The easiest way to nail the basics consistently is to align them to the right goal.
The right goal is something that excites or scares you a little.
One that you will probably never hit because the right goal develops as you do. By that I mean that you may hit the initial target on the way through but it becomes irrelevant as you strive for the next level.
For me, I was tired of being grumpy with the kids and my knees and feet being sore every morning. It wasn’t who I thought I’d be as a Dad.
Energy had been something I’d never struggled with, yet I was exhausted all of the time. My knees and feet hurt because I was carrying too much weight and still trying to do the stupid sh!t I was doing, putting excess pressure through them.
I’d told myself loads of times I was going to lose weight because as a fitness coach I should look a certain way. It never gave me enough drive to actually do something about it.
I started working with a coach and realised immediately that my moods, exhaustion and desire to keep eating cake was down to the fact that I was able to do the things I thought I’d do as a Dad.
It was a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Felt tired, ate cake, stayed the same weight, harder to climb the frames at the park, hurt more jumping off said frames etc.
I wanted to lose weight but had been thinking of it from the vanity point of view, vanity has never really been a thing for me; I was aiming at the wrong target, climbing the wrong wall.
Once I realised that my main goal was to be an active Dad and not have to say no because of how my body felt, it became easier to stick to my calorie targets, to be more consistent with training etc.
I’m human, I still have my moments. I’ve also had to deal with some pretty serious injury issues.
However, as a general rule I’m still climbing the same wall; quite literally on a weekly basis with my son, it’s just that the top of the wall has moved a little.
Our kids love the fact that their friends always come over to play with us at the park because Fran and I will do handstands etc. Fran does the handstands, I throw myself at the floor with straight arms and sometimes pause at the top before crashing in a heap.
Have a purpose behind losing weight or getting fitter that is more than a number on a scale or weight on the bar, can be the thing that keeps you on track.
Sometimes we just need a little help and honesty with ourselves on what that purpose is.
I had to admit that I wasn’t living up to the standards I had in my head for the physical side of being a Dad. That doesn’t mean that I think you have to jump of a climbing frame to be a good Dad, that was a standard that was personal to me.
I became a Dad later in life, I din’t want our kids to feel like they were missing out on stuff at the park because of me being old enough to be some of their friends Dads Dads.
Your weight loss and fitness goal could be linked to picking your grandkids up off the floor or simply looking sexy as hell. Make it bigger than just the number on a scale and the number becalmed something on the way.
Darren “not an Olympian” Checkley
