Friday, July 25, 2008

Six Timeless Fitness Secrets That Will Transform Your Workouts and Your Life

"The best athletes in the world all seem to share six basic qualities. Consistently incorporating two or more of these concepts into your routine will create enduring transformations in your workouts and in your life."

To reach your boldest fitness goals you don't need ab-blasters, potions, pills or lotions. Just ignite the athlete in you. It's free, it's permanent and it'll improve more than just your fitness.

Many of you are saying, "I don't want to be a world-class athlete. I just want to lose these doughy rolls Super Glued to the sides of my abdomen!"

It's not about being an "athlete" in the strict sense of the word. Heck, training for a living is for crazy-people. But I believe there is an "athlete" in each of us. It's part of our genetic makeup -- a basic human desire that has been subverted by modern society.

Consider this: We can play our favorite sport passionately for hours without a thought. You're completely in the moment, you lose all sense of time and you are playing, not "working out." That's when the athlete in you is fully alive. The calories burned are a natural consequence of having fun, not the focus of the workout. Now, put me on a treadmill and count my calories for more than 20 minutes and I start weeping. If you can consistently tap into your innate athletic passions, you will reach levels of fitness you never dreamed possible. But it's time to give up the rote fitness activity and start really having some fun!

The best athletes in the world all seem to share six basic qualities. Consistently incorporating two or more of these concepts into your routine will create enduring transformations in your workouts and in your life.

Cultivate Passion for Your Sport

This is the foundation upon which the other five steps rely. Kenyan runners, German triathletes, Aussie swimmers -- they all have a deep, driving passion for their sports.

We all had passion for a sport at one time or another: kickball, tag, boogie boarding, whatever. We did it because it was fun. I used to boogie-board in the ocean well past the point of my lips turning blue. Always strive to recapture that present-moment passion, that childlike innocence toward physical activity. Start playing sports you love. When it isn't fun anymore be a kid -- ditch it and move to something new. Who's watching? Your mom?

Shift the Focus

We need to reconnect with why we exercise in the first place: to calm the spirit; to live longer, better lives; to carve out time for ourselves -- to live with more passion! Several years ago, I had the privilege of running with the Tendai Marathon monks of Japan who run a marathon a day for 100 days as their path to spiritual enlightenment. Not that you have to, but exercise can mean more than 20 minutes and 200 calories burned on the treadmill. Why not step off that treadmill and onto the trails?

Play Out, Don't Work Out

The world's best athletes approach their sport with the utmost professionalism and seriousness. They also have loads of fun.

I learned this lesson the hard way. In my first two pro races, I didn't have any fun because I was obsessively focused on my performance. The night before big events when the other pros got together to knock back a few, I would sit in my room, take hot baths, elevate my legs and plan my victory speeches. Then on race day I'd get ripped to shreds. After one such rip shredding, I asked world champion Greg Welch to explain this phenomenon. He said, "Crikey mate, you perform better when you're relaxed!" Little Aussie bugger! But he was right on the money.

When I began to race with mindless passion, I began performing a hell of a lot better. In 2001, commit to making your exercise or sport more fun than ever. Be bold. Be a kid. Break the rules. Get out there and play. Your long-term fitness and enjoyment depend on it!

Train Smarter

The Finns are notorious for "training smarter" than the other pros. Here are a few of their secrets: They get an expert to design a flawless program; they relax during workouts; they effectively combine strength and aerobic training; they take plenty of rest days; they always train with others; and they've mastered the art of heart-rate monitoring. One tangible, fun way to track your progress is to enter a few competitions each year -- and perform better each year.

Listen to Your Body

Nobody in the world knows more about your fitness than you. Yes, YOU, the accountant! Why? Because nobody understands your body better than you do. Listen to it, trust it and it will guide you more effectively (and less expensively!) than the world's best coaches. Always "comfortably challenge" yourself and listen to the messages your body is sending.

Create Motivation on Command

World-class athletes are not born motivated. I can assure you, I have yet to leap out of bed at 5:15 a.m. and yell: "Woo hoo! Another day of rip shredding my body to pieces for seven hours. Let's have at it!" But, what world-class athletes do best iscreate powerful motivation consistently -- and on command. Write a list of WHY you workout. The deeper and more honest that list the more powerfully it will motivate you when you're feeling lazy. Always strive to become more intrinsically motivated rather than externally motivated. That way, your motivation and passion for exercise will come from within, which is far more rewarding and effective over the long term.

Exercise with passion.

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