Focus Strength Performance

11/07/2024

I nervously walk to my first ever personal training appointments .

It's also the first time I'm about to lift heavy weights.

I'm scared about it hurting, I already have so many aches and pains and I don't really know where they come from.

My doctor tells me it's from living in a state of inactivity and that I'm rapidly aging.

I don't really understand how lifting weights is going to help take away my pain. And I don't understand how doing nothing becomes so painful.

I talked with the personal trainer he asked me many great queststions I hadn't thought of.

It feels like I'm being educated right away.

The trainer tells me that my body has its own unique way of moving. That's seems true as I've tried yoga classes, Pilates, and group classes at the community center.

They didn't seem like they were for me.

And he tells me that resistance training isn't about lifting heavy weights.

It's really about something called "progressive overload".

He says all we have to do is start with small challenges and continue to make small improvements.

The smaller the improvements the safer the exercise.

He says that most people get injured because they don't understand how small these improvements can be.

For example I stood on a line with my toe to my heel for 30seconds before losing my balance.

We tried a second time and I made it to 29 seconds.

Then after some brief coaching I made it to 36 seconds.

Wow instant success. Great coaching and now I feel confident to take on other small challenges.

I look forward to my next training session.

02/26/2024

Been digging into some good talks around what it's like to be an employer in the 2020's

And. Here's some ideas.

1. The next generation doesn't understand how to deal with stress. As a result is showing up to work emotionally unprofessional. (It's not just the next generation)

2. Doesn't know how to deal with confrontation and would rather leave a job than discuss raises and engage in "normal problem solving"

3. Doesn't understand that anxiety is a normal response to not knowing what to do in the future and that the feeling of anxiety will pass by doing what they can now.

These are great points to understand and to use as a test when hiring. Knowing the limitations of people ahead of time will allow us to come up with tools.

What is your experience with creative thinking under pressure?

Tell me about a time you have been overwhelmed with complex tasks, what did you do?

What are your expectations for feedback when you aren't performing as expected? For example something outside of work is visibly bothering you and your body language is presenting frustration, you've failed to show up fully for a meeting or a task. How would you expect feedback to be provided so that we can get back to a professional mindset? What tools do you have to find your way back.

As employers we need to have some idea of what to expect from a person, and it's not just in the younger generation it's becoming the normal in every workplace for adults to act out of professional behavior. It's becoming normal to expect the workplace to provide everything.

Great interview questions will revolve around people's support networks, their sense of community, and possible professional development. They will need to undertake and discuss in order to be eligible for raises.

As an employer you need to be able to anticipate the bottleneck, and anticipate the needs of the new generation of employees. And you may even need to go find them in unconventional ways.

I hope this has been the start of some creative thinking for both employees and employers.

11/02/2021

Today I was talking with a client who said "Gord you look frustrated with me"

"Yes, I am" "and it's how you should feel also"

Let me explain. "Your goal was to achieve something specific in certain time"

Client "what were my goals again?"

Me (trainer red flag)
Me "To feel better, to improve energy, to lose some weight, feel and look strong"

Client "Oh yeah I remember now" "yes that's right"

Me "You created an expectation for yourself, and I aligned my expectation with yours" "every day I show up I have my expectations aligned with your goal and a sense of urgency to match it."

"When you show up with a different level of urgency and focus. More specifically when your urgency or focus is less than what is expected the plan no longer works"

"That part is frustrating to me, and it should be equally if not more frustrating to you because it's your life."

"Are you happy with the progress you are seeing so far?"

Client "Yes. The progress, I wanted takes quite a bit more work than I have energy for right now. (Awesome realization to share) and I am seeing progress in other parts of my life I didn't necessarily expect, and I am in a much better spot than when we started. (Amazing too)"

"I am happy with the progress. (Proof of proper process)"

Me "that's great, and I am happy to adjust my expectations to match yours so that the frustration is not present in our sessions."

"To do that we are going to set some new SMART goals so that we can be on the same page regarding the urgency of our sessions and deadlines for homework. The goals we started with are more long term goals than we had originally thought. So let's extend the time frame and continue with the process that you are enjoying and is working"

This happens often, the expectations the client has for themselves were wildly overblown and the pressure placed on the trainer to execute is way too high. The reality of the situation is that the client feels uncomfortable because of the frustration of the trainer. But the client needs to be led through the process of understanding where the frustration is coming from.

It's because the client has forgotten their goals, they were too busy enjoying the process of seeing results to think about where they were going. The level of urgency changed for the client but the client didn't realize it.

They just see a frustrated trainer. Oy Vey 😮‍💨

The lesson here is figuring out how when and where to talk about goals, and create new ones constantly when things change.

With a beginner it happens often, and almost always. Sometimes daily. And their experience is very small so they haven't got a clue.

It's my job as a trainer to educate them on this and know what to do with it. Acknowledge the feelings and the attitudes as being valid as an important part in the process. Then go back to basics of goal setting using SMART goals.

Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time oriented. If this criteria bis not met it leads to massive complications and break down of communication.

If you read through this tell me what you think. How good do you think you are at setting goals of this type? How likely is it that your goals change often? Do you even share your goals with people? Do you hold yourself accountable to your goals? And in what way? Do you have friends who think you are working on a set of goals and then you talk about 20 things that have nothing to do with those goals?

Things to think on.

Happy goal setting everyone.

07/14/2021

Often your thoughts and feelings will lead you off of the path that you want to be on. It's easy enough for this to happen especially when we are comfortable with where we are.

But...

Moving forward requires a change. That change starts with they way you think. Many of the things you think and the ways you feel about things don't matter. They really just get in your way.

Quite often what they are getting in the way of is MOVING ON and LETTING THINGS GO.

This is one of the most common thought processes I encounter with my clients.

Client "I was told reducing my carbs and calories would help me lose weight"

Me "that's correct it will, but only if you can maintain that decrease forever, and only if you are happy with achieving that one goal. You said you would like to increase your strength and gain energy, that path won't help here"

Client "but won't eating more make me gain weight?"

Me "not if we also increase your calorie expenditure, if we give your body some extra energy for your training session and recovery you will have better training sessions, better energy, maintain muscle mass and over time decrease your body fat. You'll also meet your other goals of strength and energy gain."

Client "but I want to lose weight"

Me "you are stuck on the Idea of losing weight as the immediate goal rather than focusing on it as a long term goal. (This person is emotionally tied to a feeling and it's completely normal what's abnormal is to be able to identify these thoughts and reframe the thinking pattern).

Me "Would you like to feel good? Would you like to be stronger? Would you like to reduce your body fat? Would you like to improve the efficiency of your entire body?"

Client "yes those are my goals, but I don't want to get big"
(This is a common defence mechanism, deflecting. This person is still feeling the same feelings they are just saying them differently, they are using buzz words they know to change the conversation to something more comfortable than the inevitable truth)

Me "the only thing that will happen is that you will be proud of yourself for letting those feelings go and letting go of the thoughts that stop you from attaining a very achievable goal"

Client "But..."

Me "no buts, the only butt we are going to talk about is getting yours into gear. It's time to let go of the thoughts and feelings that hold you back and start creating new ones around how you want to feel instead".

Boom that's how it's done.

Know someone who is stuck in a rut? Can't get out of their own head? Send me a message link them up with me.

It's time to get your ass in gear!

06/18/2021

Eating flowers? What?

There's so many ways to build a great relationship with food.

One of the ways I encourage is to grow something you can eat. It just happens that one of the things I grew are edible flowers. They have a sweet taste and a spicy after taste similar to a radish. It goes great in salads or as a garnish. Super easy to grow and new flowers show up every day.

Food can excite more than just your tastebuds. Let's stop thinking of our food as purely energy there's a lot more to it than meets the belly.

If you ever need to get excited about food or rediscover what it is to nourish your body then send me a message and let's have a chat.

06/14/2021

For anyone who knows how cold the Pacific ocean is you might see this as nuts. And the thoughts "I could never do that" might cross your mind.

But instead of thinking how cold it must be, listen. Listen to how peaceful the sound of the ocean on the rocks is. Look at the colours and the vibrancy of everything here.

No one has to go into the ocean to experience what I do. You do however need to find moments of peace and relaxation regularly.

Sitting by the water's edge, being part of something that's real, taking in the sun and fresh air and enjoying the moment. That's what this is about.

Maybe one day you gain the nerve to make your way into the water where you can enjoy the benefits of the cold water and everything it brings.

When we observe mindfully we learn.

Coach Gord

06/13/2021

Your mind is a tricky place, it is constantly trying to protect you form that which you worry about.

So what's STOPPING you from living the life you want?

It's your mind! It's your fears!

It doesn't matter what your fears actually are, unless you are protecting your physical well-being or you are responsible for someone else's.

What really matters is your dreams!

What matters is the thing you think about that gives you butterflies, that gives your heart the feeling of fullness.

Stop ruminating on your fears and the thoughts you think are rational and take action in your life.

It is nearly impossible for you to move anywhere if you don't have a base of safety and security.

A confidence in your well-being will allow you to challenge the ideas and beliefs you hold about your life.

So what's next? Sleep, nutrition, and exercise of course. We need to get your body and mind ready for the things it dreams of doing.

Let's gooooooo!

03/25/2021

Expectations vs. reality... Read till the end

Client expectations.
"I'm going to hire a trainer and get fit, I'm going to lose weight, look my best, feel great, and it's going to be great every day"

Client reality.
I hired a trainer, showed up late on my second day and forgot my shoes. Doghhhh.

He asked me If I was feeling ok today, I wasn't, but said yes anyway because I'm used to making small talk and ignoring my problems.

My trainer then asked me "did something happen that you were late?" I said "no" eventhough its because I had a tough day at work and my stress level is high from my home life starting as soon as I woke up. I needed some food so I grabbed a coffee on my way and slammed it back.

I came out of the change room with no shoes on. They asked "are you sure you are ready to train today?" I again ignored my issues and said everything is fine"

Now suspicious trainer takes me to the studio to start a calisthenics workout to accomodate for the lack of shoes.

Warmup goes great. This guy is a pro and took it slow allowing me to get out of my head and into my body.

We get to something tough for me and all of the sudden I cant concentrate and I start to struggle. I think "I should be able to do this" but pushing harder just leads to a tension headache and feeling sick, suddenly can't breathe.

My trainer tells me to lie down with my feet up and the sickness will go away. He asks again "did you take care of yourself today?" I say "yes" defensively.

He looks at me and says "you forgot your shoes, showed up late, and have lied to me a number of times. I can tell you had a bad day by your body language. "Why are you keeping things from me? Are you here for accountability or to see how long you can bu****it me for before having a total meltdown?

⬆️This is what coaching really looks like.

Its about brushing aside minor details and focusing on the bigger picture. Why did you forget your shoes? Why did you show up late? Why aren't you telling me how you are when we check in?

The problem isn't the shoes, its that you are ignoring your own needs regularly and you don't even know it. And when someone expresses concern you hide it even deeper.

You don't prioritize yourself, and as a result you aren't taking care of your health.

This is what you are here to find out. When we find out what is going on we can build back behaviours that allow you to move forward with your training and with your life.

Then we can begin to focus on training hard and enjoying your body, your energy, and your life.

01/09/2021

Why do you spend your attention on things you don't like. Attention is a resource its a valuable one. If you fail to recognize that you spend your attention on negative things you will end up with an attention deficit. But if you spend your attention on things you love and things you are working on you are investing your attention in a good life.

Why do we spend our attention on things we don't like. Attention is a resource its a valuable one. If you fail to recognize that you spend your attention on negative things you will end up with an attention deficit. But if you spend your attention on things you love and things you are working on you...

01/05/2021

I got back into podcasting the other day.

Big whoop...I know everyone has a podcast.

But does everyone have a podcast where they specifically adress the topics about health that matter to you?

Do they talk about the pitfalls of creating goals?

"There's pitfalls to creating goals?"

Yup there sure are.

Lets learn together and pick my brain about how to stop falling for traps, and how to use tools like goal setting and organization to your advantage.

Lets go!

Goal setting, how to not burn out, and how to respect your life.