Over the years of operating a gym, I’ve heard comments similar to the following a number of times: “Of course you’re in good shape; you’re a trainer.” And… “Must be nice to be a trainer and get to work out all day.”
While I always appreciate that the speakers in these cases apparently think I’m in decent shape, the statements either are or can be rather inaccurate.
First, because “good shape” can mean quite a few different things. And one individual’s “good shape” could be another’s “out of shape”.
Some brief examples: A powerlifting coach might be quite strong but not very aerobically conditioned. A marathon coach could be the inverse. And a general performance coach might be reasonably strong and conditioned without being enough of either to do particularly well in a powerlifting meet or a marathon.
Which of these cases, if any, constitutes being in “good shape” depends far more on the individual than it does the observer.
In any case, any of these individuals might, in fact, be in “not-so-good shape” because, second, most trainers don’t actually work out (or better yet, train) with the people they’re coaching.
Sure, sometimes we need to demo a movement. But most of coaching includes explaining the day’s programming, suggesting appropriate weights, offering suggestions to improve technique, and chatting to make rest periods less boring, in conjunction with a bunch of standing.
Instead of working out all day, a trainer’s own training sessions need to be done before or after work or during breaks throughout the day. And just like with anyone else, sometimes those sessions even get skipped, for both good reasons and poor excuses.
In other words, being a trainer doesn’t automatically equate to being in good shape. We (trainers) are “regular people” too and need to deal with our own motivation, laziness, and discipline the same way you do.
Which brings me to the topic I actually want to discuss today: two ideas that can fortify anyone’s discipline (trainer or otherwise) to more consistently do the things our better selves want to do—but which our “I don’t want to right now” selves can sometimes let slide.
Technically, I’ve mentioned or discussed these ideas multiple times before. So I’m going to give a recent personal example—related to training, of course—to hopefully make them seem more practical and real than simple theory.
Set self-concordant goals
The first idea is to set crystal clear, “self-concordant” goals. That is, goals that are truly interesting and important to you as opposed to ones that you think (or society implies that) you’re “supposed” to want. (See some past thoughts about goals, including links to more goal-related thoughts.)
When we have such goals (or targets, objectives, or whatever else you want to call them) and know the actions we need to take in order to achieve them, we’re much more likely to take those actions whether we feel like it or not.
In my case and in relation to training, one of those goals is mountaineering with my brother (and, usually, a group of friends).
Spending quality time with him while also having the opportunity to see some amazing views and overcoming physical and mental challenges is both important and enjoyable for me. I also don’t take lightly the common mountaineering practice of looking out for each other’s safety. And in order to do all of those things to the best of my ability, I know that I have to train consistently.
Over the past six months, there have been plenty of times that my “in the moment” self wanted to make an excuse to skip the day’s training. But in most of those cases, I reminded myself of our upcoming trips and used the reminder as fuel to go do what I had planned: lift something heavy, snatch a kettlebell, or ruck (hiking with a weighted backpack) for a few miles.
And I’m currently getting to enjoy the fruits of that labor. As you read this, we’ll likely be having dinner after completing the first of four summits of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states, with various groups of friends over a 9-day span.
Align your identities
The second idea to help fortify your discipline to do the things you know you want to do revolves around your self-image, or identity, in any given context.
When you align your identity to be consistent with your desired actions, taking those actions on a regular basis becomes easier precisely because they’re the types of things that that type of person does.
If that offends your sensibilities as being somewhat circular reasoning, that’s totally OK. Because it is circular reasoning. But that’s also OK because our objective here isn’t to be rational but rather to improve our discipline to do challenging things.
Through both experience and desire, I’ve come to see myself as (what I consider to be) a fit and healthy individual, strength and conditioning coach/trainer, and occasional mountaineer.
Do you know what that type of person does regularly?
They train consistently, follow a healthy nutrition plan, get enough sleep, and practice targeted recovery strategies (e.g. sauna, massage, nutrition, sleep).
So do you know what I do on a regular basis? Precisely those things!
Of course, as I mentioned in the section above, there are plenty of times when I don’t want to do them. And because I’m human—remember that trainers are “real people” too—that emotion occasionally wins.
But even when that does happen, I can fairly quickly get back on the wagon. Because that’s what a fit and healthy individual / trainer / mountaineer does.
(As a brief aside, identities in this section’s heading isn’t a typo. Just like we fulfill multiple roles in our lives, we can have multiple identities based on the context.)
Putting it into practice
This week I have just two simple questions for you to consider:
- Do you have clear goals and identities that align with the actions or habits that are important to you?
- Are they written somewhere you can see and recommit to them every day?
If the answer to either question is “no”, spend a few minutes working on that. You might be surprised by how impactful being able to answer “yes” to both will be.
If you struggle with creating clear goals that are meaningful to you, believing that you have the ability to achieve them, or taking consistent action in their pursuit, then check out one of our upcoming Clarity & Antifragile Confidence workshops.
You’ll learn a scientifically proven framework that operationalizes the process—and get started adding your own details into the framework. It’s step #1 to getting what you want out of life.