Which half of the divide do you fall?
August… It’s a funny old month in the fitness industry. The divide between the super motivated and the, well, not-so-motivated is bigger than any other time. On the one hand you’ve got the folk who are determined to achieve as much as possible pre-holiday and then on the other hand you’ve got the people who have decided that it’s too late for them and they’ll get back to it in September. Why do we do it? Sure, we don’t all have to be going at it like a bat out of hell, but why do we develop this ‘I’ll start back in September’ mindset? (if you have an answer for that drop it in the comments below) By doing this you’re allowing your body to revert back to pre-exercise state (likely increase some body fat and certainly lose some muscle) as well as taking your eye’s off the prize which usually results in a lack of dedication in other areas of your lifestyle, such as nutrition, sleep and stress. What’s more, and probably the most important thing is that we lose the routine. When we exercise regularly it becomes a way of life, just what we do, like putting on our socks (almost) but when we let that routine slip it makes it much more difficult to reignite the fire!
Another thing that I notice is that a lot of people, possibly through guilt, enquire about gym memberships and personal training in August but hold off on making the commitment until September. “I’m going on holiday in a couple of weeks so will start when I return”. Again, why? Why not start now and give yourself a head start? Get into the correct mindset pre-holiday and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be a little more mindful about just how much you let yourself go on holiday?! My suggestions? Even if you only have the time to do a few sessions throughout August, you may plateau, but maybe you can avoid a step backwards. Keep moving!