Whatever it Takes

Sagi Kalev, the trainer in Beachbody's Body Beast program has a catch phrase.  Just like Tony Horton's "Bring It" and Shaun T's "Dig Deeper", Sagi's catch phrase for Body Beast is "Whatever It Takes".

I'm a sucker for these catch phrases and this is nothing different.  As I hear it repeated, day after day, it gets into my head.  It echoes in my mind as I'm rolling out of bed pondering some more sleep.  I hear it as I'm getting ready to down my PWO, pondering a few more minutes on Facebook.  I hear it when I'm full but still need to have my Shakeology to get up to my daily calorie goal.  Fitness isn't easy.  If it were, we'd all look like the people in the movie 300.

Doing Whatever It Takes

Last week soemone asked me how I'm able to get up every morning and workout and not skip.  My answer...I do whatever it takes.  It hasn't been easy.  I am a morning person, but I don't enjoy getting up at 4:30 so that I can get my workout in and still get to work on time.  I really didn't enjoy it when I was working on the east coast and still had to get up at 4:30.  But, it's become a part of who I am.  It took months of misery to make this my new schedule.  But, the change has become a part of who I am and now if I can't workout in the morning, I don't feel like myself.

When I really committed to my nutrition at the beginning of 2012, I didn't enjoy it.  I hadn't really kept tabs on my diet, and it showed.  Going to a fairly strict budget of 2100 calories with a coal of 40% carbs/40% protein/20% fat was a challenge.  I had to give up things that I really enjoyed, like second helpings, dessert, extra bread, full sized pieces of meat, even chips and salsa.  After a few weeks it became a habit.  And you know what, that hard work paid off to the tune of losing about 20 lbs in around 10 weeks.

I travel for work.  I know a ton of people who use that as an excuse to not work out.  I'm not going to lie, it's a challenge.  Spending time in a hotel is one distraction after another.  There are the TVs, restaurants, bars, comfy beds and pillows, sights and attractions.  On my normal Monday travel days, I get up at 3 am, fly on a plane for a few hours, go to work until the end of the day, check into my hotel, workout and then have dinner.  Then a few hours later, I'm back working out.  Whether I'm home or on the road, I'm getting my workout in.  That doesn't even touch on the food situation.  I have to eat out half the week, for every meal and snack.  Again, I do whatever it takes.

It's not easy, it takes work, but if you're willing to do whatever it takes, you can reach your goals.