Working Out In Unusual Times

What unique times we are living in right now. During the last several months, I have used a porch for an office, a basement for a gym and my backyard as a spot to host Zoom meetings. We have used our living rooms for concerts and plays, our cars as seats for a movie theater and even performed drive-by parties. Welcome to 2020.

Operating a gym has been equally filled with opportunities to try new things and adjust. That’s why we offer indoor workouts as well as options outdoors and virtually. We are all in similar yet different places right now.

There is no right way or wrong way. I remember seeing posts during the lockdown about “get your bikini body ready because there are no excuses now.” I think that was the same person who insisted we all should learn a language during the lockdown. That might have been a bit ambitious with everything else that is going on.

And just in case you were able to get in tip-top beach shape and picked up German during quarantine, ausgezeichnet!

For the rest of us, let’s perhaps entertain changing up our approach.

Something we recently covered with our members at Park Fitness is the idea of progress over perfection. This is a hugely important topic without a global pandemic occurring. During normal times, focusing on the perfect diet, the perfect workout, the perfect mindset (none of which exist by the way), can not only be exhausting but ultimately lead to failure.

However, chasing consistent progress can simultaneously be a powerful eye-opener as well as a secret weapon in achieving the results we are looking for.

Now, factor in our current COVID-affected world and this idea is more powerful than ever.

No matter where you are physically and psychologically, the idea of progress is something we can embrace. In our gym, we like to look at small changes over time for most people, and that starts with the idea of 1% better.

If every day, we strive to improve what we are doing by 1%, it not only feels very doable, but it really does add up in the long term. Yes, 1% better for tomorrow may seem small, but after 30 days or 365 days, that really compounds.

If you look back at this time last year, imagine starting a journey then focused on 1% better each day. Now try to envision how much progress we could have seen by now. So much can be achieved in a year!

So, if you are on board to start working at 1% better each day, there are two main focuses that can help.

The first is something is better than nothing. During the lockdown, we had members tell us that some days they could muster the energy to get through only one round of the online workout that day. We applaud that. Others were simply up for walks in their neighborhood, and we love that too.

By the same token, when it comes to nutrition, sometimes replacing a higher-calorie drink with a diet one or water is a powerful way to shave 100 to 1,000 calories from your daily total. Do that each day and wow does it add up.

The second focus that can help you with this is consistency. At the end of the day, consistency supersedes everything, even intensity. If you can stay consistent, you can master or conquer just about anything.

Now this means that we must get right back on the horse if we fall off. You wouldn’t stop guitar practice if you hit the wrong fret or quit tennis practice if you hit the ball out of bounds one time. The same is true for practice of nutrition or working out. We get right back in there and pick it back up.

The same is true with health and fitness. If we miss one workout or meal, we must realize it’s just one workout or meal and not the end of the world. We get right back on the horse and go again. If you are on a bus trip and get a flat tire, you don’t cancel the bus trip. You change the tire and keep going toward your destination.

As this autumn approaches in our current normal, let’s set our sights on the destination of progress, even just 1% percent better. Small and consistent improvements along the way will be our vehicle. Physically, psychologically and emotionally, you will feel and be better for it.