Obstacles Are Not Roadblocks!

Tips From a Personal Trainer to Help You Overcome Obstacles

Obstacles in life are meant to be hurdled over, dug under or navigated around in some fashion or another. Roadblocks on the other hand, are more like STOP signs that prevent you from going any further. In a recent survey conducted by Wellview Health, participants were asked about fitting in regular exercise of 30 minutes or more 5x a week as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. Approximately 90 of 130 bankers reported that they struggle most with the obstacle of time. The second most common obstacle is accountability. This recommendation for at least 150 minutes a week of physical activity serves as a general rule of thumb given for a healthy adult desiring to maintain his or her weight. So this can mean that your personal recommendation to achieve fat loss or muscle gain goals may in fact differ. Do not fret though. Your goals can be accomplished because, obstacles are not roadblocks! Here are a few quick tips from a personal trainer (yours truly) that’ll help you hurdle your way over some of your biggest obstacles.

Planning

One of the top things I notice about the time obstacle is lack of planning. Since schedules often change week to week, it can be helpful to write your activity action plan for the week at the beginning of your week so you know what days you will be exercising and when (morning, lunch, evening or even during your day). If you see your week is especially difficult, try to have a plan B in place. For example, if your goal is to hit the gym three mornings before work a week for 30 minutes, then plan that you will take thirty minutes at lunch for exercise or fifteen minutes mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Sometimes you just have to fit it in where you can and remember a little bit is better than nothing!

Support

Another issue I hear a lot is a lack of support and sometimes, well most of the time, this will take some work to overcome. If you need spousal support, then communicate the days and times you want to exercise together or when you may need your wife or husband to take care of the kids while you get in your workout. Maybe you need support from your coworkers. This is where you can work together! So for example, if you have five people in your department, get creative and create a schedule that allows each of you to take a break for some exercise while another coworker covers the workload and vice versa. Everyone’s schedule and lifestyle is so different, but with some willingness to help one another out, getting in your exercise is doable.

Accountability

Support however is not to be confused with accountability. Some of you struggle getting to the gym or having someone to exercise with. So this is a great opportunity to create or join an exercise group whether it is a group of coworkers that get together before work at a nearby gym or perhaps it is a group of coworkers who walk after work. You can also meet some new people by attending a fitness class at the gym or even tagging and challenging some friends for an activity challenge using your Fitbit, iwatch or social media.

Priorities

I highlighted the previous struggles around time and accountability first, but the number one thing I want to point out with overcoming these obstacles is PRIORITIZATION. When we begin to assess our priorities in life, our actions can begin to align with what our heart and soul most desire. This is an opportunity to connect with what you want out of life around regular exercise, and to turn into a mantra to live by. For example, I myself serve in the health and fitness industry, and I too struggle with making sure I get in my exercise daily. So on these tough days, I look at the sticky note that sits on my work desktop which reads “today I will strive to be a better version of myself than I was yesterday" so that I can continue to remain mobile for my travels, play with the kids and lead by example for those who are watching. Today I will CARPE THAT DIEM!”Click HERE to learn more about the Wellview services available to you. We can’t wait to work with you!