Several years ago when I was actually going to a gym to do my workouts, I noticed a very consistent and definite pattern.
NOBODY who was working out, was actually paying attention to what they were doing!
Every day I went in I would observe this phenomena.
It was new to me, I was used to being around a bunch of driven athletes who put all their effort into what they were doing.
They had a plan….just like I mentioned in the last email.
But here I was, no longer in active competitive sports, no longer able to work out in the “athlete” gym. I was around the everyday, average person.
So I tracked these people over time.
Most of them wanted to lose weight, many of them wanted to get bigger, more toned muscles, etc. But it was interesting to me because a year later, they looked exactly the same as before. Nothing had changed.
And these people were actually doing something in the gym! They weren’t just sitting around.
It was easy for me to figure out what was going on.
1. They didn’t have a plan (we talked about this last week). Without a set, definite plan, the odds of creating any kind of change are slim to none.
2. They lacked focus, and this is the topic of this email.
In order to create change, there must be an intense focus. Most of the people who were working out on the treadmill or with weights were distracted.
And the most common distraction was the t.v. The body was doing one thing, while the mind was doing another. It’s a recipe for disaster. The mind and body MUST be synced together driving forward on a common goal. It’s the only way to get results.
When you focus on your muscles and what you are doing, your energy goes there. It’s the old saying “where your attention goes, energy flows”.
When you are watching t.v. or dealing with some other distraction, your mental impulses are NOT on what you are doing, and your results are sub-par.
Your body may be moving, but there isn’t any ENERGY. So, if you want to get the most out of ANYTHING you are doing, not just exercise, FOCUS on what you are doing.
And here is the tremendous bonus for doing this….
You will get FAR better results, with less time invested than if you were distracted. This in turns frees up your precious time to do other things.
Example: You might be a person who HATES exercise, but you know it’s important so you do it, but with distractions.
If you will just put all your focus on what you are doing, you will get better results in a shorter amount of time, freeing you up to do the things you like to do better. Your body will change quicker, your mind will be sharper and over time, you will most likely enjoy exercise more.