something you’re not asking them to do, but they now have assimilated into their own value system of what they “want” to do and are self-motivated to do is key. 

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Winning? Not.

Over the last few weeks I have encountered a couple of people that I had to actually convince NOT to work out. One had just suffered an impact injury to the upper leg and called me to ask for my approval to go for a light bike ride. Are you kidding me? This person limped into the gym to get in a workout, so I did some modifications and we had a good workout around the injury. Most people would miss a week of the gym for such an injury. Well, the person took my advice and didn't bike ride, rested and was back to normal in a couple of days. Another person I know is training for a 1/2 marathon and is running or working out every single day, and I started to offer my advise against doing that, stating that our bodies need a full day of rest and recovery to enhance performance. The statement I received in return was that "I can't miss a workout – “mentally I can't". While I understand that feeling, I also knew that eventually the body breaks down physically and then you are forced to stop, losing more fitness time than if the person had built in ‘a day of rest’ as an integral part of training success. 

A Little Less Motivated

I have a policy that when someone doesn't ask for my advice or debates known facts, I change the subject because there are people that don't want to hear it. These are the people that will run on a stress fracture, or go to the gym on crutches, or with their arm in a sling. They are over motivated and lots of times this leads to injury. When an active client starts their workout I always ask what they will be doing the next day so I can modify the workout not to over train certain areas. I would rather be a little undertrained than over trained, and if you are working out a couple times a week it is unlikely you will regress. On the other hand if you over do it you certainly will. It is truly amazing when you start to look at different exercise habits. Some folks need to be motivated to move, and some need to put on the brakes before you drive your body into a state of exhaustion. Find your happy medium and live healthy fit and pain free. Remember – for most of us it’s the marathon – not the sprint – of life, we want to win.

Matt Espeut has worked as a personal trainer for almost 20 years with clients ranging in age from 14 to 86. His focus is on overall health, strength, and functional conditioning. Holistic health and nutrition is the cornerstone of all his programs. Matt works in private and small group training available at your home or office location or at gym facilities. Matt offers his services to everyone wanting to be more fit and healthy, overweight young people, youth/collegiate athletes, and seniors. Matt has worked and continues to train at several facilities in the Providence area including Gold's Gym and CORE Studio, and he believes continued education is a must in his field. Email Matt: [email protected], check out his website at http://www.fitnessprofiles.net or on Facebook at Matt Espeut or on Twitter @MattEspeut.