45% of the decisions we make DAILY are out of routine.
“Champions are made from something they have deep inside them, a desire, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” – Muhammad Ali
This quote hangs in the office at Varsity House. I find it to be very inspirational as my skill set has never matched my will in sport or business. Pulling inspiration from motivational videos, posters, books, mentors etc. helped me fulfill a lifelong dream of playing college football and now helps to propel Varsity House Gym to become a world leader in strength and conditioning. But what happens when that inspiration wears thin?
Everyone has their days that they don’t feel like doing a damn thing, myself included. I’ve watched Rocky 1-5 (Yes 5 included) literally hundreds of times to draw inspiration, but inspiration and motivation cannot solely carry someone to live their “best life.” What I’m saying is that our daily wins and losses are predicted by one thing, habits.
According to a study done by Duke in 2006, 45% of all human daily decisions are automated. Read that again, nearly half the decisions we make DAILY are out of routine and habit. For better or for worse, habits are very hard to alter and change. This couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to health and wellness. Too many times people bite off more than they can chew right off the bat. People draw inspiration for a day, a week, maybe even two and go 0-100mph with no boozing, 8 hours sleep, double sessions, meal prep etc. Then the inspiration wains and old habits start popping up again.
My challenge is to take one maybe even two things and do them everyday for 6 weeks. Simple tasks like a food journal, a bottle of water with lemon first thing out of bed daily, no phone 1 hour before bed, 10-minute walks after lunch, 10 minutes of foam rolling or stretching every morning, 3 strength training sessions a week. My current tasks are the 10-minute walks and 10 minutes of mobility daily, two glaring weaknesses of mine. Changing habits is hard, don’t take the path of least resistance, set your mind to make a change and get it done.
One of the best parts about our jobs at Varsity House is that it gives us the opportunity to teach people that good habits can be formed with hard work and effort. In the gym, as well as in life, hard work and effort is rewarded with results. That’s the “science” of coaching. It’s not about the trainer who stares at a stop watch counting reps, barking orders, and then hanging out. Coaches are there to help you remember your “why”. Whether it be to lose 20 pounds, have more energy to hang with the family, earn a varsity letter, or go to the NFL whatever the goal the Coach is responsible to help keep the athlete aligned with the habits needed to attain those goals!
Hungry, humble, committed to helping YOU achieve excellence.
In Strength,
– Dan Goodman
P.S. If you need some help forming some new positive habits join our 15th installment of the 6-Week Transformation Challenge. CLICK HERE to start the change today.
CONNECT WITH DAN GOODMAN
If you are interested in training at Varsity House Gym or have any questions please send us an e-mail at [email protected] and we would be glad to help!
For more information please visit www.varsityhousegym.com
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