Well, I did it. Over two years of work, 3-4 (and more) days a week of classes, and much stress, I passed my Black Belt test.
That was in April. I should be happy. I finally reached a goal I originally started in 1987.
But in fact, it is a bitter-sweet event. On the same day that we recieved our testing results, my instructor announced that he was leaving the area. His job had offered him an opportunity that he could not turn down and that it was his last day at the academy.
Shock ran through the audience and the students and tears started to flow, including my own. What now? What was going to happen to the school? He had made arrangements with his former instructor, also a 4th Dan to take over the school, but at the time, who knew what would happen.
Honestly, it was (and still is) hard. The new instructor is very knowledgeable and an able Martial Artist. However, his teaching style is very different, more of an old school style of instructing. A bit more loud and in your face. Being former military, this doesn’t bother me so much, but I’m not sure it is the best way to motivate the kids and teens in class. I know mt daughter doens’t like it when he barks and growls (her words)
So now I’ll always remember the day that I got my Black Belt with bitter-sweet memories. Not exactly how I pictured it would be.
Tags: General · The Mental Game
… Of course there is also quite a bit of sweat involved! However, if we look at Tae Kwon Do and most other martial arts, it is the mind that gets us through the progression of ranks to Black Belt and beyond. The 5 Tenets of TKD also give an important clue into the value of the mind: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, Indomitable Spirit; not a front kick or spin heel kick to be found in the list. The integration of these tenets into our TKD practice can be a springboard into success with our training and potentially success outside of the Dojang. Let’s take a look at each one and its application inside and outside of TKD.
Courtesy
Being courteous, showing respect, being considerate: these are some of the first things we learn as a white belt, even before we kick or punch or block for the first time; students bow into the training area of the Dojang, greet the instructor with a “Hello Sir” or a “Hello Ma’am”, bow to the flags and the instructor at the beginning and end of class. Some people may think these actions as “old fashioned” and not needed these days. However, looking at the rising tide of violence in schools, sometimes over use of a derogatory word, road rage, domestic abuse, etc, it is possible that these “old fashioned” ideas are needed now. By teaching and demonstrating courtesy and respect in our TKD classes, we encourage its practice outside of the Dojang. This can only have a positive effect in the students’ lives.
Having a courteous attitude is not easy. It can be very difficult to be polite to someone who is yelling in our ear, or to a sales associate who is busy chatting with co-workers while customers are looking for help. However, responding in kind can only lead to an escalation of emotions, while a calm, polite response may very well defuse the issue and perhaps teach a lesson the the other person that can be used in future conflicts.
Integrity
When we think of a person with integrity, honesty is probably the characteristic we think of first; telling the truth, regardless of the consequences; someone who does the right thing, like returning a wallet without an expectation of a reward. These are all examples that we can strive to achieve. However, it may be possible to go too far.
The term ‘brutally honest’ exists for a reason. Sometimes total and complete honesty can be destructive when it does not need to be. For example, a new student in a TKD class may be struggling with round kicks. They may look really bad, knees not up, no hip twist, etc. Telling the student that these are the worst round kicks we’ve ever seen, that he needs to get his act together and try harder and so on will probably not achieve the goal of helping the student become proficient in round kicks. On the contrary, the student may become discouraged and tell himself that TKD is not for him and quit. On the other-hand, constructive criticism allows us to encourage the student, help fix the problem, and hopefully build the student’s self-confidence. In the same scenario, we may note that the student’s hands have stayed up and had a great ki-yup and can be even better by lifting his knee higher. This way the student realizes that he is doing some things correctly and that he can have success. There is a time and place for being “brutally honest,” but its use probably should not be the primary means of correction or feedback.
Perseverance
A young child learning to walk is great example of perseverance. The child progresses from crawling, to cruising with one hand on something, to taking his first steps. Along the way are many failures. The child falls; watch though: right after a fall, the child is right back at it again until finally he is walking and running all over. Perseverance is about continuing to try no matter how many failures we have or obstacles are put in our way.
In TKD, it can be easy to give up. If becoming a black belt was easy, everyone would be one! It is hard to get to class, hard to practice at home, hard to endure the soreness, bruises, or injuries that can happen. The point to remember though is that all the black belts from 1st Dan through 9th Dan started at the beginning at white belt and all had obstacles to overcome. All of our paths to black belt have obstacles: age, weight, sex, fitness level, injuries, lack of confidence, difficulty of techniques, etc. Whatever they are, we have to make the mental commitment to overcome these obstacles in order to succeed. The solution may be more practice, more classes, rest (in the case of injuries), or even taking a break from TKD to recharge our physical and mental batteries.
These same ideas hold true outside of the dojang, whether in school, in the office, or at home. Hard classes, difficult assignments, marriage, these all have their challenges, but if we want to be successful, we need to overcome these challenges and strive toward the next set.
Self Control
Avoiding excess, controling our actions and emotions, are all aspects of self-control. Easier said than done!! Ask someone trying to diet how hard self-control is. All the temptation of fast food, fat pills (otherwise know as donuts), soda, beer, pizza… the list is very large. Self-control is the manner in which we deal with these temptations. Depending on the goals we have set for ourselves, it may be that we are allowed one donut, or a soda, or perhaps a slice or two of pizza on Fridays. Or it may be that we need to get up in the morning at 5 am in order to make it to the gym, perhaps to help work off the donuts! Or it may be fixing/closing 5 help desk tickets first thing in the morning at work before we can do the more interesting work. Another word for self-control is self-discipline
Indomitable Spirit
To dominate is to have a large measure of control over another person. In some cases this is expected: parents-children, boss-employee, teacher-student. These relationships usually bring positive results since there needs to be structure in many parts of our lives. However, there are also situations where this is not so positive: spousal abuse, bullying, child abuse, Sexual or racial discrimination, and other situations where there is a victim.
Indomitable spirit is the way we meet the challenges in our lives, good and bad. We really have two choices: we can give up and surrender to our challenges, or we can adapt an overcome. Hopefully, we choose the second choice in most situations.
The adapt and overcome process will probably be different for each situation. A student struggling with a academic subject may need to swallow his/her pride and ask for additional help from the teacher or perhaps get a tutor. A person struggling to lose weight may need to join something like Weight-Watchers where there can be strength shared between the members of the group. A person being bullied or abused may need to contact the authorities, and/or perhaps learn how to defuse or defend herself by learning a martial art such as Tae Kwon Do.
As noted in one of the previous example, sometimes swallowing our pride in the first step in creating an indomitable spirit within ourselves. It is hard to hear that to get better we need to work harder; aren’t we already doing enough? Being overly prideful in ourselves in not showing Indomitable Spirit, especially since, in most cases, there is always someone better , smarter, stronger or faster than we are. Indomitable Spirit is striving to be the very best we can be despite the obstacles in our path.
My Experience
The past two years has not been an easy journey as I have striven day-by-day to attain my black belt. Being 39 years old when I started and 240 pounds provided a host of physical challenges including lack of flexibility, lack of endurance, high blood pressure, and the normal creaks and groans that an older body provides. I also believe that my previous Martial Arts experiences were both a help and a hindrance in my studies. Part of that was pride because I had made progress in several different styles, though I was not able to reach black belt. However,receiving the occasional side kick to the ribs help break down that pride.
There were quite a few times when it would have been easy to quit: broken/sprained toes, pulled hamstrings, countless painful bruises… but I decided that this was the time and the place for me to achieve my long held goal of black belt. That has been my rock of Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit.
Sparring has been the challenge of self-control for me. The temptation to go out there and kick as fast as I can was very great and as I started sparring again that was how I sparred. However, when I spar like that, it is very hard to control the impact of the technique and there were times when I hit way too hard. Well, what goes around comes around, and in several teaching moments, I was the recipient of several of those hard (but very controlled) kicks. I have now learned to relax and target while I spar, as well as the control to not hurt my partner, although the occasional hard contact does happen.
I have enjoyed the opportunities I have had over the last six months or so to help teach in the dojang, whether it is doing warm-ups, helping with one steps, or helping with other students forms. As I found when I tutored in college, helping others learn forces me to learn and understand the techniques much better. If you can explain a form or one-step effectively, then the chances are you can execute it well.
It has also been a wonderful, though sometimes frustrating, experience having my daughter in class. Watching her grow as a tiger, beginner and intermediate belt has been very satisfying, especially since I did not have the opportunity to do this as a child. Watching her struggle as a more advanced student has not been so great, but I have the confidence that she will also be able to achieve her goal of being a black belt. Her struggle with Indomitable Spirit can be a lesson for all of us.
I hope that I have been somewhat successful in implementing the Tenets of Tae Kwon Do into my life both in and outside of the dojang. As with any defined code of conduct, there will be continual success and failures. Our goal should be to accept the successes and learn from the failures so that we may not fail in the same way again in the future.
Tags: General · The Mental Game
Am I ready? I think so, maybe… I know my forms, 1-steps, and feel pretty confident with my sparring, but am I ready? Maybe the question is better asked “Am I ever ready?” And this applies to life in general, not just Tae Kwon Do.
Was I ready to get married and have a family? No, but almost 20 years later, I think I’ve been fairly successful. I have a wonderful wife who is VERY understanding, and two daughters that I am very proud of. So no, I wasn’t ready, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Was I ready to head off to college, missing my senior year of High School? No, I wasn’t. School was a struggle for me for the very first time. And having the freedom to go or not go to class was a struggle, as my grades showed. But I still learned a lot, met my future wife, and after switching schools, graduated and I have a pretty good job in IT.
So I have to wonder whether you are ever really ready for all the challenges you face in life. If you wait until you are ‘ready’, you may never get there. Sometimes, good enough is good enough. There are times when you just have to jump in the deep end.
So am I ready for my Black Belt test? Maybe not completely, but if many other areas of my life are an indication, that’s OK. I’ll be fine.
–John
Tags: General · The Mental Game
Click Here for Part I
Bonehead workout mistake #6: Using mostly machines and single joint/isolation exercises
So you joined the gym and you hit “the circuit”… you know, that section in the gym with all those fancy, chrome-plated, “technologically advanced” weight stack-pulley, hydraulic or computerized machines all lined up in neat rows… far, far away from the barbells and squat racks (which you never touch), and which is designed to give you an “easy, safe, injury-free, effective full-body workout.” The machines may be easy, but most machines aren’t as safe or effective as they’re made out to be.
Kick butt workout tip #6: Use mostly free weights and compound, multi joint exercises
For lower body, squat and lunge variations are tops. For upper body, barbell and dumbbell presses, chin ups and rows are king. These and similar “BIG” exercises stimulate more muscle fiber, stir up more fat burning and muscle building hormones, and have more carry-over to real world and sporting activities than machines. Although weight stack machines are safe with respect to the fact that you can’t drop a barbell on your head, they’re ultimately NOT as safe as free weights because they don’t develop the stabilizing muscles and functional strength that protect you from injury. A few machines and isolation exercises mixed into a balancedr program is fine, especially if you have bodybuilding goals, but focusing on compound and free weight exercises gives you far more bang for your buck than any machine ever created.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #7: No mental preparation
This mistake goes hand in hand with mistake number one (winging it). You see, preparation is more than setting goals, writing out plans, and scheduling workouts. Preparation is also mental, yet most people haven’t the slightest idea just how powerful the mind is or how to harness its power. Psychologists and “brain scientists” have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between an experience that is real and one that is imagined. Failure to take advantage of this discovery is a mistake of enormous magnitude.
Kick butt workout tip #7: Use visualization and mental rehearsal daily
Arnold Schwarzenneger, Jack Nicklaus, Andre Agassi and countless other sports legends have written and spoken extensively about their regular use of mental imagery. Those who succeeded, but claimed not to use such techniques as “visualization” were surely using it unconsciously or in a non-formalized manner. I would suggest you consciously and deliberately use this technique in the following manner: Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, get relaxed, close your eyes and form mental images of yourself having the body you’ve always wanted, completing perfect workouts with motivation and enthusiasm and reaching all your goals. These images will penetrate your subconscious mind and literally program your brain to activate your body for total success.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #8: Not eating immediately after training
Not eating anything after your workout (or waiting 2-3 hours to eat), because (a) you don’t feel like eating, (b) you don’t have anything to eat with you, (c) you heard that you get leaner if you don’t eat after your workout… is one of the most boneheaded things you can ever do!
Kick butt workout tip #8: Eat protein AND carbs (not just carbs) immediately after your workout
Much research has been done on the topic of post workout nutrition in recent years and the scientific literature is almost unanimous in its findings: At one time carbohydrates were emphasized after a workout. Other people insisted that protein is more important. The truth is, the optimal post workout meal includes quickly digesting protein and carbohydrates and is consumed immediately after training during the period known as the “post-workout window of opportunity.” Although the ideal amount and type of protein and carbs is still debated, the studies have shown that proper post workout nutrition increases protein synthesis, suppresses cortisol, replenishes glycogen, and enhances recovery.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #9: Comparing yourself to others
Always trying to one-up the next guy is bonehead behavior. Comparing yourself to others is a great way to lower your self esteem and stay perpetually frustrated, unhappy and dissatisfied!
Kick butt workout tip #9: Compare yourself to nobody but yourself
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden always advised his players, “Never try to be better than someone else; but never cease trying to be the best you can be. That is under your control. The other isn’t.” So why not focus on competing with yourself? Compare yourself to yourself. Improve yourself. Work on progress and forward movement. Become better than you used to be. Ultimately, competitive sports are most valuable to the degree you use them to better yourself, not to beat others.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #10: Making excuses
Many people, when they don’t get the result they want, or when things don’t go the way they expect, insist it’s not their fault. When they don’t lose any body fat, it’s their genetics or “The diet just doesn’t work!” When they fall off the wagon, it’s their friends and family’s fault – “They just don’t support me… they even tempt me with junk food and eat in front of me.” When they miss workouts, it’s their boss’s fault – “I just don’t have time with so much work being piled on me at the office.” No matter what the situation, the boneheads never even consider that the problem is staring right back at them in the mirror – someone or something outside of them is always responsible.
Kick butt workout tip #10: Accept total, 100% responsibility for all your results – good or bad
When you win, you don’t attribute it to luck or give someone else the credit for it. You proudly say, “I created it… I did it… that was me!” However, if you want to take the credit for your wins, you must also take credit for your losses and say, “Yep, I created it… I did it… that was me!” Boneheads want to take credit for their successes but not accept responsibility for their failures. Ultimately, that turns them into nothing but big losers. Winners and successful people became successful because they learned three magic words: I AM RESPONSIBLE. Once you claim responsibility for every result in your life – the good and the bad - the feeling of empowerment and liberation that comes over you is beyond description. For the first time in your life, you realize that YOU are in control. From that moment on – and not a second sooner – you become the creator of circumstance rather than a victim of it.
- - - - -Well, that’s all ten of em’. Let me wrap up with what is perhaps the biggest mistake of all, and that is: Not learning from your mistakes. Mistakes are okay. The only people who don’t make any are the timid, wimpy people who don’t even attempt anything. If you realize you’ve been making a lot of these mistakes, don’t beat yourself up. As long as you learn from them and then stop making them, you’re off the hook! But if you keep repeating these mistakes over and over again, then it’s official: You’re a bonehead!
If you enjoyed this article and you’re interested in learning how to quickly and easily lose fat permanently - without drugs, supplements or fad diets - AND without making any bonehead mistakes - click here to visit my BURN THE FAT website: www.burnthefat.com
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom’s Fat Loss program, visit: www.burnthefat.com
Tags: Fitness
The Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes (Part I)
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.burnthefat.com
Click Here for Part II
“Common workout mistakes” has always been a very popular topic in fitness publications. But no matter how many times this subject is re-hashed, you almost always hear about the same half a dozen or so mistakes, including poor form, overtraining, going too heavy, not stretching, not warming up, yadda, yadda yadda. Ironically, you seldom hear about the biggest mistakes of all. I call these humongous bloopers “bonehead mistakes” because once you start to analyze and think about them, they’re really just common sense and they all seem so obvious… except of course to the person doing it… who is often quite oblivious until someone else points it out to them… then the light goes on and it’s like… “Doh!”
Before I begin the countdown, (in no particular order), there’s one more gripe I have about the treatment this subject has been given in the past: Most of the attention has been put on the mistakes, but very little on the solutions. It’s all too easy to point fingers and say, “Don’t do that” and “Shame on you, dummy” but only 1% of your time should be spent on problems. 99% should be spent on solutions. So in that spirit, after I bring each mistake to your attention, I’ll give you a solution-oriented training tip to help you avoid boneheadedness and join the elite group who “kick butt” in the gym at every workout…
Bonehead workout mistake #1: “Winging it”
“Winging it” means having no written goals or plans, no training journal and no way of “keeping score.” It’s when you just show up at the gym day after day and do whatever strikes your fancy, whatever machine happens to be available, or whatever you’ve become habitually accustomed to doing. Winging it is when you don’t know where you are, where you’re going or how you’re going to get there - but you start your journey anyway – no compass, no roadmap. It’s been said that “Action without planning is the biggest cause of failure,” and I believe that statement is 100% accurate.
Kick butt workout tip #1: Develop a strategic plan
Successful people never “wing it,” they always have a plan. Strategic planning is a never ending process and includes: Assessment (where am I now?), goal setting (where do I want to go?), creating a plan or strategy (How will I get where I want to go?), executing the plan (what action steps must I take daily to reach my goal?), and measuring results (how will I know if I’m moving towards my goal and how will I know when I’ve reached it?). Boneheads “wing it.” Butt–kickers have a master plan and goals for every workout.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #2: Repeating the same workouts… without progressive overload
In one respect, repeating the same workouts is important – it’s called “continuity.” Continuity means that to experience an adaptive response (more muscle, more strength, less fat and all that other good stuff), you must a repeat a certain modality or exercise consistently over a long enough period of time to allow the adaptive response to occur and to reap the full benefits (rather than changing exercises at every workout). That type of repetition is good. The bonehead mistake is when you do the same exercises, same reps, same weight, same everything, week after week, without ever challenging yourself to do more than you’ve done before. If your muscles could talk they would say, “Yawn…. Did that, done that, been there… we’re just going to stay exactly the way we are… no need to get bigger or stronger today.”
Kick butt workout tip #2: Strive to beat your previous workouts
Muscle growth and strength increases occur when you place demands on your body above and beyond what it has experienced in the past. Your body responds to this progressive overload by getting stronger in order to handle this type of demand in the future. Your objective at almost every workout is to set goals to beat what you did during the previous one. If you can’t add more weight, it could be as simple as one more rep with the same weight or the same sets/reps/weight in less time. It could also mean one more minute of cardio, one level higher on a stairclimber, or half a percent steeper incline on the treadmill. Continuous and never-ending improvement is the name of the game.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #3: Starving yourself
A calorie deficit is the only way to lose body fat. However, the caloric deficit must be kept small. When calories are cut too much, or held too low for too long, your body thinks you are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events, which ultimately result in muscle loss, slow metabolism and plateaus. Your body is like a power plant or furnace and when you don’t feed the fire, your metabolic flame dwindles to a flicker, producing less heat and less energy. That’s why not eating enough is one of the biggest mistakes of all.
Kick butt workout tip #3: Eat more, burn more
Did it ever occur to you that if you exercise more you can eat more and that this is a more effective fat loss strategy than eating less and exercising less? To lose body fat, you must create a calorie deficit. A deficit can be created by exercising more, eating less, or ideally, with a combination of both. The best combination of all is a small decrease in calories accompanied by a large increase in activity. Think about it: Decreasing calories slows your metabolism. Increasing calories increases your metabolism. Exercise increases your metabolism.
Therefore, eat more, exercise more = double increase in metabolism. Eat less, don’t exercise = double decrease in metabolism. This is the entire premise of my Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle System and that’s why the program is so powerful and has helped tens of thousands of people lose fat without depriving themselves. Yes, starving is for boneheads.
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #4: Skipping scheduled workouts
A great body doesn’t happen overnight. Successful body transformation is the cumulative result of dozens or even hundreds of successful workouts. Each workout brings you one small step closer to your goal. Each workout missed takes you one small step backwards. Most people underestimate the cumulative effect of each small step. They figure that “It just doesn’t matter… it’s only one workout.” If you don’t think that one little workout matters, then think about the humble termite; they’re such itty bitty little creatures and they take such itty bitty little bites, yet when enough little bites are taken, an entire building can come crumbling down.
Kick butt workout tip #4: Be disciplined and consistent
Not only do you slip backwards physically when you skip even one scheduled workout, perhaps more devastating is the effect on your mind and character. Every time you successfully complete a scheduled workout, you build your discipline and self esteem. When your self esteem increases, it makes you feel good and that stimulates a positive self-reinforcing cycle of even more discipline, confidence and action. Everything you do helps or hurts. Every workout counts. Treat your word as law. When you say you’re going to work out… WORK OUT!
- - - - -Bonehead workout mistake #5: Focusing on strengths, favorite exercises and favorite body parts, neglecting weaknesses
Most people have a favorite body part or exercise. But playing favorites in your training can lead to big problems. An unbalanced, asymmetrical physique is one of them, but having a great upper body with toothpick legs is the least of your worries. Strengthening and stretching some muscle groups but not others is a great way to cause poor posture, muscular imbalance, dysfunction, strains, pulls, tears or ruptures.
Kick butt workout tip #5: Train for functional balance and aesthetic balance
Non-boneheads train every muscle group for symmetrical, visually pleasing development. However, “balance” is more than cosmetic. Everyone – athletes, bodybuilders, and recreational exercisers – must also train for functional balance to prevent injury and maintain optimal function and range of movement in every joint and muscle group. Every plane of movement and angle of movement must be trained. Flexors must be balanced with extensors. Front to back movements must be balanced with rotational and side to side movements. Prime movers, antagonists and stabilizers must all be strengthened. Always stretch, strengthen and build to the point of total body balance.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide. For information on Tom’s Fat Loss program, visit: www.burnthefat.com
Tags: Fitness
Count Down To Fitness Success
And Keep Your Motivation Drive Alive
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com
There are many fantastic ways to get focused and motivated to begin a diet or exercise program, but often the most difficult thing to do is keep that drive and ambition alive for more than a few weeks and see your goal through to completion.
Within just weeks of starting, many people have already hit their first snag or setback, and as a result, have slipped backwards in the mental focus and motivation department. Setting goals in writing is an essential step to success, but how do you stay focused on them? One technique I have used ever since my very first bodybuilding competition 18 years ago, is…
The “contest countdown calendar.”
I have used it ever since, through 28 competitions and it will work for you too, for any fitness goal.
I purchase a desk or wall calendar - the type that shows each week stretching horizontally across the page with an open block of space for each day.
After I set my goal and place a deadline on it, I do NOT stop there. I take out my calendar and start counting backwards from my target goal deadline to the present day.
T-minus 117 days….
T-minus 116 days…
T-minus 115 days….
I also fill in my workouts for the entire 3-4 month period, which is the typical length I allow for my mid-range goals like contest prep.
you would be shocked - pleasantly so - just how focused this keeps you. Even better still, you get MORE and MORE motivated with each passing day you countdown because the deadline is getting closer
Deadlines are absolutely critical to your success. Little gets done without deadlines.
There is a saying in management and psychology that “work will always expand to fill the time allowed for it’s completion.”
Remember term papers in school? when you were given a term paper assignment and you had the entire semeseter to do it, did you run home that first night and get crankin on it?
How about after a week? two weeks? A month? TWO MONTHS?
probably not, eh?
If youre like most people, you put it off until the last minute and you barely got it turned in on time. In fact, there are always a few people who pull all nighters the night before!
Alas, the power of the deadline!
In your fitness endeavors, if you dont have IMPENDING deadlines that give you that twinge in your stomach that says “take action now, or else!” then you find it very easy to say to yourself, ‘ I have plenty of time so this one cheat meal doesnt matter… it doesnt make much difference at this point if I skip this one workout… I have time to make it up…”
And then, just like the term paper, you are scrambling at the last minute to reach your weight goal. But in the case of a your body, the consequences are more severe and painful than just a bad grade or late penalty.
Inevitably, you succumb to crash dieting and overtraining or other unhealthy fast-weight-loss madness, which eats up your own muscle like a hungry cannibal and sends you spiraling into the dark pit of metabolic damage and the inevitable plateau and weight gain that follow.
But the solution is so simple: Count your way down to success!
Don’t stop with setting goals. Put your goal countdown on paper, review your goals every single day, AND know, every single day, how many days there are until your target goal date. You will stay more consciously focused and even better, your unconscious mind will go to work for you in keeping you motivated, on track, and on schedule. You’ll come in for a landing on your goal deadline date like an F-16 landing on an aircraft carrier.
I just did my countdown calendar earlier this week… T minus 117 days til my next bodybuilding competition, and thanks to this simple but powerful technique, I’m already focused like a laser beam and have been making steady progress without so much as a hiccup…
Don’t under-estimate this simple technique… Give it an honest test… because it’s often the simplest motivational techniques that are the most powerful of all!.
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the little-known secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com.
Tags: Fitness
Welcome to TKD For You! My hope is that you will find information on this site that can help you succeed in for TKD journey, whether you are a new white belt or an experienced black belt (or anything in between.)
Tags: General