Sharpening Your Fitness Axe

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

― Abraham Lincoln

Now I’m not sure if Abe liked burpees but he knew a thing or two about making plans. Prepping your tools and getting ready before you start something leads to much better results. 

‍Today is all about sharpening our axes.

We are going to split this process into four different areas (as you go through this I’d recommend making notes)

‍#1 Making a commitment to yourself

At any point in time, there are lots of things out of your control, but one thing within it is making a commitment to look after yourself. 

You need to devote time to yourself and make a conscious choice to take part in activities that affect your mental and physical health in a positive way.

‍Remember - you should not light yourself on fire just to keep others warm.

One way of tracking this is our Activity and Self Care log - this can be used to track two important things - how many steps you do each day, and what self care actions you complete. 

‍#2 Gathering your tools

So what do you have at your disposal? If you’re a member at RESULTS you’ve got your team of coaches, workout plans and the RESULTS University full of resources. But what else do you have? Equipment at home? A workout buddy? A bike? A pair of running shoes? 

Write down a list of everything you have, or if it’s gear, find it and pile it up. It’s empowering to see the list (or things) forming in front of you. 

‍#3 Deciding on the CAN DO’s

Once you’ve said YES to looking after yourself, and you have a big list of all your tools, it’s time to write your CAN DO list. When busy, stressed or distracted, its easy to focus on all the things you CAN’T DO but we’re going to forget about those and instead:

Take 2 minutes now, and write down all your CAN DO’s. 

I can…

• Go for a walk
• Do a 10-minute ab workout
• Use my resistance band to do band pull aparts while at my desk
• Follow the “no-equipment” ANYWHERE plan
• Use a stool for step ups and dips
• Try a pilates class or yoga session
• …
• …

Keep going, keep writing those CAN DO’s! 

‍#4 Creating your support network

Next up is thinking about who is around you that can help. You’re part of the RESULTS family and your coaches have got your back. At any point you can reach out and ask questions, share your progress or simply have a chat. We are going to hold you accountable, check in and help however we can.

But who else can you engage with? 

• Can you schedule a weekly walk with a friend?
• Could you plan to do a Tuesday night workout with your partner or house mate? 
• How about sharing your workout schedule with your friends in a WhatsApp group?

Creating multiple social SUPPORTIVE connections is really important. So don’t skip this step. Pick up your phone and call or message those people important to you, and ask them for their help - you’ll be helping them too as they can then ask you for your help. 

Take your time to work through these four phases, it’s an empowering activity and helps you create a plan that stands a high chance of working!

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