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.

Inspiration from Familiar Places

Sometimes we all need to slap in the face.

Something to wake us up from our pursuit of mediocrity. A gentle reminder to say that we are only on earth ONE TIME. We get complacent from time to time, but today I want to share some things that have changed my thinking, motivated me, or just kept me in line. Inspiration can come from a lot of places, and it's important that we have things that continue to push us to new levels. Maybe they'll give you some direction too.

Photo Credit: Skitter Photo, Stocksnap.IO

The Homeless

One day I was walking through downtown Portsmouth, and I passed a group of homeless guys on the street. They were broing out, like they were buddies or something. Like they had some sort of common thread in society and took comfort in knowing that they all had been down on their luck.

Who knows what their situation was. Maybe they made a series of bad choices that led them away from a job or a family. But, it doesn’t matter, they were there. Standing in 20 degree, snowy New Hampshire weather.  

Well, part of me is not inspired by this. I’m a believer in controlling your situation, regardless of the outcome. Whatever happens, it’s on you to own it and get past it. But, with that, I was like man, two or three bad hands in life can land you in a dark place. It doesn’t take much.

However, I was inspired by the fact that these guys were just chillin’, enjoying each other’s company, even though they had only what they carried. It made me thankful for what I have, and gave me perspective in that moment. 

We can all learn from that.

My Clients

I am so lucky! People work hard for me- and for themselves! It’s so impressive. Sweat dripping off their face, coming in at the break of dawn, or staying late to work on technique. I love it.

When I coach, sometimes I get this shit-eating grin. Everyone knows what it means.

This is going to suck for them, but I know they can do it. Usually it’s during a hard AF MetCap circuit or something taxing like that.

For a while, I tried to deny it. But, whatever, I might as well embrace it. Yes, the grin means that whatever is coming next will be hard. It will test you. It will make you work for it. It’s not because I want to inflict serious DOMS on your body. To be honest, coaches that intend to make you super sore or make you yack up breakfast solely for that purpose are… not good coaches. They clearly don’t understand the whole consistency over intensity concept. Enough soapboxing for one day, though.  

Now, here’s why I smile like that. I get so amped when people are in the grind. Embracing the uphill like a boss. It’s inspiring to me, and to everyone around them. It’s the process of growth that I try to teach people to thrive in, and working on yourself in any facet is awesome.

Kids

Specifically, kids that have not developed the fear emotion. There are 4 year olds out there who will SEND IT off of any jump - touch any animal they encounter – or walk up to another kid and hold their hand. No fear of anything- injury, heights, scary animals, rejection, or the unknown.

They just play, and explore, and have fun. Something we all need to do more of.

That’s pretty inspiring in itself. When we have downtime, sometimes is okay to just detach. Turn the phone off and be present. Play. Act like an idiot. Meg says I'm always an idiot, but because you are reading this on the internet it’s okay, I’ll vouch for you.

While we’re crushing it at the gym, and working our way up the chain with our careers, don’t forget to find your center and be with it. If you forget, just go to the park and watch kids for a while.

Wait.

Don’t, under any circumstances do that. Ever. Unless you have an affection for police officers trying to arrest you. 

Teamwork

I don’t just mean sports teams or at work. More on the human to human teamwork. We sacrifice for each other all the time. We compromise and plan so that everyone can get to the gym or get a healthy meal in, all while making sure the kids get picked up on time. It’s all in the effort of progress towards getting what we want.

Finding the right balance can be hard. Sometimes people try to abuse their power and pull us in directions we might not want to go. Other times, we are to blame for our failure to uplift the team. Whatever your role is, teamwork is evident around you whether you know it or not.

For example, I have to do my job, cover my sessions, and help out others when they need it. If one of my team members can't cover a session, I try to have their back. My teammates do the same for me. Without the mutuality, the team bond cannot thrive, and eventually it will show up negatively. 

Another example, say for instance, you take a flight somewhere. Doesn’t matter, let’s say you’re flying to San Diego in search for the best fish taco on earth. If you've seen Anchorman, you know what the city name means.

The flight attendants and pilot ask you to follow directions, buckle your seatbelt, stay in your seat until after take off, and not smoke on the flight. They ask this of you so they can do their job to the best of their ability. And we comply because we want the safest possible flight, not 180 drunk and unruly passengers. There is teamwork in that.

I’m not hyped like CT Fletcher because of service on flights or anything, but I notice little pieces of teamwork all the time. People working to help each other succeed.

It’s pretty sweet. You help me, and I help you. 

The equation is pretty simple, isn't it?

Best,

Ryan