By: Nick Thomas
Discipline – train oneself to do something in a controlled habitual way.
Such a simple word that holds so much meaning, far more than the definition even states, maybe more than words can even express. Perhaps this word is more of a state of mind. One that during the holiday season can be extra hard to maintain, but so very important.
When it comes to attaining any goal in life, this is key and not just in one area, but in all facets of life. There are certain steps that have to be taken each and every day, all day, in order to reach big goals. This is especially true with health and fitness goals. No matter the goal — weight loss, gaining strength, and/or having more energy — it takes a total lifestyle change and an incredible amount of discipline.
It has been said that discipline is doing what you need to do even when you don’t want to do it. There is a lot of truth in this statement. Change is rarely easy, and it takes being uncomfortable to make a noticeable and sustainable difference in life. Turning down the cake more often than not, having sore muscles so much that it hurts to move each day, and waking up earlier each morning are just a few choices needed to improve overall health and lifestyle. The thing is these are not feelings and choices which are always anticipated with excitement. It takes a major commitment to be disciplined and make consistent choices which bring the goals into view. It is a mindset. Pushing mentally will always overrule what the body is saying it can do.
In order to make lasting change and truly become disciplined in a daily lifestyle, it takes forming new habits. Approximately thirty days of consistency and discipline doing something new will create a new habit. This doesn’t mean that it becomes easy, but it does mean that discipline will pay off and consistency will become routine making it harder to be swayed off track. Results will also soon follow if they have not already begun at this point.
Something that can also really aid in the process of forming new, disciplined fitness habits is accountability, having one or maybe even a few people in life that are passionate and disciplined in the same ways. Encourage, push, and challenge each other daily. This also makes it more fun, and we all know that we are more apt to do something when we are having a good time. Another element to accountability is having a trainer, friend, team, etc. when it comes to fitness as it brings in some competition and the challenge to consistently step it up and achieve the next level. Always improving, setting new goals, crushing them, and setting more keeps things new and interesting so complacency does not creep in and old habits return.
Making fitness and nutrition a discipline in your life will completely change every portion of your life for the better. The trickle effect of fueling your body with the right foods and getting in physically challenging activity each week will give you more energy and confidence. You will notice that you wake up earlier and are more productive in all areas of your life. The discipline learned in these areas will increase your quality of life in its entirety.
By: Nick Thomas, owner of Prime Performance Training, and Certified Sports Nutritionist
April 19, 2024
