Fit For Life: Desire, Drive & Discipline

Sunday, April 01, 2018

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Mrs. Jones was always an active child. She was the one in the schoolyard running around, playing hopscotch and jumping rope. She played sports and excelled in physical education class. As a youth, she became active in team sports. In middle school she played softball, volleyball, and was part of the cheerleading squad. By the time she entered high school, she was starting varsity soccer, and several other high school sports. Although she worked hard and trained year-round, she had the drive, desire, and discipline to excel at everything she did. In addition to being exceptional in sports, she was top of her class academically, earning top honors in all subjects.

As a freshman in college, she let hanging around with friends, late nights studying, and partying take precedence over her workouts and physical training. She still competed and played team sports, but the competition was greater than in high school, and she didn’t see as much playing time as in her earlier years. Being away from home, her nutrition plan started to deteriorate, and the fast food and cafeteria food started catching up with her. Due to her pursuit for a degree, and achieving honors in college, her discipline, desire and drive to be an athlete diminished and took a back seat to studying and preparing for the heavy academic schedule she signed up for. Before the first semester ended, she had accomplished what a lot of college kids do. She added the freshman 15. That’s right, she went home that summer 15lbs heavier than when she graduated high school.

Due to her athletic structure and muscle to fat ratio, she was able to bounce back. She took on a part-time job and went to the gym with friends every day. She got back to eating a sensible meal plan, and by the time she was ready to head back for her sophomore year, she was in better shape than ever. She knew more about exercise, and nutrition, got the desire, drive and discipline back, and vowed to never let herself fall back into that freshman rut again.

Fast forward 6 years. Mrs. Jones has two young children, a career, and a household to take care of. Being a single parent and juggling a full-time upper management position with minimal help from her parents, she is slowly letting herself fall into a rut.

Because she isn’t getting her workouts in, and eating on the go most of the time, her health and fitness is deteriorating. She goes to the doctor for an annual checkup and discovers that she is 20lbs heavier than when she graduated college. She is averaging around 3lbs. of weight gain annually and her energy levels have fallen to an all-time low. Getting out of bed to face the day is a chore, and it takes several cups of coffee to get moving. She shows up to work unprepared and frazzled due to the fact she hits the snooze button three times before she rises. She didn’t bring a healthy lunch, so she scrambles to a local deli for a sandwich and bag of chips on a daily basis. Her life is hectic, unorganized and spiraling out of control. Her stress levels are at an all-time high, and her desire, discipline, and drive to do ANYTHING, has dissolved completely.

Mrs. Jones decides to join a local $10 a month gym. She wants to bounce back but doesn’t have the structure to be consistent. She goes but isn’t really sure what to do. Her drive to train like she did in college wasn’t there, so she resorted to walking on a treadmill, hoping to see results. She didn’t. Due to the lack of support and results, her workouts got easier and easier to miss. Every day she would set the alarm to go in the morning, but the snooze button took over, and she never went. Every afternoon she would try to leave work early to work out, but by being behind with work, that never happened either. Mrs. Jones was depressed, anxious, and not only overweight, but unhealthy.

Then Mrs. Jones found Providence Fit Body Boot Camp. A coaching and accountability program full of people like her all wanting the same thing…. better health and fitness. She joined the program, had a goal assessment and nutrition consultation and within 3 months she is down 25lbs and looking and feeling like she did in college. She has a support system full of coaches and friends that keep her accountable and coming back every day. She is addicted to the results. She has more energy, plans her day accordingly, has less stress in her life and more time with her kids.

Why did Mrs. Jones turn things around? She found her desire, drive, and discipline again. It wasn’t the gym or the coaches, it was her reprogramming her mind set and taking action. Ya see the best equipment, trainers, and facilities won’t get you fit and healthy, but your mindset will. Many people fall into the same despair that Mrs. Jones did, and let their lives spiral out of control. You are human, and it can happen to you, but you can do something about it and turn things around just like Mrs. Jones did.

Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom, and most of the time it isn’t easy to achieve the goals we make for ourselves, but nothing is impossible. Start today and take a few small steps to becoming a better version of you. Even if you didn’t let your life fall apart, we all have room for improvement. If you can’t do it alone, reach out and hire yourself a coach and make a plan.

All of our goals are possible when we get our desire, drive, and discipline back.

So, program your mind, and go get yours.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one.

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