My Coaches Corner today is all about creating a smoother, frictionless path to enhancing your results. For some reading this it could be an eye opener and for those further down the track i'd advise to use this as a checklist to have those extra %'s buttoned down. Everything about these concepts are outside of what happens in the gym. Understanding yourself, how your own mind works and embracing behaviour change are key to real results, above all keeping them.
1: Environment - Engineer your Home for better health.
At the beginning of the day when your resilience is at its highest, its easy to assume you'll be able high you can imagine it's so simple that you'll get your gym kit out 2 mins before you jump out the door. Or, you won't touch the ice cold bottles of Peroni in the fridge after a particularly long day at work. Although its been argued that will-power doesn't exist. I'd argue this concept is about energy. Energy that we give away to different tasks and people during our day until we have little for ourselves. Any parent will tell you your thoughts are the exact opposite before and then after a full day of solo parenting with two toddlers. (similar to managing multiple emotionally charged personalities at the office for a full 12hrs).
The game plan
A: Pre-empt the energy dips by identifying the points in your day you get derailed.
B: We then want to purposely increase the friction (or effort) require for those actions/behaviours that pull us off track.
C: In turn, make the new behaviours we are adopting as friction-less (super inviting and easy) as possible.
Think about the inconvenience of using cash compared to Apple pay!
Here's an example that I use regularly;
Decreasing my own alcohol consumption:
Keep the non- alcoholic beer in the main fridge, nice and chilly, ready to drink. Take out the alcoholic stuff and store at room temperature.
I know I'm never going to drink a warm beer. It would take time to chill down (increased friction to that behaviour) Also by the time I've had a Non-Alch coldy, I've completely forgotten about wanting a 'real beer'
New me 1, Old me 0...get in!
If you have an opportunity to do something similar at work, do it!
Interestingly, Google purposely re-engineered their cafeteria's at their head offices with all of the lower glycemic index and nutrient rich foods in the most easy to reach places. They removed the high sugar drinks and nutrient sparse foods (prone to helping you crash) behind frosted glass, away from front and centre.
Better nutrition means less energy crashes for the workforce. More productivity. Better business results.
People - Family - Get your team on board.
This is an easier one than friends and much more impactful. Family you live with, it's important to get them on board with the idea of what you are doing for your own health and how important it is to you.
Many people I speak to on the phone explain that their spouse is 'not into this fitness stuff' which could create friction and possible conflict down the line.
Something to try with them is explain all those benefits they will directly see. Who wouldn't want their loved one to be a stronger, healthier, fitter, more confident, more zesty version of themselves?!
Underneath this, they could just be worried about you not wanting to share the same experiences as before surrounding food and drink.
This is another important reason why we coach a food-inclusive approach with nutrition at MV/FIT. Factor in the Ben & Jerrys on film night with your other half as opposed to stating... 'I'm not coming to film night cos I can't eat Ben & Jerry's'
Nb: We will never ban Ben & Jerry's and never make you conform to a diet plan!
Friends: Let's keep this one short. From my own experiences; if your friends aren't happy for you in the pursuits that mean a lot to you, can you call them a real friend?
Standards- Your commitment to yourself.
This one runs deep. I've got to be honest with you in regards to my own training & health. I feel like i've only regained and built the self respect required to hold my chosen standard, post pandemic.
I've shared with many of you in the earlier years of starting this business, I used to get derailed with every wave of challenge that came my way. Staffing headaches, financial issues and the rest that goes along with not knowing what you're doing in your early days.
I used to 'jump in-front of the bus' and re-purpose all the time I'd set aside to look after my body (& mind) to fix that business problem as fast as possible. I was acting on pure emotion. I didn't have the tools to hold my sh*t together.
After 2020 I remember making an iron clad commitment to myself. No matter what happened in my professional life, I would not quit on me. With difficulty, I practiced going against my old instinct of if-in-doubt-work-on-the-business. I practiced ring fencing the time and no matter how I was feeling that day I just showed up and gave the energy I had that day.
Now it seems backwards that someone who coaches this stuff for a living could have fallen into these pitfalls. The truth is I'm a human just like you and sometimes we can be so keen to help other people and other things in the moment, we don't realise that it's cutting off the oxygen supply for ourselves.
Upping the standards you set for yourself, is a journey towards greater self respect. In the longer term those around you feel they receive a better quality person and you feel you give them a higher version of yourself. Everyone wins.
EPS: Environment, People, Standards. The 3 concepts to go next level.
In the pursuit of better health & better mind,
Phil