3121: The Best Fitness Challenge You Could Ever Take - Focus on What You Can DO by Nia Shanks

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[00:01:55] Let's get right to the bonus episode as we optimize your life.

[00:02:03] The best fitness challenge you could ever take, focus on what you can do by Nia Shanks

[00:02:09] of NiaShanks.com. Today I present you with a challenge. It's

[00:02:15] a challenge I think everyone should accept and I'm taking it too. Generally I encourage

[00:02:19] my clients and you to focus and strive to achieve the look they want and not be

[00:02:25] obsessed with how much they weigh or any other number. This is an unfortunate trap many

[00:02:31] people, especially women, get stuck in for extended periods of time. Heck, I battle

[00:02:36] that for years myself and it's a life sucking situation. The scale is not the best indicator

[00:02:42] of your success or sometimes the perceived lack thereof as explained in a previous post

[00:02:47] titled Stop Wang on the Scale. However, in the challenge presented to you today,

[00:02:53] you're going to take this a step further in an even more positive and motivating direction.

[00:02:59] The challenge, focus on what your body can do and nothing else. Yes, it is really that

[00:03:06] simple. I think some elaboration on my part is in order to help you be super successful

[00:03:11] with this challenge. I don't want to leave the challenge at focus on what you can do

[00:03:16] without giving you some examples. Take this challenge for a minimum of 30 days but the duration

[00:03:21] of a solid program would be even better like for 60 or more days. How to tackle this challenge?

[00:03:30] Your challenge is to focus solely on what you can do and nothing else. Here are a few

[00:03:34] ideas to help you succeed. You can apply these tips to your current workouts. Focus on

[00:03:40] your performance. No matter what exercise or exercises you're doing, focus on your performance.

[00:03:47] Can you perform an extra rep this time? Can you add a little more weight to the bar?

[00:03:52] Can you improve your technique? Try to improve each and every week in some way. Remember,

[00:03:58] this doesn't mean you have to constantly add more weight to the bar. You can strive to

[00:04:03] perfect your technique or decrease rest periods. During your workouts, take the time to

[00:04:08] appreciate what you're doing. Acknowledge how far you've come. Be excited that you're

[00:04:14] getting closer to your goals. Be proud of your unique physical abilities. Set a goal to

[00:04:20] perform new or more challenging exercises. Maybe you want to learn some new exercises like

[00:04:26] the powerless or strong man exercises, or maybe you want to work out at home and have nothing

[00:04:31] but dumbbells. Perhaps you want to perform more advanced body weight exercises. Set a

[00:04:37] goal that gets you excited and go for it. I did this recently in my workouts and made

[00:04:42] it a goal to perform handstand pushups. It was a fun and very rewarding challenge. Quick

[00:04:48] reminders and tips. Remember, this challenge is all about focusing on what you can do. I

[00:04:55] don't care if you're a beginner or if you're battling an injury. Even if you're only capable

[00:04:59] of doing elevated pushups and body weight squats, it doesn't matter. You're able to do

[00:05:04] something, so be proud of it. Maybe you're nursing an injury and you can't perform the workouts

[00:05:10] or use the same weights you're accustomed to. I understand this can be a hit to your

[00:05:15] ego because I've battled several injuries myself, but don't dwell on it. Focus on what

[00:05:20] you can do and set new challenges that get you excited. For the duration of this challenge,

[00:05:27] focus on what you can do and nothing else. Not how you look or how many calories you're

[00:05:32] burning. Definitely do not get on the scale. Never at any point think I wish I could do

[00:05:38] X exercise or anything similar. No matter where you are right now with your experience level,

[00:05:44] physical strength or physique, focus on what you can do each and every workout. Great challenge

[00:05:51] expectations. This is a challenge I regularly take myself when my focus shifts in a negative

[00:05:57] direction. I've been in ruts where I focused too much on how I looked or even my weight.

[00:06:03] In the end, I was drained from being driven by what became negative motivators and I

[00:06:09] would dread my workouts. I anticipate you'll discover some wonderful, positive things about

[00:06:14] yourself with this challenge. More often than not, people develop a greater sense of self-confidence

[00:06:20] and start to enjoy their workouts more than ever before. And many even discover they start

[00:06:25] liking their physique much more. By focusing on their performance, improved body composition

[00:06:31] just becomes a wonderful side effect. This truly is a win-win opportunity. Take the challenge.

[00:06:37] I can almost guarantee you won't regret it. You just listen to the post titled, The

[00:06:45] Best Fitness Challenge You Could Ever Take. Focus on what you can do by Nia Shanks of

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[00:08:01] I still remember back when I used to train beginner clients, you know, folks that hadn't ever

[00:08:06] followed any structured physical activity routine. They would often be fearful of trying any new

[00:08:11] exercise. They would be afraid to try performing a push up or a chin up or pull up even with assistance

[00:08:17] or modifications. I would tell them that these were the same fears I had when I first started out,

[00:08:23] but in order to get over these fears, I had to come to terms with, as Nia said, what I could do.

[00:08:30] Even if it was simply acknowledging that I was able to get myself ready to work out that day,

[00:08:36] that was a win. I mean, think of all the steps that it takes just to show up to a workout.

[00:08:42] You have to find some precious time during the day to get in the workout, then change into your

[00:08:48] exercise clothes, mentally prepare for the challenge, fight the urge to want to crawl back into bed

[00:08:54] or lie back down on the couch and then actually start to move your body. These steps are not easy.

[00:09:01] So if you were able to make it this far, you've already achieved one major goal. You showed up.

[00:09:07] This means you are absolutely capable of achieving the next one, whether it's performing just one

[00:09:13] push up or one pull up. And remember, this is coming from a guy that couldn't lift more than 65 pounds

[00:09:20] during his first bench press and certainly couldn't do a single pull up. But when I started to focus

[00:09:25] on trying to improve just by one repetition or adding just one pound to each repetition, just as Nia

[00:09:32] mentioned, I've turned both of these exercises into some of my strongest exercises.

[00:09:38] All right, that'll do it for another edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for

[00:09:42] listening and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your Optimal Life awaits.