Todays post is going to be based on something ive been talking about to some clients recently (and yes to those concerned, there were more than one of you) and that something is expectations vs reality. Unfortunately in the fitness arena, expectations far exceed reality and this is to the detriment of all concerned. Here are some examples: 1. Calories used during exercise vs calories consumed- Many people have an unrealistic idea of how many calories they have used compared to the amount of calories they eat on a daily basis. You will find this in the common saying that if one eats bad one will simply burn it off the next day/session with exercise. Unfortunately, very few trainees have the time or fitness levels to out-train a high calorie diet and here we see the expectation of calories used exceeds the reality of the calories they consume. 2. Fat lost vs diet adherence- This one is the simplest to explain/understand from the outside yet the hardest to do on the inside. What i mean by this is we as humans naturally do not like causing self-harm, both physically and emotionally. So as a result we have little ways in which we justify doing things (aka lying to ourselves), even if the truth is actually painfully obvious (at least when you step back and really smell the roses). Here we see the trainee disappointed with their fat loss even though in retrospect they know they were not as strict with their diet, training program etc. Its actually this expectation vs reality that is a major cause of frustration amongst many trainers/coaches. Not matching your expectations with reality will cause you to lose motivation and/or possibly perceive yourself as a failure, having poor genetics etc. all because you raised your expectations far beyond where reality actually exists. This is why a lot of the time trainees who just let it happen tend to do better than those who measure every variable all of the time; they just focus on the process by doing the right things right and letting the chips fall where they may. Understanding what IS realistic sure goes a long way towards preventing frustration and disappointment, but you know what, sometimes its just better to let nature take its course. Get the process right (eat the right foods, train hard and consistently, recover well) and the outcome will pretty much take care of itself. Focus on the outcome all the time (weight gained/lost, weight/reps etc.) and you may fall into the trap of your expectations exceeding reality, especially since outcome-focused individuals tend to compare themselves to others a lot.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 07:38:46 +0000
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