BREAK THE START-STOP CHAIN™
2 min read
Break the Start-Stop Chain™ is a proprietary fitness learning platform that can only be found at ExPo LIFE FITNES for its members.
All of us have chosen to start up a personal project some time in our lives. That feeling of excitement when planning it out and envisioning the end result can be exhilarating.
Take planting a flower garden or building a cabinet, for example. You mapped out the materials needed, identified the stores to acquire the materials, and set the end date of when to complete it. You can see the final product in your mind. Such a great feeling, right?
There is a fascinating thing that happens to most of us when we make a personal commitment
Let us switch gears to our own health, fitness, and well-being. Like that project, improving our health also requires that same initial commitment independent of how we will do it, but the biggest difference between a project and our health is the time frame.
A project will have an end date but acquiring and maintaining even moderate physical or health-related physical fitness is a daily commitment. Every day matters.
Definitions to Note
- Physical fitness refers to a physiologic state of well-being that allows one to meet the demands of daily living or that provides the basis for sport performance, or both.
- Health-related physical fitness involves the components of physical fitness related to health status, including cardiovascular fitness, musculoskeletal fitness, body composition and metabolism.[i]
LET’S BEGIN!
Let us now provide a realistic example of how most of us commit to our health.
Our choice of a fitness outlet and our behavior that follows is critical to understand.
Independent of what “gym” we decide on, one thing is clear: we are typically super pumped to START.
The first day is always the hardest because we are shocking our muscular system into doing things we normally don’t do.
We might attend group classes, seek a personal trainer, lift free weights, hit the treadmill, bike, elliptical, or quite possibly, all the above.
After the initial soreness subsides we develop a solid rhythm of workouts 3-6 days/week and short-term consistency is seen.
Our clothes might be fitting a bit looser and we are feeling great.
Our mentality changes for the positive depending on the intensity of our workouts due to endorphin release that bring about feelings of euphoria and clear-minded thinking.[ii]
Then after a period of time… we STOP.
Have You Ever Wondered Why This Happens?
It is understandable why we would cease to work on our health for a period of time if there was a significant activating event imposed on us such as severe injury, hospitalization, or death of a loved one.
However, if you take an honest look back on your entire life and the numerous financial commitments you have made to your health (gym memberships, home equipment, etc.) you will more than likely find the excuses of your own fitness STOP will fit it into one of these categories:
- Work: “my job is very demanding right now”
- Family: “there are just so many events this time of year”
- Children: “sports/activities are overwhelming”
- Sleep: “I am just too tired right now”
- Distance: “it’s too far considering everything going on”
All of the above mentioned have one common perception: not having enough time.
Here’s the sticky part – those excuses gave you the permission to justify your fitness STOP. Once you realize that you cannot continue like this and you need to make a change, you START back up again.
This is why so many people join fitness gyms in the beginning of the year then end up quitting months later.
This starting and stopping is mentally exhausting.
It can be seen in many facets of life where we initially commit ourselves to something and then eventually STOP.
Here are just a few examples:
- Dietary choices and nutrition plans
- Going to bed earlier
- Reducing/eliminating alcoholic beverages
- Removing fructose (sugar)
THE GOOD NEWS
It does not make us failures when we STOP, it just means we need specific mental skill-sets that drives consistent fitness behavior and how to recognize the landmines trying to get us to quit.
The experience at ExPo LIFE FITNESS is different than any other facility you will come across.
It is not just a place to obtain great workouts, support a locally owned business, or join a true fitness community that guarantees results, but it is also a learning center where we assist members who want to strengthen mental abilities that translate directly to consistent fitness habits.
BREAK THE START-STOP CHAIN™
When you become an ExPo LIFE FITNESS member, you will have access to learning the BREAK THE START-STOP CHAIN ™ through 1:1 or group learning consultation.
When we Hit Health From Every Angle, we must also include the way we mentally approach our commitments.
We look forward to seeing you soon and assisting you in breaking your own start-stop chain…for good!
[i] Darren E.R. Warburton, Crystal Whitney Nicol, Shannon S.D. Bredin Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ Mar 2006, 174 (6) 801-809.
[ii] Saanijoki, T., Tuominen, L., Tuulari, J. et al. Opioid Release after High-Intensity Interval Training in Healthy Human Subjects. Neuropsychopharmacol. 43, 246–254 (2018)