Spring training

Spring Training Tips: 5 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Fitness Goals

There’s no doubt the pursuit of health and fitness goals can be challenging.  Most people tend to take the quick fix or a short-term approach when what’s actually required is a lifestyle adjustment. Getting healthy and fit requires consistency, a lot of effort and time.  Make sure you’re not mentally sabotaging yourself with false beliefs or ideas.

#1. You don’t need to “kill” your workout for it to be of value.  There’s a difference between completing a workout and feeling accomplished, and beating yourself up to within an inch of your life and thinking it was good. Trying to kill every workout sets you up to feel like anything less is not good enough.

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For a complete schedule of Spring Training classes at Dilworth Park, click here

#2. Expecting fitness to be a form of entertainment.  This happens all the time.  More and more people are subconsciously seeking to be entertained by fitness.  While there is an aspect of fitness that should be fun and enjoyable, a premium shouldn’t be placed on the need to be entertained over your fitness goals.

#3. Using exercise as punishment for poor choices.  This very approach already reveals poor habits and choices in lifestyle.  The reward/punishment system only sets you up for vicious cycles. Instead, build a healthy, durable mindset.

#4. Trying to force yourself to be a Health and Fitness person.   Some people out there will never like exercise or a lot of physical activity. There are some people that won’t ever be able to stick to a diet. That’s ok, you should own it! Forcing yourself to be something you’re not creates more stress and takes away from your overall health.

#5. Debating your schedule.  One of the biggest ways to sabotage your health and fitness goals is to allow your schedule to be open to interpretation. It defeats the purpose of a schedule if you’re going to wait and see how you feel about going to the gym or eating a healthy meal later. Once you head down that path, compliance tends to go out the window. Don’t allow yourself room to change a decision on something already planned.  The name of the game is execution - just do it!

-- Brandon Mentore: Optimal Sport's Personal Trainer/Health Coach, Strength and Conditioning coach, Functional medicine practitioner and Sports Nutritionist