Making tough choices: Has the worth of your goals changed or been lost?

Sometimes life hands us some tough decisions. Yesterday I was faced with one of these decisions and I thought I would share it with you all as it relates a lot to my journey as a health and fitness professional.

As a lot of you know and as I wrote last week I started studying nutrition at uni this year. My idea behind this was not to become a nutritionist as such but more so to expand my professional qualifications further helping clients as I am constantly asked for help with nutrition and while I have gained a vast amount of knowledge through my years as a pt, nutrition is an ever changing field and there is so much to learn. 

When I tell people I'm studying nutrition they don't really bat an eyelid as they most likely think "oh yeah that makes sense" yet when I tell them I'm struggling because I'm undertaking a course in chemistry or biology they look at me and say "why are you doing that what has that got to do with nutrition?" And to be honest on the grand scale.. Nothing.

Yesterday as I was busy trying to cram in more information on the body (currently studying regional anatomy which is great, very interesting but also stuff I already know to the level I need to for my job) I had a bit of a "moment". You know it felt like I was digging a hole to get somewhere and the hole was getting bigger but I felt no closer to where I wanted to be. With no real end in sight.

I know some of you will think "doesn't she always preach consistency and commitment to your goals?" and HELL YES I do but I realised yesterday that I was unhappy and that 3.5 years was a long time to be busting my ass on a goal that may not get me where I initially set out.. Not to mention set me back 22 grand :/. Was I best effectively using my time? or was I going to dig and dig and dig and just end up with a bit if knowledge but mostly just a great big hole (metaphorically speaking lol.)

Those who know me know I hate to quit ANYTHING or to give up because it's completely the opposite of my work and personal ethic. That's been the biggest mental battle in the past 24 hours for me is the thought of being a quitter. I'm constantly telling people to "never give up" however i know that I do say this in terms of never giving up on something you really want even when it gets hard and yesterday I realised that it wasn't because it was hard it was because I couldn't say I truly wanted it anymore. 

If thie course was filled with subjects that were growing my knowledge on nutrition and assisting me be better in those aspects I would no question continue to spend every waking hour studying and doing anything necessary to continue working my way through it for the next 3.5 years. But if I'm honest with myself it's really not and I believe that my time can be better utilized on other short term but more modern courses to help expand my knowledge in the areas I wish to pursue. 

Like I said this decision has honestly been so hard for me there is no worse feeling than preaching to never give up all the time and then feeling like you are giving up however I'll leave you all with this:

Working as a Personal trainer is one of the best decisions I've EVER made in my life. It has taught me that you can love what you do every day and not feel like work is a chore or a task. It has taught me to truly appreciate being able to channel my passion every single day and help others and while I strongly believe in chasing your dreams and goals I also strongly believe that life is too short to waste time doing things that will not grow you or make you happy. 

Working hard for something you want is passion but working hard for something that doesn't truly interest you mostly just leads to stress. 

So stay tuned guys as I still plan on continuing to grow myself and set some new goals and gain more knowledge in the field of nutrition and more. It will just be better utilizing my time and preserving my sanity in doing so 😉 

Have a great weekend xx 

Why DOMS is not the key to assessing an effective workout

Lately I have had a few people say to me “I didn’t get sore after my workout the other day. Does that mean I’m not working hard enough?” My answer is point blank: No.

People who rely only on muscle soreness as an indicator of an effective training session are going to spend a good chunk of their training life feeling like they “haven’t worked hard enough”. While muscle soreness or DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as it is better known can of course indicate that you have pushed your muscles hard and possibly created the micro tears that produce growth, it is not the best way to assess the intensity of your workout and in fact there is not any actual proven facts to link muscle growth with DOMS.

Muscle soreness occurs when you create enough total damage to aggravate the connective tissues. This can sometimes be linked with inducing muscle growth however it can also have absolutely nothing to do with muscle stimulation.

Just because you’re not sore doesn’t mean your muscles aren’t inflamed and growing and vice versa sore muscles don’t mean you had a good workout.

The less accustomed you are to any type of exercise, the worse the soreness will be after the fact. So for example if you have just started training you are obviously going to feel some level of soreness because your muscles are not accustomed. But once your muscles adjust and are used to the stresses you are placing them under they are less likely to be sore. Some muscles are also simply just more likely to get sore than others.

People get addicted to the idea of muscle soreness because it’s quick feedback i.e. “Oh my legs really hurt today I must have had a good workout last night.” For some people this is the theory they have always been given: You exercise, you get sore muscles. Exercise harder, and get even more sore. It’s reasonable enough if you don’t have any information to tell you otherwise.

From there, people just assume that hard workouts = sore muscles = effective. But that’s not the case. In fact in some cases people who are constantly sore from training should look at why their muscles are not recovering. Rest and recovery is just as important in muscle growth as training- sometimes even more so!

So what do I recommend as the best way to assess if you are working hard enough? PROGRESS.  If you are starting to question yourself on whether you are working hard enough in the gym then assess your progress. Am I lifting heavier than I did last week? Can I run further or for a longer period of time? Am I seeing physical changes in my shape? If you can answer yes to any of these things then you don't need to worry :) If you are answering no then it may be time to re-assess your training program.

HOWEVER one additional note I will make on muscle soreness in terms of effectiveness is determining you are working the right muscles with the right exercise. For example if you are training back, doing seated rows and feeling pain only in your arms then you are not effectively working the targeted muscle group. I will do a further post on muscle activation and training soon ;) but for now assess your workouts based on PROGRESS more so than PAIN.

Have a great day :)
 

 

 

Reaching your goals.

7 weeks post comp now and only 2-3 more weeks before the madness begins again! I have been meaning to write but so much happening with work and uni and time has of course managed to get away.

My topic I wish to discuss today is Goals. In particular a few things I believe it takes to reach any goal you set yourself whether it may be in the gym, at work, at home WHATEVER. 

When I made the decision to compete this year as well as try better establish my own business as well as start a new degree at uni I knew I had my work cut out for me. However I'm one of those people who if I want something bad enough I'm willing to work as hard as it takes to get there.

So what are these things I believe it takes or things that I've had to implement to reach the goals I've set myself this year?

 Number 1 is Consistency. I talk about consistency a lot you many have noticed and if you follow my Instagram or my PT page I'm often posting things like this 

I believe 100% in being Consistent as a factor in achieving your goals. Consistency does not rest, consistency does not decide after a week that "this is too hard" "I've had enough" "maybe later" consistency perseveres through challenging times. Consistency is just that. It's Consistent. 

I've often had people say to me that I don't know what it's like to struggle with weight, exercising, wanting to eat food that's not good for me. How wrong they are! Let me tell you I didn't get where I am today by luck, I didn't get where I am today by miracle and I certainly didn't have someone wave a magic wand and put me in good shape! I have been consistent. Consistent in training and managing my eating, implementing new strategies, building willpower, gaining knowledge (knowledge is power 😉) and quite frankly I've been consistent in working my damn bum off (not literally coz no one wants a flat bum 😜 lol) to get where I am. Obviously I didn't just wake up one day and walk into the gym and start pumping out 70kg squats. To be honest I can't even tell you what I would have squatted 3 years ago or more when I really got into my strength training. But the fact being that over that time I have been consistently training and consistently working and THAT is how I can lift the weight I do today. That is how I have "tone" in my muscles. That is how I've gotten in better shape than I was in this picture

The second thing I believe you need to be willing to do in order to achieve a goal is to sacrifice certain things. Like I said these principles apply in all areas. For example I sacrifice most of my week nights staying up late after work and a huge portion of my weekends to study because that is the only chance I get while running a business full time. I sacrifice sleep ins to train if that's the only chance I may get in a day. Whilst training for comp I sacrifice certain foods to get myself in the best shape possible. I use the term sacrifice here lightly because I don't believe it should be used in a negative connotation. Do I see this sacrifice as a bad thing? No. Why? Because the "sacrifice" is for something better, a goal, a result. It's for something I want even more. As the saying goes "sacrifice something you want now for something even better later". 

You want to lose weight? Get healthy? Get fit. Well you may have to sacrifice a few things to get there including those decadent desserts you enjoy on a regular basis or your favourite reality tv show so you can hit the gym instead.

You want to be promoted at work? Well you may have to put in some extra hours. Do some unpaid work. Show some initiative.

You want to travel? Well you may have to start saving instead of spending so frequently and give up lavish spa appts or weekends at the pub.

 Will it be worth it? Of course, No question about it! How am I sure? Well I believe that if you don't wish to sacrifice something you want right now for something greater in the end then you don't really want the something greater bad enough. 

Number 3 is commitment and that is something I guess that ideally ties in number 2. If you really want something then you have to be committed to that goal, you have to stay focused despite things that may not go away. Your level of commitment will determine your level of sacrifice. If you are truly committed you will stop at nothing and no hurdle will seem to big to cross.

Of course there are in my opinion several other factors that play a role in achieving goals but these few are definitely up there in what I see as most important. Consistency, sacrifice and commitment- are you willing to do what it takes? Yes? Then stop waiting and start working. And start working HARD. Don't be afraid to try, chase your dreams no matter how big they are. Don't be afraid to put yourself first or say no to people who try get in your way. Stick to your guns, stay consistent each day, stay focused, stay committed and never EVER give up on something you truly want. Because it may take time to get there but the truth is that time will pass either way so you might as well make the BEST of it 😘 xx