Bear Time is Up!

Bears and we humans do have something in common: The urge to hibernate over the long, dark, cold winter months…But the difference between us and our big furry friends, is that bears don’t generally stock up on chockies, biscuits and other fattening comfort goodies. With the long winter sleep and no activity, bears don’t eat more, they eat less (in fact, they don’t eat anything at all during the entire hibernation period)…Less activity for bears means less quaffing! We humans, on the other hand, tend to sleep more over winter, do less activity and eat more junk…No wonder we wake up on the first warm day in spring, a tad porkier than before…

Since bear time is up and we're on our way back to summer, sea and holidays, here are some practical solutions to that universal end-of-winter laziness and start-up procrastination. Here are 20 of them. Give them a whirl! I’m sure you’ll find at least a couple that work for you:

1. Make a deal with yourself. You can make the deal small or large. Simply negotiate a reward for yourself if you train… Something along these lines: If I train today, I get to_______ (Choose a non-food reward). Great for overcoming exercise procrastination!

2. Focus on how good you’re going to feel afterwards: You know how energised and magnificent you feel once you’re done.

3. Set a huge goal. Set a large and specific goal. This will motivate you much more than the smaller goals (which are also important). However, a big goal has a significant effect on your mindset and can create loads of momentum.

4. Pretend the passion. If you don’t feel much enthusiasm for your workout, pretend that you do and train with gusto! Within a short space of time; you’ll start to feel motivated!

5. Train first thing. If you want to improve your training consistency, then exercise first thing in the morning. Getting it done early will free up your time, clear your mind and get you focused for the day. In addition, training early makes you feel good about yourself – especially since you mustered the discipline to get up out of a warm bed!

6. Start slow to create energy flow. Starting-out speed is irrelevant: Simply getting going is key! So if you’re struggling, start with something that isn’t that hard – get walking before you run; start lunging before you squat. Doing something - even if it’s at a slow pace - is a whole lot better than not starting at all… And after about 20 minutes, you’ll notice your body kick and into gear and you’ll be primed to hit it hard.

7. Do it one more time. Don’t give up too soon!

Michael Jordan once said:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Convincing advertising tells us that we can get into top shape without investing too much time or effort… And so we get programmed into thinking that getting into peak condition comes quickly and easily…How about this approach: Instead of doing something as many times as you think others have done it, talk to and read about people who have actually achieved what you want to do. This will give you a more realistic idea of time and commitment. To get into peak shape and stay there, you have to go “one more time” – for the rest of your life. When you keep on doing it “one more time”, you’ll notice that success creeps up on you and rewards your efforts “in no time”!

8. How do you eat an elephant? Break down your training goal (s) into small daily “bites”. Focus on what needs to be done today. This will keep your motivation burning and stop you from feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.

9. Compare yourself with yourself. Not with others. Comparing yourself and your results to what other people have and have accomplished can destroy motivation in a heart-beat. There will always people that are in better condition than you…more than likely, quite a few people. So focus on where you are right now, what you are able to improve and commit to.

10. Take stock. Review your results intermittently so that you have firm evidence as to how much you have improved. You can often be pleasantly surprised when you do such evaluations.

11. Adopt Role Models. Read about them, observe them, ask them questions - Discover what they did to overcome the hurdles they encountered to get themselves to where they are today. Keep a visual picture of them on your PC desktop, your wall, fridge or bathroom mirror.

12. Have fun. Training should not feel like a chore: It should be a self-indulgent activity that gets you fit, flexible and strong as a by-product. Seek out enjoyable activities that embrace and challenge all aspects of fitness –cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and endurance, core strength, proprioception training and flexibility – When the activity is fun, you won’t be clock-watching and you’ll stay motivated indefinitely!

13. Get curious! Mix things up. Get out of your comfort zone. Getting stuck in the same old routine is enough to sap even the most enthusiastic exercise-warrior. Same old = same old…You stop improving! Discover and explore something completely new. Being adventurous will fill you with anticipation and excitement! Working out will be a whole new experience!

14. Adjust your expectations: You’ve been fat for 10 years…so it’s unrealistic to expect your body to bounce back in 10 weeks. Match your expectations to reality so that you avoid (unhelpful) emotions such disappointment and frustration.

15. Give yourself a significant reason. According to most motivational speakers today, we are motivated by either pain or pleasure – So place your reason for training in one (or even) both of these sentiments: For example, pain: The reality that you’re probably not going to live long enough to play with your grandchildren because your smoking/ obesity/ poor lifestyle habits. And for pleasure: Focus on how fabulous you’re going to feel when you can slither into that gorgeous new swimsuit. Write down your reasons, put them where you can see them and read every day.

16. Time thieves: Television/Facebook/Twitter/browsing/IM. The most common excuse for not training is: “I don’t have time”. Since we all have 24 hours in a day, it's totally about priority – not time. Most people can score at least an extra 30 minutes a day simply by not allowing their attention to be hijacked by these often mindless time-wasters. It’s easy to get sucked in and before you know it, you’ve lost an hour.

17. NET Time – “No Extra Time” (Anthony Robbins): This is a great idea if you prefer to train on your own, and struggle with boredom – especially when doing cardio - treadmill or stationary cycle: Use this time – which costs you “no extra time” to acquire another skill: Learn a language, listen to a course that will assist you in your career; listen to a motivational/ personal development speaker. Build your own aural library to maximise your time spent getting fit.

18. 18. Get yourself a workout buddy, a training group, personal trainer or coach: It’s easier to get going on a chilly morning when you know that someone is waiting for you arrive. Choose partners or training groups that are committed and motivated - the ‘gym bunette’ may not turn up after a hard night’s partying.

19. 19. Reset the internal fibs: Our sub-conscious brains are like computers, completely neutral and impartial, but waiting for a program to be installed. It will carry out any instructions you give it. Unfortunately, many of us are (still) running negative “programs” /concepts/ beliefs that we’ve picked up over the years. As it turns out, whatever we think repeatedly, is what we programme into our "mental computer" on a sub-conscious level. To change your physical results, you need to overwrite the old negative programming/ conditioning and install new and positive programming into your subconscious. When you change the negative thoughts that play havoc with your intentions, you start getting the results you want.

20. Make each workout count. When you train with mediocre effort, you’ll feel mediocre about yourself and you’ll get mediocre results. The sheer pleasure of training comes with the ability to fully immerse yourself in the moment: When you focus on each movement, offering it your purest intention, commitment and passion, your efforts accumulate…and you get outstanding results!

" Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." - Napoleon Hill