Best Kept Plans

The great Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Well, I’m going to reframe Mike’s words of wisdom for the fitness scene. “Anyone who asks for a plan needs a slap in the face.” Well, sort of…

I sit with many potential clients on a weekly basis and without a doubt, one of the most accurate ways to determine whether someone is going to fail to get results with their health and fitness is if the following phrase gets uttered. “If I could just get you to write me a plan and I will give it a go myself.” On the surface this seems like a very innocent and in many respects a smart way to attack your forth-coming health journey, but unfortunately, it is a loaded request. Loaded with what you ask?

This request is loaded full of tepid commitment. It is the calling card of the soon-to-be ‘non-active’ gym member. It is an illusory action that lulls all into a false sense of security. See everyone loves a good plan, myself included and to be without a plan is to be walking blind. However, of all the plans I have written for people over the years, you can be sure 99% of them lie in the digital or physical trash can. Not because they were useless but because the recipient was only wanting it to make themselves feel like they were doing ‘something’.

Don’t get me wrong, behind most great achievements was a well-laid plan, whether it be Arnie’s assault on the Olympia or the battle on the beaches of Normandy. But many a great plan lies in waste because of an equally great lack of action. Yet, most are flabbergasted that their plans fail when in fact the plan was completely fine, it was the execution that stunk. So, I’m here to un-stink it for you…

1. Discover where you are now. It is hard to find where you are going when you (or google maps) has no idea what your current location is. If you don’t know, ask someone who you think might be able to tell you i.e. a trainer.
2. Know where you want to go. As with part one, having a destination stops us from just wandering around in the wilderness hoping the plans will make us happy.
3. Attach yourself to some motivating or inspiring WHY. We are motivated to go to the grocery store because if we don’t we won’t have deodorant to stop the body odour or detergent to clean our clothes. If we need a WHY for basic hygiene, we need one to improve our health.
4. Prioritize your goals. If you have set a goal but it remains as an add-on to your life then be prepared to watch it slip through your fingers. What gets prioritized gets done.
5. Get organized. Do you or your calendar know what you are doing on Friday at 6:30pm? Do you know what you are having for lunch in 2 days’ time? Well, if you don’t want your lovely plans to go up in flames, you better start knowing.
6. Get out the measuring tape. If what gets prioritized gets done, then what gets measured gets double-done. There’s nothing like a good kick in the pants from a comparison of where you should be versus where you are now.

There it is. Who would have guessed that there was more to life and health than just a plan? But that was just the easy part. Good luck with the execution.