Fit For Life: We All Need to Get Better…

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Matt Espeut

We all have one thing in common. Whether we are rich, poor, a professional or not, tall or short, fast or slow, we all want the same thing, and that’s to get better. (If you are already perfect, this won’t apply to you.)

It doesn’t matter if it’s playing a sport, building a business, building your body, building a house, being a better parent, being a leader, or organizing your time and life, we all strive to get better at something. Hell, even Terrific Tom Brady is always saying at post game conferences, we all need to get better. (Except the post-Super Bowl conference)

I know that I am, and I push my clients to do the same every day. Even if it’s a small task, I try to improve upon something every day. It’s habit, and I can’t help it. When I work out, I am scanning the gym and looking for ways to make it better. Every week, I try to eat better than the last. That’s hard to do when you have been doing it for a long time and you have things dialed in, but there is always a way to improve. Not enough water on some days, grabbing that sandwich and eating the bread, going to Ma’s house for dinner, and grabbing that piece of chocolate in the candy dish. Unless you achieve perfection, there is always room to get better at something.

But like anything else, it’s a process, and it’s unlikely it will happen overnight. You need to take positive steps in the right direction, daily, for it to happen.

The first step is to develop awareness.

If you are not aware, or in denial that you need to change and fix something, it will never happen. I realize this when I talk to someone that I want to help, and they look at me with a blank look, and say “everything is fine, what do I need to change for”? That’s when you walk away, and hope someday they will see the light. You can’t help someone get better until they become aware. You won’t fix your roof unless you know it leaks. People don’t check into drug rehab centers until they either hit rock bottom, or become aware they have a drug problem.
Folks won’t come see me and commit to my program until they become aware that they have a problem, and can’t do it on their own. You need to be aware there is a problem before you can work on fixing it.

Why should we always strive for better? When is it going to be “good enough?”

Because improvement is growth, and any individual that doesn’t want growth will stay stagnant and never achieve more than their current position. If you are happy punching that time clock, and have no interest in climbing the company ladder for advancement, then that’s where you will stay until you are ready to open your thought process to learning new techniques for advancement. To me, that’s not in my playbook, and the words “good enough” will rarely, if ever, come out of my mouth. I will never say my program is “good enough”.

At Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, we pride ourselves in being the best fitness and fat loss facility on the market today, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to keep pushing harder, and making myself, team, and program, better every day. I am looking to provide an exceptional experience for my clients, because a routine that’s “good enough” is not acceptable to me.

When you become aware of the improvements that you need to make, the next step is to “take action”. Massive action. You see, thinking about things is great, but just thinking will net you zero results until you “take action” and put your plan into play.

Where do you begin?

Well I will give you some ideas. But you need to put these ideas to work, to be effective. Make a list of everything you want to be better at. Write things down where you will see it. Note books and post it notes work well. Then look at the things you can do immediately on your own. Get more sleep, read more, organize your house better etc. Those are the small things that you can do by yourself. The rest of the items that you can’t do on your own, seek help.

Want to be in better shape? Call me.

Want to improve your sales technique? Hire a sales coach, or read a few books.

Want to be a better coach, parent, leader, or boss? Write down what you need to improve, ask people around you for feedback, and “take action” to fix what’s wrong to improve.

In 2014, I wanted to better my situation, to be able to help more people get healthy and fit daily. So, I took action, hired a few business coaches, and opened my business. It was far from the perfect time, and I wasn’t in the perfect financial situation to do it, but I know I needed to better my situation, and thoughts of doing so weren’t working, so I jumped in with both feet. Now I am aware of the many things I need to improve upon to run a better business, I take action every day to do so, and will continue to improve.

So that’s my process on improvement and getting better. First be aware of what’s wrong. You can’t fix something when you don’t know its broke. Then you need to take action. Talking about it and just making lists will not help you take the steps you need to achieve success. Strive for 1% better every day, take massive action and be consistent with your mission!

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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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

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

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Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

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Made for iPhone and Android