Your hands circle the warm coffee mug as you breathe in the delicious pumpkin fragrance.
Bright orange, yellow, and red leaves crunch under your feet as the sun begins to descend a little
earlier each day. You look forward to this time of year, the season for pumpkin spice lattes,
pumpkin scented candles, pumpkin pies, and pumpkin colored…well, everything under the sun.
Sweatpants and warm, over-sized hoodies take the place of shorts, swimsuits, and sleeveless
shirts. Football season is in full swing and friends gather to watch the game, fill up on chips and
dips, and kick back with a few cold brews.
Despite the seasonal joys, your motivation and drive begin to drop, along with your gym
attendance. Your blankets get cozier and your desire to look fit begins to fade like a distant
memory. Although many Americans look forward to the upcoming bonfires, holidays, tasty
treats, and seasonal traditions, this is also the time of year when a motivational slump hits.
Whether you experience clinical seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or simply begin to feel a
restless, unsatisfied edginess, studies show, “Seasonal affective disorder is estimated to affect
10 million Americans. Another 10 percent to 20 percent may have mild SAD.” SAD affects
serotonin and melatonin levels, sleep, and energy. Strength training is a useful tool in preventing
these negative effects, yet it becomes one of the last priorities.
Regular exercise reduces stress, increases quality sleep, decreases symptoms of depression and
mood changes, and prevents a number of diseases. With this reality, it’s worth taking a few steps
to make time, because the time you refuse to put in now could be filled with setbacks that affect
the rest of your life.
• Write it down.
Recently, Forbes Magazine released a study showing the drastic difference when a group
of business professionals wrote their goals. During this study, “The 13% of the class who
had goals, but did not write them down was earning twice the amount of the 84% who
had no goals. The 3% who had written goals were earning, on average, ten times as
much as the other 97% of the class combined!”
While you’re enjoying your pumpkin spice latte, grab a notebook and pen and start
scribbling in your fitness journal. This journal will serve as a valuable accountability tool.
The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends effective goal setting with the
acronym, SMART = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
When you choose fitness goals, go beyond wishes for smaller hips, bigger muscles, and
six pack abs. Set a primary goal related to your quality of life mentally and physically,
not your appearance. This goal will be the foundation of your success, the one you hold
onto when you cannot see your body changing. Appearance is subjective, the scale is
skewed, but a goal based on life achievements is timeless.
When you schedule an appointment with your boss, you do not make excuses, call in
sick, or oversleep. Treat the gym the way you would an appointment with your boss. If
you desire to be successful in any career or relationship, you keep appointments. You
invest time and money and you show up on the job regardless of your mood each day.
Set a consistent, attainable time each week (for many, this will start with 30 minutes,
three days a week), put alerts on your phone, lace up your tennis shoes, and show
up. In time, this will become a habit if you choose to show up without excuses. Your
commitment to yourself is just as important as your commitment to others. The way you
treat your gym appointments will carry over to the rest of life.
• Plan ahead.
As you schedule your dates with Gym, plan ahead to succeed. Set your clothes out the
night before, pack a gym bag and keep it in your car. Choose a gym you will drive by
on your way to work. Leave yourself no wiggle room. If you know you have to get up at
6 a.m. to workout before you go to work, go to bed on time the night before. Planning
ahead gives you the extra incentive not to waste your preparation time by skipping out.
• Bring help.
Hire a personal trainer. Accountability is a key factor in remaining committed to any
goal. Invest in your health and your success rate will improve dramatically. When you
pay someone to be your guide, you are far less likely to waste your own money.
Quality personal trainers are not simply there to drive you through a workout. They are
both mental and physical support to you – utilize them. In addition, a trainer will help
reduce the risk of injury and increase your rate of success. (See “Top Ten Reasons to
Hire a Personal Trainer” by American Council on Exercise”)
• Communicate.
When your routine becomes boring or you struggle to make it to the gym, be honest with
those around you. Seek their support. More importantly, be honest with yourself. Being
able to acknowledge your lack of motivation and inviting your support group to be part of
the journey will prevent you from slipping further into a rut.
• Picture it.
Envision success. Often, people quit from a fear of failure and rattle off a plethora of
excuses to mask this fear. People are hard on themselves in all the wrong ways. Do not
just picture the end goal – your body 10, 20, 50 pounds lighter. Instead, picture your
success in each workout, in each repetition, and push through those supposedly small
steps to the end goal. Psyche yourself up, fall in love with the journey, and have faith in
the process.
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Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515.331.2141
Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K in Altoona (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009
515.266.2225
Seasonal Depression Research
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/tc/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-topic-overview
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/basics/symptoms/con-
20021047
Exercise Benefits: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-
20046495
Writing and Success: http://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2014/04/08/why-you-should-be-writing-down-your-goals/
Trainer: https://www.acefitness.org/updateable/update_display.aspx?pageID=575
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