When the Going Gets Tough...

...just grab another Twinkie? Wait a second, that didn't sound right. How about "When the going gets tough, just quit." No, not right again, or is it? It seems that for many people today that is exactly how that phrase ends. You have probably heard many times that if you want something you don't have, you have to do things your not doing. That means you have to leave your comfort zone and do things differently than whatever you are doing now that has led to a necessary change in your life. It will not feel right. It will not be comfortable or easy and that is exactly when you have to become the kind of person that this phrase is talking about...Tough.

That is right, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Not the weak. Not the fat and lazy. Not quitters, whiners and wimps. The Tough get going.

As a trainer, my turnover rate is relatively low and that is good. For me to help people with their fitness goals, I have to have time for that transition to take place. A couple of weeks or even months may not be enough. I have noticed a pretty consistent trend though and that is with the type of people who quit. Most of the people who quit are quitting in less than a month. They are the ones who are missing training dates and wondering why they are not seeing results. People who quit so easy are also the ones who usually always have a problem. It is usually a knee, or a headache, not enough sleep the night before. I think it is just a learned behavior. It has become a bad habit by quitting at the sign of anything remotely challenging.

To be one of the "tough" will require hard work. There is no magic pill or easy way out. If you are looking for an easy way out, you are already on your way to being defeated. Ultimately you need to decide what results you really want and then set a up real plan that will help you realize those goals. You have to decide what you would be willing to sacrifice to accomplish those goals. Those sacrifices may include some discomfort, time or money but you have to look at the tradeoff. The tradeoff may be money on donuts and fastfood for a personal trainer. The tradeoff for your time may come from spending less time watching tv and more time exercising or cooking home-cooked meals.

If you really want change, you are going to have to do the opposite of these learned responses. If your first response is to quit, that is when you have to tough it out. If your response to a challenging workout is to slow down, maybe that is when you have to push through that barrier and speed up. You will never know if the sky is the limit until you are willing to leave the ground.