Welcome to the Day 1 of Runyon Fit Club! There is a lot of excitement surrounding our plan and what the next six months hold for all of us.
We have a lot of people rooting for us - even on the outside of our family. Erin and I have told just about everyone we come in contact with and the response had been overwhelmingly positive. So, on a day when you don't feel like eating well or don't feel like working out - remember that you have a lot of people out there watching and taking an interest in your success.
I was thinking this morning about this and realized that we hadn't discusses this topic yet:
PACE.
Pace is important in everything we do as it relates to fitness and diet. Whether it is our walking pace, pace of lifting weights or the pace in which we incorporate an eating plan, pace has an effect on the results of our efforts.
RFC is not a sprint - this is a marathon ... and then some. RFC is six-months long and there will be a lot of ebb and flow to the results which people see. We don't want people to be as concerned with The Contest as much as keeping an eye on the bigger picture. We incorporated The Contest to get everyone's buy-in, really an underhanded way to help change your fitness, eating habits and the way you incorporate both into your daily lives.
A game cannot be won in the first few minutes, innings, holes - though it can be lost in those early stanzas. The Contest is no different, and that is what is most important to remember. Coming out of the gate too quickly here can have as many negative effects as coming out too slowly. Early on, everyone (especially those who are starting from scratch) must find their own pace and stick to it.
Let's take a look at two people taking an opposite approach to their fitness plan the first few weeks:
Person A: Feels comfortable and walks 20 minutes a day for the first week. They have built up a base and are now ready to add to their workout. In Week 2, they may add a bit of time, pick up the pace or add a few hills. In Week 3 they are ready to add another 10 minutes and one more hill. Each workout has been a success, each week has been an improvement on the previous.
Person B: They are READY to get after it. They come out in Week 1 and walk 60 minutes the first two days. As a result, they become overly sore and miss days 3-4-5. Person B is discouraged and is questioning whether they can really do this.
In a short three-week span, Person A has set themselves up for small victories - adding hills, picking up the pace, extending their workout a bit. They weren't worried about June 24 or collecting points. The points will come as you go along - nobody is going to win the game in one week or even 10 weeks.
Person B has had no small victories and set themselves up for failure before even really taking part.
It is important to set yourself up for small victories on a daily basis. Those victories - adding a few minutes to a cardio workout, beating a personal-best time on a walk or making the decision to have blueberry chicken instead of chicken wings - are rewards for your hard work and help to build confidence.
Believe me when I tell you - that confidence is a reservoir that will be tapped into. It will be there to help you push yourself at times when you don't feel like it. Or it will help push you just a bit further on those days when you are feeling great.
The bottom line is to have fun with this. Let's have fun working out together, finding new recipes and setting ourselves up for success.
JC
Monday, January 12, 2009
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I was thinking about this a few minutes ago - that I am going to start out slow and steady! I have to figure out what I'm doing and go from there.
I've told friends about this and they think it is great. We do have a lot of people cheering us on.
My shorts are all packed out in the barn. See what I can do for a picture.
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