Sometimes it will feel like a dream. Sometimes it will feel like running head first into a brick wall. Life is like that. The key difference in these two scenarios is the concept of “the POWER momentum!”
I’m going to convince you that harnessing the power of momentum in both your fitness routine and your day to day life is one of the most important things you can do to help yourself reach your goals.
To further illustrate my point I’m going to throw it to one of my favorite Greek myths, the myth of Sisyphus. I love Greek Mythology because they tie the concept of sin to eternal punishment and anguish, and there is always a lesson to be learned.
The story of Sisyphus
Sisyphus, a prominent greek king, fell victim to the sin of pride or hubris. His rise to power and notoriety had him under the delusion that he was far more clever than Zeus, the king of the Gods. In classic Greek mythological fashion, Zeus subsequently condemned Sisyphus to a life of rolling a boulder up a mountainside each and every day. Nearing the top, exhausted from his eternal effort, the boulder would ALWAYS escape his grasp and roll all the way back down to the bottom of the hill EACH AND EVERY DAY. Then left Sisyphus with no choice but to return to the bottom and slough his boulder to the top time and time again.
If we’re to get real with ourselves, we must first acknowledge that many of us go to camp and then let our momentum decline as the day goes on! We create progress and momentum by coming to Burn Boot Camp. You can feel the energy when you walk out the door after a great workout! Then you go out and sabotage your progress by making poor nutrition or lifestyle choices that reverse the impact of momentum, and the metaphorical boulder rolls back to the bottom of the hill.
I believe that as human beings we possess a certain metabolic momentum and we have to take it by the reigns. I can’t take credit for this idea, as I’m sure it’s been addressed in academia or scholarly articles, but as my loyal clients, members and peers I wish that each of you would arrive to the doors of Burn with your very own metabolic passport.
This would be a detailed snapshot of everything you have done or attempted within your history of nutrition and fitness. This is why our equation isn’t as simple as calories in and calories out, and this is why experimentation is critical. I’ve worked with clients who were at an intake of 600-800 calories a day and weren’t losing any weight. By adding nutritious foods in each and every day, they were able to gain their own metabolic momentum back and they began losing body fat and adding lean muscle. Metabolic momentum must be harnessed daily!
Tips on How to Create Momentum in Your Life:
- Morning Routine. A great morning routine (healthy breakfast, reading or watching something that inspires you or shifts your thinking, and planning and organizing) is a powerful way to begin adding momentum to your life. If you have a fitness related goal, get specific and visualize it before you. Imagine how it feels to be that healthy, strong, or fit. If you do this daily, commit to your goals and put it on paper, you will greatly increase your chances for success.
- Small actions DAILY. Not every camp, or workout needs to set the world on FIRE! Dedicate yourself to persistence and perspiration, and commit to YOURSELF that you’re going to show up X amount of times this week, regardless of how you feel or what happened yesterday or today!
- Base your actions on decision, not emotion! Emotions are powerful tools and feedback for your life! If we’re not careful, we can very soon begin acting exclusively based off our emotion. When we base our action from emotion we often make the wrong choices. Instead, focus on making definite decisions such as, I will meal prep three meals this week or I will come to Burn four times this week. The word decision is one of my favorite words because its derived from the latin “decir” which means to CUT AWAY. By making a decision we cut away all alternatives and excuses and we fully commit to making our goals a reality.
- Do what you don’t FEEL like doing. This is so powerful! There’s a lot in life we don’t necessarily feel like doing. IF I told you I FELT like waking up early each and every day I would be lying to you! However, if you can condition yourself to do small simple things like walk the dog, go for a quick run, stretch or prep meals when you feel like ordering takeout, you will begin to rewire your hard drive and create some serious momentum and confidence in your life! Over time it will get easier to do these things as they become habits!
