Fit For Life: How Bad Do You Want It?

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

I get it you are busy.

You have things to do. You have a family, a job, a life to live, but what are your priorities? And are you making the most out of your time, and the effort that you exert throughout the day?

Some things in life need to be non-negotiable other things are considered trivial shit that should not be a priority, yet most of us confuse the two, and spend more time and money on things that net us negative results.

Actions dictate outcome not thought processes.

Everybody wants to be successful, everybody wants to be fit and healthy but not many people are willing to take the action or make the sacrifices that is necessary to achieve the goals they deep down desire.

I hear it every day in my profession.

I need to lose some weight or get off medication, but people aren’t willing to take action and do the work.

If you want money, you need to work hard.

If you want good grades, you need to study hard.

If you want to be fit, you need to train hard and eat right.

The common word is “hard”, and I’ll say it over and over again that nothing good comes easy.

Nothing is impossible, but it takes work.

No one is entitled to an easy life, so put in the work and exert some effort for what you want.

Ya see, we all have visions of success on all levels.

Nobody WANTS to be a loser, or fail at things, but many do, and they complain about being a “victim” or un-lucky, yet they keep doing the wrong things on a daily basis.

They do the wrong things because they fall into a pattern of bad habits that prevent them from achieving their goals.

One way I have found to be helpful in achieving what you want is to have a list of non-negotiable items that you never fail to do.

Here are some examples of my non-negotiable items that I stick to 99% of the time.

Never miss a workout.

It’s in my schedule 6 days a week, and I treat each workout as importantly as a dentist appointment. If something drastic happens and I can’t do it at the time I wanted, I cancel something less important and get it done. The more workouts you miss, the easier it gets to miss another. That’s how bad habits are formed.

Get 8 hours of sleep. This is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, yet many people fail to do it. Binge watching tv isn’t a great tradeoff for your sleep, therefore is isn’t advisable to do so. You will not only have more energy, be in a better mood, you will also keep your immune system stronger, and get sick less.

Hitting the snooze button. If you do this, it will start your day in a panic and it will go downhill from there. If you get to bed on time, you won’t need another 9 minutes of interrupted sleep.

Eat flawlessly 5 days a week. You won’t see me eating bread or sugar Mon-Fri. It’s not even a thought. I have myself programmed not to do it, and regardless of where I eat, I avoid anything that will cause a negative effect. It’s just a matter of not giving into instant gratification. Sure, a candy bar would taste good when you eat it, but it’s not worth how you will feel later.

Letting negative people suck me into their circle of misery. Even family members. I have many friends and family that complain about everything wrong in the world, and I always try to change the subject, and avoid all confrontational conversations. I will either avoid these people or have an edited relationship with them and not talk business or politics with them. When someone is relentless, I end the visit or conversation and move on.

So, to sum it up, everything we want in life is actually attainable and right in front of us. I always say that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way, but if you don’t, you will make an excuse. We all have the ability to be fit, healthy and successful, it’s just a matter of how bad you want it, and what are you willing to do for it.

Committed to your success

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.

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

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MapMyRun

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Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

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Made for iPhone and Android

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JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Strava

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Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

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Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

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Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

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Made for iPhone and Android