Maybe this is the time.

What a challenge we have been faced with. Collectively.

It goes without saying but, the Coronavirus pandemic has been such a (swear words) tough event to deal with. Not only has it upended our lives, routines, and forced us to stay at home; many other more important things have happened. Many people have died around the globe. Hundreds of thousands in the US. Our healthcare system has been threatened and our front line workers have been in unrelenting overdrive, fighting this thing. Folks have lost their jobs, threatened to question how they will feed their family. The economy is crippled and the stock market plummeted. People are scared and in a constant state of stress and fear. Our social habits and body language have changed. The US population is begging for a pause on the negative media coverage and political game of this pandemic - however that is yet to come. We need to see leadership that is representative of the proud nation that we are and fight this thing. Lend a helping hand to our neighbor. Evolve. Be united instead of divided about trivial issues.

People want all of this to end. And I think we all want and are hoping for a resolution.

Alternatively and as a forward sort of thinker, a shitload of other more positive things have happened. Globally, we’ve been asked to work together in new and innovative ways to defeat this thing for the good of humanity - and find ways to continue with our lives. From the fitness side of the equation we have been forced to exercise at home, get into nature, take walks, and be with our families. Making time for health because we “don’t have time” is not as big as an excuse anymore. It may still be a barrier, considering the new burden that parents of young kids are facing; helping teach their own children remotely and working within the new schedule demands of the schools. However, many people may also be experiencing new flexibility in their schedule that is allowing them to make fitness happen. So, it’s really what you make of it, and many of our members at the gym are doing amazingly well, considering.

As the months have dragged on, we have learned how obesity plays a pivotal role in predicting outcomes for COVID19, as well as heart disease, smoking, diabetes, and other lifestyle related illnesses. We’ve learned that we need to take precautions in order to move on with our lives, or at least have some semblance of normalcy. Regardless, the science is clear at this point that managing your health proactively can only help you fight the disease, should you have to face it. 

Gyms should no longer be thought of as places of spread, but as places to fight the pandemic. The data is clear. Multiple studies over the course of the pandemic have shown us the ridiculously low rate of transmission, due to the cleanliness and controllability of variables. A US study by MXM tracked over 49.4 million visits, and yielded an occurrence rate of COVID19 at 0.002%. That means if you went to the gym 1000 times (which would take 3-4 years), over the course of those visits 2 people had COVID19 inside the gym. It’s not likely to ever be 0.000% percent; just like it isn’t likely with the flu or the common cold, or someone not re-racking the weights properly. Read more data here.

Positive news of a vaccine beginning to be distributed around the country is great - but remember that there is still a possibility that this will only decrease the odds that you can contract the virus. Again it’s not a 100 percent thing, we are playing the odds game. So, please continue to do the things that make you the strongest human you can be. Wash your hands, wear a mask, and be careful of the situations that you put yourself in.

I hope now, more than ever, we realize how important our preventative health measures are. When you exercise and eat well, you nourish yourself and your brain. Maybe now is the time for us to take our health seriously in this country - to emphasize less instead of more. To not waste our time, our energy, and resources on the things that don’t matter. We’ll pay less attention to the negativity on TV and the internet, and focus our efforts on taking care of ourselves and one another.

Maybe this whole thing is a call to action. 

I hope it is. And that it gives you hope in the idea that if we take care of ourselves, we can take care of each other. 

Fitness isn’t always just about you. It’s about serving the people around you with the best person you can be, and inspiring them to do the same. 

Maybe this time we can get it right. 

Surprise Yourself

In the past 2 months, the gym has exploded. We have had a lot of things going on inside the gym, as well as outside the gym. With the spring and summer brings new fitness goals as well as busy personal calendars; weddings, vacations, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and somewhere in there, a fitness business that is blowing up like the fourth of July.

We aren’t arrogant, we simply believe in what we do. We are confident that you will find success at On Target Fitness, whoever you are.

So, with that said, we have been participating in the nationwide Lean Down Challenge. It is put on in exclusive locations throughout the US, and we were lucky enough to have been one of those gyms. The aim of the challenge is to help people lose 20 pounds of weight or reduce body composition by 5 percent. In 6 weeks.

Is that even possible?

Yes. It absolutely is.

The results have been surprising for many people, in more positive ways than you might think. Check our Facebook page to see some of them.

Here are some common trends that we as a staff have been seeing with the people that are most successful with this challenge, and any other big health change you might want to make.

Full Commitment

With many of the folks participating in the LDC, people that are most successful come in ready to commit, take on the challenge, and never look back once they start. The same rings true to anyone starting a new routine. You have to see it through, or you are wasting your time. As coaches who understand psychology and physiology, we recognize the immediate barriers that stand in your way. Fear. Ambivalence. Money. Self doubt. Those challenges are real, and we cannot act like they don't exist. 

With that said, if you let those things define you and shape your being, you aren’t being your true self. You are fighting a losing battle. Change starts to happen the moment you truly believe it can.

You can.

Ownership and Zero Excuses Attitude

We don’t need to dwell on the past, but we need to at least understand where your personal battles lie. What has limited you before needs to be out of the equation. That’s why the meal plan is strict. That’s why alcohol is not recommended. For this period of time, your full attention is required. Additionally, many successful people do not make excuses for their setbacks.

They acknowledge them, and move on. Chasing perfection is a sure way to be miserable. Mistakes happen. We can get caught in the undertow when your actions become justified through unrelated things. This is the adult version of “my dog ate my homework.” Stop.

Own it, learn, and get better. You control you.

Hard Work, in and out of the gym.

Photo Credit: Calum McAuley, Stocksnap.io 

Nutrition! Do you think the gainz happen without the stuff to build them? No way.

Someone smart said that most fat loss happens inside the kitchen. It’s true. There is no substitute for hard work inside and outside of the gym. We’ve seen great adherence and with it, great results for people who simply pay attention to what they eat. They make sure they get enough calories to crush training sessions, but stay within the limits of the LDC meal plan.

Are they perfect? No, we’ve even had people tell us they’ve had a couple drinks on the weekend and still have significant weight loss at the end of the week to show for it. It’s all about balance!

Happiness

Man, this might be the most important. You simply cannot make yourself miserable and expect to get the results you want. Seems easy in theory, but the fitness and nutrition industry is full of quick “fixes” and magic pill marketing. If you have to starve yourself and think you can get your dream body in only one month, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work like that.

Having health and having fitness is a journey. There’s no reason you can’t be happy, and make positive changes for yourself. It takes consistent work and constant understanding of yourself, to be able to adapt to challenges and give yourself fulfillment. The people in the LDC that have been the most successful at our gym have understood from day one, that this is not just a six week challenge. They have made fitness part of their life, and continue to use it to better themselves.

After all, you only get one.

Thanks for continuing to inspire us, and keep trying to surprise yourself.