As many of you have discovered by now, maintaining your fitness goals can be challenging during these times. New daily routines and schedules may go awry, workout partners may not be available etc. And when we lose our routines, we often slip in accomplishing our goals.
Don’t get discouraged! There are steps you can take that, when executed as a system, will help you through this.
1) Set small daily goals. This might sound trite, but what are your daily goals? Do you actually have some? If you're forced to miss a day of training it's still important to supplement that class with other physical exercises! It might include 20 minutes of jogging. Or you might be starting small with 20 pushups. Whatever they are, these daily achievements are compounded throughout the week. 20 pushups a day is 140 pushups a week. It all adds up.
2) Manage your time. Studies show that the average American is working 48.5 MORE minutes per day during COVID. With more work comes more stress. It’s important to set aside time every day for family time, relaxation, meditation and self improvement. Don’t let your personal time get lost in the additional work time.
3) Maintain a healthy diet. We all let our diets slip. It’s very easy to do so when socially distancing or sequestering at home. The fridge is close and there’s no one there to provide positive reinforcement. When stress tempts you to open the fridge or cupboard and indulge, opt for a piece of fruit, some nuts or a cup of yogurt instead. Your waist will thank you!
4) Maintain contact with your grappling team mates. Sounds simple, but there are so many distractions that we often relegate what’s not in front of us to later. Remember those smiling faces you used to train with every week? Well, text, call or hit them up on Social Media. Remember, we’re in this together. Hearing from a training partner can brighten anyone’s day.
I challenge you to put these four steps into action for one week and see if they don’t make a difference. I know they did for me!
See you on the mat.
Cordially,
Professor George Sernack
