Health & Fitness: Try, Try Again

In different aspects of all of our lives, we've all tried to take on some new goal or initiative and come up short. Maybe it was to stop cursing in front of the kids. Maybe time to clean up the garage, and not continue using it as a large trash can.  Maybe wash the dishes as you make them dirty. How about turning off the lights?   Less TV and more reading? Losing 20 lbs.? 

Well, let's just say several of those failed attempts listed above are mine to own. Nobody's perfect!

But I've also had some successes. Some. And there was one major difference in how I achieved any level of success. Now mind you, I didn't always come out with a "gold star" after my first attempt. So I'd give it another go. That's not the different part.  The difference came in how I went about the second go-round. 

Why is it we assume that we can go after the same goal the same way and achieve a different result, without changing our approach? Why should this time be different? The position of the moon? The alignment of the stars? 

It very well might not be if you don't at least investigate why you came up short of your goals.

Over many years working in public gyms, I saw many people come and go. Even more, I saw many come, go away, come again, go away again—kind of treading water if you will. Never progressing, never seeing their goals met. 

Well, I've found that if you answer a few simple questions, you can avoid this pattern of futility in attaining your exercise and fitness goals.

First, did you actually enjoy what you attempted the first time? How was that yoga class?  Did you feel encouraged by your progress? Did you identify with what they were trying to do with you? Or did feel a little left out? How about the gym? Or that instructor you spent some time and money on? Did you dread going, or actually look forward to the time spent on yourself? If the answer is no, why would it be a better experience the next time?

There are so many methods to choose from. Maybe one isn't in your "fun zone," but give something else a shot. Sometimes it will be something you would've never guessed is the one for you. The only way to know for sure is to give it a shot.

Next, did the exercise method you tried cause you more damage than good? Now I know I've been guilty of this one myself: "If it hurts this much, it must be good for me." If running is your passion, and it now causes you immense pain in your knees and hips, and you can't get out there more than once a month, how much will you progress? 

I've met many avid runners over the years, and if they really wanted to get their gig in, they found another path. Maybe biking. Maybe swimming. Some went to yoga.  Either way, they found a way, and it wasn't always what they assumed going into the process.  They had to listen to their bodies. They had to differentiate between good pain/bad pain. Not the easiest thing to do, but safe to assume that if it's in your joints, it's not good.

Last, and here is the most prevalent reason many have failed the first time around: how was your commitment level? Did you really give it your best, or did you never put your all into it? Did you make it as often as you set out, or did you give yourself an easy excuse more often than not? So, the real question is, was your first attempt really an attempt at all? What I find often happens is that people spend tons of mental energy toward getting fit, and much less physical energy. They think and think about the class they should be attending, and before long, they talk themselves out of it before they've even really tried.

The good news is, if you fit any of these categories, the issue is easy to solve. Change your approach! Maybe you mistook your lack of progress as a lack of discipline, and really you just didn't jive with the method you chose. Or maybe you just didn't give it the time you should. Remember, it really does take a while to affect real change.

When it comes to exercise, there are so many options for us to choose from. Even in our immediate area, the options seem limitless. Yoga in multiple methods, Pilates from different schools of thought, dance in many forms, and a gym of every color are within a short drive. So whatever you want, you can find it.

So, that old adage comes to mind: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  Maybe this time, just try differently and see yourself achieve.

Tim Reynolds is the owner/operator of THE GYM ON SPRINGFIELD, a personal training studio in its third year located on Springfield Ave. in Maplewood. He lives in Maplewood with his wife Suzanne, and their children August and Sinikka.