Tips for Lifelong Fitness Success
Photos: Summit Performance
As a physiotherapist, personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist for executives, business owners and some of the world’s busiest people, I’ve reflected on the lessons I’ve learned concerning the health and fitness mindset.
Many people engage with their health and fitness in order to achieve a big goal such as losing a certain number of pounds. That can be a great short term motivator, but what happens when you achieve that? With time, as you continue to build your relationship with your body and health, your mindset will need to shift from a short term one to a long term one. In order to achieve a lifelong healthy lifestyle, a mindset in congruence with that is important. Here are five tips you can implement to change your mindset and change your life!
Health for Life vs. The On/Off Mentality
Staying healthy is a lifelong investment. Whether that’s 40 years or 140 years, you only have one vehicle to take care of throughout your life. With that in mind, understanding that fitness is not a one time investment, but a lifelong investment, is necessary to put you in the state of mind to accept the fact that there’s no “magic pill” or “quick fix” to maintaining your health.
Once you acquire this mindset, it’s easy to zoom out and see things from a broader perspective. Questions such as, “am I making the right choice most of the time when it comes to nutrition?” or, “am I making an effort to invest in my own fitness three or four times a week?” can help you recognize that staying on the right path is difficult but as long as you’re on the path most of the time, you have set yourself up for success for the future.
Consistency is Key
Similar to the story of the tortoise and the hare, consistency tends to outperform in the long run. Take this same approach for your health and fitness. As creatures of habit, we have our biology working for us. Every day we eat, brush our teeth and shower. For most people, it’s often easier to get in a groove with regular investment in their health rather than a short term, high effort investment followed by a celebration of discontinuing the training. It’s that very victory celebration that can be the first step to falling off the metaphorical apple cart, taking a quick “nap” like the hare did and allowing the tortoises to pass you.
Consistency means that making the effort most of the time—for a long period of time—instead of an incredible amount of effort in a very short period of time, pays dividends. “Four years is a good amount of time, 10 years is a better amount of time, but the right amount of time is forever” is a line from one of my favorite business mentors and it absolutely applies here. Take that long view in pursuit of your health and fitness goals and watch your mindset shift for the better. The more consistent you are, the easier it becomes to get back on the apple cart if you happen to fall off.
For those asking, “can you lose 40 lbs [18 kg] at 55 years old?” or “can you build 10 lbs [5 kg] of muscle in your forties if you’ve never exercised a day in your life?” It’s yes to both. I’ve had two different clients accomplish both of these. However, the ticket to success was not a “30 day new me” or “12 week boot camp” but consistent effort and engagement, with their personal trainer over a long period of time. Choosing a trainer who comes to you is a great way to keep your consistency in check and gives you a reason to roll out of bed and get moving.
Prioritize Yourself: Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First
With family members in the aviation industry, I grew up around the lingo and vernacular of the airline industry and much of it still resonates with me. “Put your own oxygen mask on first” is a classic saying where if you do so, you are in an optimal spot to take care of everyone else.
In the context of your health and fitness, in order to take care of your spouse, your kids, your job or even your leisure time and hobbies, you need to take care of yourself first. Otherwise, you risk being in a position where you can no longer care for yourself or those you love, or worse, they might then have to take care of you too.
Being kind to yourself is the most selfless choice you can make. It’s an eye-opening mindset shift for some of the executives and business owners I train. Making the sacrifice to take care of yourself first means being responsible for your own health, fitness and nutrition. Being at your best ensures you can give your best for those you love and care about.
Nothing Worth Having Comes Easily
Things take on a new level of appreciation when they are earned. Think about the most rewarding experiences in your life. Are they things that were given to you? were they handed to you? Or were they experiences in work, life or business where you had to face sacrifices and hardships in order to achieve what you wanted?
If you can be one of the few people living a fit and healthy lifestyle—despite the obstacles life throws at us all—it’s a badge of honor that reflects your dedication and resilience.
By putting in the work, nobody can say that you didn’t take the necessary steps or make the necessary sacrifices to achieve your progress. It’s an incredible feeling of accomplishment if you can invest in yourself enough to be fit for life. Nothing worth having, including your health, is ever easy. If you can adopt this mindset and take pride in your effort and yourself, you have set yourself up for a mindset of success.
Obtain Wins Now for Easier Maintenance Later
On the health and fitness front, not many things get easier the older you get. Pain and injuries stack up, it’s harder to lose weight and build muscle and our metabolism slows. One of the most frequent and humbling anecdotes I hear is how much we take our body for granted when we are young.
My fitness and physiotherapy mentor uses the analogy of a car when it comes to health and fitness longevity and stacking wins early. No matter how well you take care of a car, eventually the daily use and rotations of the tire add up and the car parts start to break down. It’s hard to see this in the moments of our youth but by embracing this mindset, you can see that there is no better time than today to invest in your own health and fitness and stack those wins early no matter what age or level of health you are presently at.
A good way to put this into practical perspective is to think of compound interest. If you put $1 in the bank now and leave it there compounding for 50 years, that “early win” allows you to do much less work than the same person who has to put in thousands of dollars to have the same amount of money. Compounding interest in your health allows your body to work better in the future.
Stack the wins when it is easy by building as much muscle and becoming as fit as possible early in your life. Not only does this improve your life in the short term while you are young, but it also makes it significantly easier to maintain both your lifestyle and habits that develop as you age. It also means that your ability to maintain that muscle mass and state of fitness as you age will be easier than the person who has not built up any compound interest to that point. By starting today, it will be easier to build and maintain productive habits, muscles and a fit body. Invest in yourself now.
About the Writer
Mike Slomczewski, MSc.PT, CSCS is a physiotherapist, strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Summit Performance. He serves executives, business owners, busy professionals and unique solo athletes with full-service and travel health and fitness services.
Meet Mike in Japan in November!
You can book a Discovery Call with Mike here: https://www.summit.fit/discovery-call
Learn more about Summit Performance: https://www.summit.fit/