Spring is here!! It feels like every year just goes quicker and quicker doesn't it? Summer will be here soon and with it comes the festive season and holidays, where we might find ourselves in situations where we may not be making particularly great decisions when it comes to Nutrition & Training. But this year doesn't have to be the same as every other year with a few simple mindset shifts when it comes to your decisions and thoughts.
There is a concept we use at Vision called "Playing above and below the line" and this can often be the key to achieving your health and fitness goal. While your Trainer might be exceptional, they are not a magician. Whilst they may have the knowledge of the right foods to eat and the correct exercises to do in order to help you achieve your goals, it is not an instant result once a Client begins using the service of a Vision Personal Trainer. It is imperative that you take responsibility for the food you put in your mouth. It is equally important that you take ownership for your exercise program, completing it diligently on a weekly basis.
Without the key ingredients to "playing above the line" of responsibility, ownership and accountability it is like the saying, 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'.
At Vision, we lead our Clients to results through excellent education, motivation, inspiration and providing accountability. It is then up to the client to implement the tools they have been given and work towards the result with the support of their trainer. If they do, we refer to them as "above the line" people-and these people are always victorious in achieving their goal.
However, the other side of the line or "below the line", can be a dangerous place to be and will always lead to a serious lack of results. This is the side where excuses are often made as to why that Cardio Session was missed, the side of the line where blame is cast as to why that piece of chocolate was eaten or the side of the line where denial is prevalent, this is where the horse has been lead, yet no drinking is taking place.
Often, you are not even aware that you're below the line, and all it takes is for you to become aware of the language you use to explain your choices and question whether that is above or below the line thinking. Sometimes it can be a simple mindset shift to catching yourself when you are about to blame, deny or excuse yourself and instead take ownership, responsibility and be accountable for your actions. Remember, living "above" or "below the line" is a choice we all make every day.
Therefore, we have come up with some language for you to look out for.
If you hear yourself say the following, it may mean you are playing "below the line":
- "My partner bought the chocolate" - Blame
- "It was raining; I couldn't go for a run" - Excuse
- "I don't need to complete my Food Diary" - Denial.
Alternatively, here is some language to look out for, so you can congratulate yourself for playing "above the line":
- "I know I have to keep doing my food diary even though I don't want to so I can stay on track" - Accountability
- "I made the decision to eat the chocolate with my husband and will have to accept the consequences this week"- Ownership
- "My training partner could not run with me last Sunday, but I still did it myself." - Responsibility.
If you can hear yourself saying any of the above statements frequently, let your trainer know where you naturally play-either above or below the line-and allow them to be your referee and blow the whistle if you ever start to head towards the bottom side of the line. This will allow your trainer to be your support, your accountability partner and will help them to help you achieve your goals.
Make the choice of where to play and see your results and your outlook on life exponentially improve!
Bring on your best Summer yet!
(This article was inspired by an original article written by Vision Personal Training's High Performance Manager-Sam Barnett)
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
