“Make your new years fitness resolutions now” End of December, start of January.

or

“Get in shape now for Summer” September, October, November.

Both of these statements are good because they encourage people to look after their health. But really, it is far more important to be healthy all year round!

One of the hardest times to stay fit, healthy and in general good shape is Winter.

Why is that?

Well let’s have a think about it…

*It’s cold in Winter, bed is far more appealing.

*It’s cold in Winter, comfort food dominates our diet.

*It’s cold in Winter, we wear so many layers, we forget what we look like under all those clothes.

*It’s cold in Winter, Summer is a long way away, which means bikinis and board shorts seem like forever away.

But then…..

The weather warms up, we see the ads.

Get in shape now for Summer!!! We freak out and decide to embark on a new and exciting diet and fitness regimen. Summer comes, we left our run too late, it now becomes a new years resolution, we try another fad diet and the next fitness regimen that will work better than the last…

Need I go on?

I think you get it.

This year, next year and every year after that, make a Winter’s resolution. Yes it’s a little colder, yes it’s a little darker out, but yes it is a necessary part of a healthy balanced life to be fit and healthy all year round!

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Group Training Camp Centennial Park, Sydney

Sometimes as time goes by, you can lose sight of why you started an exercise program in the first place. You think you still know, you tell yourself that when you get up and train once or twice a week, but then one day you stop and realise, hey, I was so motivated when I first started. I was training 5 days a week. I really wanted to get fit, I really wanted to lose those extra kilos, I really wanted to have more energy for life!

Well, have your goals changed? Probably not. What has changed, is your level of motivation.

So how do you get that motivation back?

Here is a video that was brought to my attention last week. If this guy cannot motivate you, then nothing can!

Awesome inspirational video

If you think it is hard to get out of bed because your tired, or it’s cold, or you hate getting wet, or you went out drinking last night, or any other little reason you think justifies not continuing to strive towards your goals. Have a thought for the young man in this video who says “there’s always someone worse off than yourself”.

Now that you have been motivated by that awesome video, I want you to consider this:

Motivation is an emotion and emotions change daily, if not more often. If you rely on motivation, you will never reach your goals!

When you have a goal, especially something as important as health and fitness, you need to work towards that goal, not do it when it suits you. And yes, health is the most important thing in life, whether you think it is or not, because without health, you have nothing….

Sorry to sound like a hard arse, but sometimes you need a kick up the bum to spark up the thoughts of your initial goals. Those goals that brought you to me in the first place….remember…..

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney 

In order to succeed, you must be your own motivator. You cannot rely on others to give you your motivation on a daily basis.

Here is a very simple example, but there are many variations to this.

Example of somebody who requires constant motivation: Somebody who turns up to training and just does what’s required.

Example of a self motivator: Somebody who turns up to training regularly and tries their hardest at everything.

Who do you think will get the best results?

Who do you think will have long term success?

You will notice something about a person who tries their hardest at everything: They improve!

You will notice something about a person who just does the minimum: They stay the same!

You should be trying your hardest even when nobody else is watching you.

Think of your trainer, as a guide. They provide the program and the guidance to get through that program.

How hard you try at the program provided is up to you.

You have to provide the intensity based on whether you really do want to succeed with your health and fitness goals or not.

Bottom line:

I want each and every person to succeed, but I cannot be over your shoulder barking at you to keep going or do more or run faster or eat healthier or have better technique. You have to want these things yourself for ultimate long term success.

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training, Sydney

So what does this mean in the bigger picture?
There are 168 hours in a week. You should be sleeping for 56 hours of your week. So, of the remaining 112 hours in the week that you are awake, my recommendation is to be exercising a minimum 5.4% of the time. Not really much is it? Or is it? You might think it is. Most people obviously think it is, because they don’t even do that much. Maybe look at it this way, you are not exercising for 94.6% of the time.

If you commit to only 3 sessions per week, you are now only exercising 2.7% of your waking hours. Or, you are not exercising 97.3% of the time.
If you miss a session, you are exercising 1.8% of your waking hours, or you are dormant 98.2% of your waking hours.
If you miss two of your pre-planned session and you are still going to do your one session this week, you are now down to 0.89% of your waking hours exercising. Or, 99.11% of your waking hours not exercising.

Does this paint a little bit of a picture as to why we are a nation that is ever increasing in size?
Does it drive home how important it is not to miss your pre-planned sessions?
Does this make you realize how important it is to eat healthy food and not to eat more than your recommended calorie intake?
 
Here’s a quick quiz to fill in tonight after dinner:
1)How many hours have you sat down today?
2)How did you get to work today? a}walked  b}sat on a bus  c}sat on a train  d}sat in a car
3)What did you do on your lunch break? a}did a 45 minute exercise sessions b}went for a 45 minute walk  c} sat down and ate something healthy  d} sat down and ate something unhealthy
4)How did you get home from work today? a}walked  b}sat on a bus  c}sat on a train  d}sat in a car
5)What did you do when you got home today? a} did an exercise session b}went for a power walk  c}sat down in front of the tv/computer etc  
6)What are you doing right now? a}sitting down b} something other than sitting down

Now that you’ve filled it in, have a think about it. Work out how many hours you sit during your waking hours.
I don’t need to see your answers; this is just for you to think about.

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

The answer I was looking for was Consistency!

Some of the other words emailed back to me were perseverance, commitment and motivation.

1) Perseverance ran a close 2nd to consistency. It takes perseverance to push through those tough times, I think perseverance is an awesome trait to have to reach your goals.

2) Commitment is the most important trait if it is used correctly. Unfortunately it generally isn’t. I have been told many times by people that they are committed to reaching a certain goal. Some time after these words were spoken, that “commitment” must have disappeared because they aren’t doing the things I asked them to any more.

3) Motivation is a feeling and it can fade away as quickly as any other feeling. Motivation will not get you to your goals, it will however get you started on the road to your goals.

4) Consistency is a culmination of actions that cannot be lied about nor interpreted. It is just the raw fact, were you consistent or were you not!

Do any of these things sound familiar to you? 

* When I was running everyday last year, the weight just fell off me. (Why are you so overweight now?)

* I remember how strong I was getting last year when I was doing those 2 weights sessions a week, I could do 50 dips without stopping, now I struggle to do 15.

* I used to be a size 8 years ago, now I can’t even fit into my size 12 clothes.

* I used to feel so good all morning when I was having those fruit and veggie juices for breakfast at my old job. I feel so sluggish after I eat that raisin toast from the cafe downstairs now.

* I was so skinny when I worked at my old job, I used to walk in everyday, now I just feel like a blob.

Why do any of these things have to change?

If people were consistent with their good habits, they would reach and maintain the health and fitness they desire.

I have seen people go through 12 week challenges and have great results. But what happened after the challenge or even towards the end of it, even though you had seen great results? You stopped being as consistent with your training and you started to slow your progress and eventually you went backwards.

Think about the results you have achieved in the past by being consistent with your training or eating, no matter how short of a time it was. I have seen people eat well for just one week and they tell me how great they felt. Unfortunately the next week things come up with work, or life or whatever and they ate badly again. I have seen people have a real hardcore exercise week, going to classes or running everyday and they tell me how awesome it feels. Unfortunately the next week things come up again and they only get to exercise twice. The funny thing is that they are always so quick to tell me how good they were last week!

Can you imagine the results you would achieve if you consistently had those good weeks. Can you imagine that after you finished your 12 week challenge and you have lost your 6kg, if you stuck with the same intensity of training, that it would not take that much longer to reach your end goals? Unfortunately, you didn’t and now you have gained weight and it is a struggle to get back into that routine and be consistent again.

Consistency is the key, don’t have good days and bad days, only have consistently good days and you will get there eventually.

Consistency is the key, don’t have good weeks and bad weeks, only have consistently good weeks and you will get there eventually.

To sum up;

Commitment is a word that is used far too often and it can be lied about. 

Motivation is a feeling and it will fade.

Consistency is a culmination of actions that cannot be lied about nor interpreted. It is just the raw fact, were you consistent or were you not!

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

I like to think of “calories like money” and “exercise like work”.

The more you work, the more money you can earn.

The more you exercise, the more calories you will burn.

If you want to save money, you tend to work a few more hours and spend a little less money. Well exercise is just the same, when you want to lose some weight, you exercise more and eat a little less. Makes sense doesn’t it!

So if you really wanted to lose weight, then you wouldn’t exercise like it’s a part time job, would you? I mean who only works part time when they have a holiday to save for? And who goes out on a spending spree when they want that new car? Only fools do, so why skip training sessions and eat all that junk if you really want to lose that weight?

You should be trying to bank as many calories as you can to wipe off that debt you have accumulated from the last few years from poor eating and sedentary lifestyle.

Why not take a part time job before or after work, or as I would phrase it, take a walk in the morning or evening. You’ll benefit from the extra calories you will burn from your stroll.

If you wake up and you aren’t motivated to train, then let me ask you this. How often do you spring out of bed motivated to go to work? How much more important is your health than your job? Because without your health, you might not have a job!

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

If I can’t lose weight fast, I would rather not lose it at all. In fact, I will probably gain weight instead!

It sounds really crazy to me.

But, I hear this all the time. I don’t hear it verbally, because the people I am talking about would never verbalise it. They wouldn’t even admit it to themselves, but they do it over and over again. Every time they quit their exercise regimen when they don’t get super results, super fast.

If you think about how many years it has taken you to gain any excess weight, why do you expect to lose it instantly with only a few changes to your lifestyle.

If you have spent the last 10 years slowly gaining weight, even if it is only 1kg per year, that puts you 10kg heavier than you would like to be. You need to realise that exercise and a healthy lifestyle will have to form part of your life, not just a quick fix to shed a few kg’s and then go back to your old habits so you can put it all back on again. If you are patient enough to allow your body to gain weight steadily over years, then be patient enough to lose the weight over years if necessary. 

The first thing that will happen with a new exercise routine will be to stop gaining weight. I have never known anyone to gain fat whilst on a good exercise regimen. So even if they didn’t lose any weight, they are already in front as they are now not gaining weight.

Then they will lose weight. Slowly but steadily they will lose weight.

Their is a category of exerciser that may not lose weight. These are the ones that combat their hard work with a poor diet. These are by far the most unfortunate, and I will tell you why. Firstly they don’t lose weight despite exercising regularly because of their poor dietary habits. So, they give up. And why not, they weren’t losing any weight, it wouldn’t take long to lose heart. The problem is now, their poor dietary habits, which made them overweight in the first place, cause them to gain even more weight because they are not exercising to balance out the affects of the poor diet.

So, what is the moral of the story?

Exercise is good!

No matter what affect you think it is having on you, it is a positive one and giving up will only be bad for you. It is as simple as that.

EXERCISE for LIFE!

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

Don’t let these opportunities pass you by again. All the information in the world is useless to us unless we act upon it.

Do something for your health and fitness today that you don’t normally do. Go for a jog, walk home from work, skip dessert tonight, take a healthy lunch to work instead of getting takeout, have fruit for morning tea instead of coffee, stretch on the floor while you watch tv tonight instead of sitting on the couch.

Give your body the respect it deserves, you’ve only got one and it has to last you a lifetime!

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

Last weekend I went to the mountains with my wife to do some bushwalking. Whilst I was there, I did 3 bush walks, each one being different from the next. During the walks, I could see how these walks could be related to your fitness and lifestyle programs. I know I’m a little boring, but this is what I think about when I am chilling out. I think about you guys! 

Walk 1 was a nice walk, I had a look at the map before I left, but it was pretty straight forward. I got to my destination in a few hours and was happy with what I had achieved, but it was nothing to write home about. I see this as being like a program you might pull out of a fitness magazine. You try it out for a while, you see some change, but you shouldn’t expect major results. The fact is, I followed the directions and I got to the destination. This walk was never going to be great, but by adhering to the map, I got what I had expected. But I needed more!

Walk 2 was complicated. I had to constantly refer to the map and read some printed directions aswell. The walk was amazing! I walked through a rainforest, over two waterfalls and under another one. There were some awesome views and some challenging terrain. This was a quality walk and I knew that by what I had read about it, but I was willing to go for it.

This is like a quality exercise program. I kept reading my directions and map. I didn’t go off course. I got a little tired at times, so I slowed down a little and sometimes I took a rest stop, but at no time did I change my course from what was on the map. If I had gotten tired and taken another track to get back early, I would have missed so much of the awesome walk. The fact was, I set out on this walk and I saw it through to the end with the help of my map. I got what I expected, hard work and well worth it!

Walk number 3 sounded hard, I thought I was ready for a challenge after what I had conquered the day before. Sure enough, the walk started out hard. So hard in fact that it wasn’t enjoyable. I had gone down a long way and I knew in a couple of hours I would have an even harder time climbing back out of the forest. Sure enough, the end was really hard and even less enjoyable than the start. The problem was, this walk was so boring, it wasn’t even close to being worth it. I was tempted to turn around and go back after about an hour, but being my determined self, I pushed on. Most people would have gotten bored and gone back. All I got for a couple of hours was dense dry forest. No views, no rain forest, no waterfalls etc. This is like a typical exercise program that we feel we need. We punish ourselves with unrealistic exercises so we can get results fast. We think no pain, no gain! We forget about creating lifelong habits, we want results fast. The problem is, those results generally don’t come as quick as we would like and we soon give up because it hurts, this program sucks! 

I have seen all of these scenarios before which is why it was so easy for me to relate it to a simple thing like a bush walk.

Which bush walk are you on right now? Will you see it through to the end, or will you take the easy track out and not see the awesome results you set out for in the first place? What was the point of starting if you’re not going to see it through?

My family's fitness in the mountains

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

Please click on the link below and watch the video, I can assure you, it is one of the most amazing things I have seen, it is well worth a couple of mintues of your time and I guarantee you will be inspired by it.

View their inspirational real life story here

View the video here

Unfortunately the video attached to the story has been removed, so I have attached a link to the video separately. Please enjoy…

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney