This Gift From My Richest Client Changed My Life
Article Round-Up: 9.15.24
Enjoy this week’s curated round-up of articles, podcasts, and more from the web to help you live a healthier, happier life.
Featured Thoughts: This Gift From My Richest Client Changed My Life
Takeaway: Highly successful people are not flawless. Understanding that we are all people, with strengths and weaknesses, helped me to stop being intimidated by people I admired or looked up to.
Coaching Conversations: Stubborn Progress Despite Daily Exercise
The following is a transcript of a conversation that occurred this past week with a member of our coaching program. The name has been changed and some light editing to protect anonymity. I provide a breakdown below the transcript.
Coach Alex: “Obviously you're still heavily active. You're still teaching, you're still dancing. That's a lot. You spend most of the day on your feet. I would say probably one of the differences to consider between the strength training, particularly when we're using weights, versus the more cardio-based activity of dancing—even though it's intense—is that with any type of cardio activity, our body gets used to it.”
Aaron: “Yeah, it's really too much for me at this point.”
Coach Alex: “Exactly. The intensity—you could push the rounds a little harder or change your routine to modify the intensity, but only to a modest degree and only for a short time. Then, you’d have to maintain that level to keep seeing results.”
Aaron: “Right.”
Coach Alex: “And that doesn’t seem feasible. Your body becomes efficient at doing it, so it’s not the same level of intensity or exercise needed to ensure consistent progress. The difference with strength training is that we can always add more resistance. We can make the exercises more challenging either by choosing different exercises or by modifying how we perform them, so it always challenges you physically and promotes consistent progress. Carving out time for dedicated strength training should be the primary driver for progress.”
Aaron: “Yeah, that makes sense. I also used to do HIIT cardio back then too.”
Coach Alex: “Also true. Both are important. We need to figure out how to incorporate them into your schedule.”
Aaron: “Yeah, I need to make them part of my schedule.”
Coach Alex: “Granted, I know it's more challenging now with your dance and teaching schedule. It might look different from before, but if we can find a way to reintroduce some of the elements that worked previously and integrate them, it should help.”
Aaron: “So, reprioritize it more.”
Coach Alex: “In a manner of speaking. But it's important to recognize that it's the reprioritization that's going to make the difference, not an inability to see progress.”
Aaron: That is a good point.
Two days later…
Text from Aaron: “Fourth workout of the week complete and I’ve been logging calories for three days. We’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m committed again.”
There are two important things to highlight from this conversation:
The first thing to highlight is that this individual was struggling with motivation.
They felt like they were working so hard and still not seeing any reward for their efforts. It was important for us to establish that the lack of efforts was not due to an incapability to see results. He needed to recognize it wasn’t impossible for him to succeed.
The second element of this conversation, is that he needed a clear direction forward.
He was putting in a lot of effort, but how he was choosing to expend that energy was not most efficient for his goals—given the current demands of his lifestyle and job. The only way for us to help him develop a new, better plan was to have a firm understanding of his life.
By reframing and introducing more clarity, Aaron is now back on track to seeing the results he wants.
Published This Week:
How To Listen To Your Body Without Skipping Workouts
Takeaway: When your body feels beat up, it’s tempting to skip the gym, but that’s when it matters most to show up. Instead of pushing through or doing nothing, adjust the intensity—lift lighter, focus on mobility, or shorten the session. Building consistency through those small adjustments is the real key to long-term progress and success.
3 Elements of Finding Meaning in Life
Takeaway: Autonomy, Competency, and Relatedness.
A sense of control over your actions and your future; feeling confident and capable at what you’re working on; and connection to a community working toward a mission larger than yourself. That seems to be the secret formula for a meaningful life.
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