Fit For Life: Yes, You Can!

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

As an adult, two words should never leave your mouth again - and those two words are “I can’t”. When you are a child, those words are acceptable because you are limited to what you can and can’t do. Want to go to a movie? I can’t; I’m being grounded. Come over to my house for a play date. I can’t. My parents are busy, and I don’t have a ride. Have a piece of cake. I can’t, my parents are responsible, and they don’t let me eat sugar. Let’s talk on the phone tonight. I can’t, I need to do my homework.

As a child we had limitations placed on us by our parents and adults that supervised us, but as an adult, the only limitations we have are the ones we fabricate in our heads, and place on ourselves. In most cases we can do whatever we want, but we don’t due to self-limiting beliefs we carry around inside of us. So the words “I can’t” should not be part of an adult’s vocabulary.

Let me give you some examples.

Want to go to a movie tonight? Now, everyone has the ability to achieve this task, so instead of saying - I can’t - some other options may be phrases like I already made another plan, or I’m tired and need to get to bed, or no, I have something better to do, or I don’t want to go. These are more truthful answers to this particular question.

We have a meeting tonight at 6, are you still going? If this was planned and you say I can’t you need to immediately change your tune and say, I was going to, but something more important came up, and I am doing that instead. Because as adults, we all have the power to dictate how we spend our time.

I can’t be a millionaire can be translated by saying: I am not willing to work the long hours, take chances, or step out of my comfort zone in order to do so. We all have the ability to achieve success and financial stability, but many of us are going about it the wrong way. When you see someone who’s super successful and you tell them I wish I was like you - you need to step back and think about what you are wishing for. Success comes with a price, and not everyone is willing to pay that price.

Now let’s move on to the fitness spectrum.

I can’t seem to lose weight. Now here’s where I tend to lose my cool. When someone says this to me, I instantly want to say Yes you can, but you need to stop eating garbage food, and devote yourself to a regular fitness and training program. You see, the first thing I tell any client that walks through my door is you need to adopt a positive mindset and that all the training and nutrition will not work until you do so. As a matter of fact, I do not allow the words I can’t to be spoken in my facility because we all have the ability to live a fit and healthy lifestyle, but we have to adopt a few good habits first. It’s actually pretty easy.

There are four components to healthy living.

1. Eat real food. Stay away from processed man-made garbage, and eat what mother nature intended for us to est.
2. Hydrate with clean water. Every cell in our bodies require water to thrive, so drink 1/2 of your bodyweight in ounces of water daily, and you are good.
3. Sleep. You need rest to regenerate and repair muscle tissue, so get to bed on time and get your 8 hours nightly.
4. Move. At Providence Fit Body Bootcamp, we run 30 minute sessions all day long, so you have plenty of opportunity to squeeze a workout into your busy day.

YES, YOU CAN!

Folks, as adult humans, there isn’t anything we can’t do. It takes a bit of programming, and a lot of positive mindset, that can take time, but by implementing small positive daily habits, you will take more and more steps towards the big goal. Start today and incorporate the habit of NOT saying I can’t during your daily routine. This is your first step to success in any arena. Once you lose the self-doubt, and cop out statements, you will put yourself on that path to positivity.

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

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

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MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

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

YogaStudio gets the top vote for Yoga apps. It has a lengthy collection of full class-length videos available at your fingertips. Unlike many other apps, this one also allows you to customize your own video yoga class. All of the poses are done by qualified yoga instructors, and you can find classes suitable for all levels of yogis.

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

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android