It’s all too easy to think, “If I do something, I’ll probably fail because it takes a lot of work to become better at it.” Fitness, like good health, is not a destination you arrive at overnight. The ability to create healthy habits and maintain fitness requires a healthy amount of dedication, motivation, and flexibility. Strength training is one of the best ways to improve your health and fitness. In this podcast episode, Matt and Nick discuss the benefits of strength training and how to make it sustainable to build muscle strength and endurance.
The Prehab Approach To Fitness
Bent On Better‘s program is the prehab approach to fitness. Unlike physical therapy, which helps patients recover from injuries and enhance their physical abilities, Bent On Better focuses on preventing injuries and boosting an individual’s ability to accomplish daily chores with increased resilience and power.
What is Strength Training and Why It Needs to be Sustainable
Strength training or resistance training is a term commonly used within the Bent On Better fitness facility. It is about developing strength; we train our bodies using our bodyweight or tools like kettlebells, dumbbells, or resistance bands to build strength, improve stamina, and prevent pain or injury.
Developing strength doesn’t simply mean showing up at the gym, doing the work, and accomplishing a specific goal. Often, it is about being committed to learning how to apply these concepts for an extended period and integrating these functional exercises into our daily lives so we are less likely to get hurt or experience discomfort.
As to whether strength training is sustainable, the personal trainers can adjust and modify the movements that would fit your physical needs so you can work out efficiently and apply those movements in your daily life no matter what age you are.
On Building a Lifelong Habit
To get started, you must set a particular goal in mind. Identify that moment when you realize that you have to do or change something different, whether to lose weight or gain weight, heal from pain, or get healthier.
And if you have found a way or an activity that helps you achieve that goal, it is essential to step back and ask if you could do it for another year, or could you do it for five or ten more years? It is a daunting question, but consistency is key to achieving goals.
There’s a certain point in your life that you have that “aha! moment” or that realization that says I need to change something. That is your first sign that you are on the right track – Matt A.
Creating An Identity to Build Habits
If you want to create long-lasting habits, try creating an identity and setting goals around how you want to become that person. Instead of thinking of yourself as a goal-oriented person (start with ten pushups per day), think of yourself as someone capable of accomplishing things like strength training. This works because it provides meaning to the action, gives you something positive to associate the activity with, and reinforces the behavior since you think about how good it feels to be strong rather than how bad it feels not to be strong.
On Being Patient With Progress
Of course, there will be bad days, days when you feel sore, days when you feel you’re still too far away from your goals, or days when you feel you’re not motivated to work out.
This is why patience is essential, as is understanding that slow and steady wins the race. You will burn out if you strive too hard to achieve your goals (and focus too much on the result). You must maintain a healthy pace and recognize that the road to health will not always be easy.
Fighting off that drag and choosing to get up, coming into the gym, and showing up for yourself feels like an achievement already. Set small and realistic goals. You won’t see much progress in a few weeks, but the reward is worth it if you keep going and work hard.
“If you’re coming for your workout and you’re experiencing this dread or something like that, maybe there’s overtraining going on, or maybe your goals aren’t quite right; or maybe you’re trying to burn your 777th calorie on your fitness watch, there’s something fundamentally strong there. The shift of mindset of “I wanna show up in my practice daily no matter what the screen happens to say today. I want to see it as an opportunity to work on each of those individual movements. If I do not feel great today, then maybe I’ll just do half of those body movements as long as I keep moving through those ranges of motion.” And if it is framed like that, then maybe that question (if am I able to do this for 10 more years) won’t sound so bad anymore” – Nick
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Wrapping it all up
Most of us know that getting fit plays a crucial role in our ability to thrive at home and at work. However, it can be hard to build up momentum to maintain a consistent workout routine. Consistency is something that you can do regularly, regardless of the circumstances. Showing up and taking small steps to attain your goals will allow you to build good habits over time.
For your health, it’s essential to have a routine of exercise you can incorporate into your daily life. Strength training is one of the best types of exercise you can do. The better you take care of yourself (and your body), the longer you can enjoy life and be around for those important to you. With exercise, along with rewarding yourself with healthy food choices, you will have a fantastic opportunity to live a long, healthy life.
Nothing is going to change in your life if you don’t change yourself. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. So it’s time to take note, look at what you’re doing from a bird’s eye view, and ask yourself, “can I continue to do this for ten years”? If you can, keep going, you’ve got this, you can do it, and I believe in you. If you’re questioning that, it is time to take inventory. – Matt
Watch the video here: