Eyes On The Prize Tiger: Focusing On Your Goals

I think - in my humble opinion - that the main reason many of us don't get the results we're expecting has two possible reasons:

• We have unrealistic expectations in terms of timeline and the changes we think we can churn out during a given time period.
• We aren't focused on what our real goals are, rather, we have an abstract concept of where'd like to be, therefore lack the mental focus to get there.

The truth of the matter is that you won't make it very far if you don't have a concrete plan with realistic expectations and milestones set in place. The milestones are arguably the most important aspect of the whole thing; they allow you to perform regularly timed checks to see what's working, what isn't and what needs tweaking in order to get right back on track.

Lacking in focus seems to be a problem for those who treat the concept of fitness as something recreational or seasonal. I like to think it's the most intimate of commitments one can ever make in their lifetime; dedicating yourself to constant self improvement. You should feel so committed to your body and health you'd be willing to drive up to Vermont and hold a commitment ceremony with your body.

I see way too many guys (and girls) who treat their time in the gym or on the track as some sort of social experience. They shoot the shit with each other, try and pick up someone or just flat out show up to enjoy the show. When I'm working out, I'm in my zone, nothing will distract me or make me forget why I was there in the first place. I'm here because what I'm doing there amounts to a religious experience. It's that time of the day when it's just me inside my head, no work, no family, no friends, no bills to pay and no errands to run. It's my time to shine and focus on doing what I do best; give my body the treatment it deserves - by putting it through hell.

This isn't to say that balance isn't the most important bit of all. I'm not asking you to turn into a machine which only sees food as macro and micro-nutrients and every movement as a potential exercise. We leave that shit for professional body builders. Your life should stress on balance, on finding the time to do the things you enjoy with people you love. Taking care of your body and health affords you the energy and - increased time - to so to the fullest.

Until you gather up the mental focus to make your health a priority, create a proper plan which accounts for your exercise, accompanying nutrition and more importantly, how this all fits in your life in a wholesome manner that stresses on balance in life, you may not get anywhere near where you want to go.

Office Fitness: Healthy Tips for Corporate Slaves (Part 1)

Do you toil in a desk job for a living? Do you punch in your timestamp at 9 AM on the dot and not a moment sooner lest your boss dock off a couple of days from your pay? Are you expected to perform at optimal levels day in, day out from 9 to 5 (and sometimes even later) every day of the year? Are you and the office chair spending so much time together your ass has effectively been molded to fill the entire space?

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then this post, dear fellow corporate slave, is most definitely for you.

Fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle in general is always a bit of a hurdle to those of us who lead the corporate life. Many of us end up with a “choose this or the other” type of option and often follow the money trail at the expense of their fitness, believing they’ll make enough money in a couple of years to quit while they’re ahead and get right back on track. Only suddenly you’re 36 and your shirts’ buttons aren’t as cooperative as they used to be back in the day and your belt holes are only getting wider and you’re still working the same job.

Image Source/Photodisc/Getty Images

It’s not a matter of selecting being fit and poor or being unfit and bringing home the greens, thinking like that only highlights the fact that you’re not really 100% committed to the concept of being fit. If you think of it as a choice or an option then that means you’re probably not that into it in the first place. Fitness or leading a healthy lifestyle isn’t a phase or passing trend, it’s a lifelong commitment and it requires dedication.

Your two main assault weapons as a corporate whore who wants to make sure they stay on top of their fitness game will be Planning and Discipline. There’s no shortcut when it comes to it. It’s all in or none at all. The trickiest part for those of us at corporate usually stems from nutrition and how hard it is to stay faithful to the course with temptation, office kitchen snacks, co workers’ birthdays and many other factors influencing us.

The biggest challenge for those who wish to stay fit and still maintain their corporate benefits usually stems from believing they don’t have the time or energy to plan things out or make arrangements and it honestly revolves around how lazy you are. If you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen. No, you don’t have to order McDonald’s or Pizza Hut with the rest of the office gang just because it’s more convenient. No, you don’t have to starve yourself at the office all day subsiding on oxygen and prayer till you make it home so you’re not tempted to gorge on junk food at your desk then cry it out by the paper shredder later that afternoon. What your tie or skirt wearing ass needs to do is shake your brand name wallet and invest in some microwave air/liquid tight tupperware containers.

Yes sirs and madams, that does indeed mean planning ahead and preparing your day’s meals or even your week’s ahead of time. The process is fairly simple, some things can be made in bulk and stored in airtight containers in the fridge to be taken out and heated in the microwave for consumption throughout the week while some others need to be made fresh (salads, sandwiches, etc.) on the same day to be edible. I personally dedicate one of my weekend days, usually Friday to do my entire week’s grocery shopping in the early mornings before all the moms and pops are invading the aisles with their mismanaged carts. Getting all your week’s groceries also means you need to plan ahead what you’ll be eating that week and that’s completely dependent on your fitness plan, your exercise style, current goals and of course, your picky ass pallet.

So now you’ve settled on what you’re having throughout the week, you’ve gotten your meats, fish, carbs, dairy, fats and beverages in bulk and are now back in the kitchen - sans a hefty sum of cash - and a fuckton of ingredients. Now what?

Now you get to the real fun part. As mentioned earlier, investing in some quality tupperware is essential for the success, sustainability and ease of this plan. The whole point is that you want to get a routine going for you so that the process becomes easy and without surprises. If you’re planning to have chicken breasts or white fish fillets for lunch throughout the week, start grilling/roasting/steaming those en masse and once done store in their respective containers. If you’re roasting/steaming vegetables or sweet potatoes get on that as well and store accordingly. Many of your snacks will comprise of raw fruits, nuts and yogurt for instance so that will require little to no preparation on your part past packing them in your food bag in the morning.

Which brings me to my next point, packaging. Obviously this means waking up a tid bit earlier - or if you’re a real bed hugger, preparing it the night before - so you can section off your day’s meals in your tag alone tupperware containers before you head out to work. I assume you’re smart enough to eat breakfast before you leave the home so realistically you’ll only need to be packing two to four meals (snack #1, lunch, snack# 2 and dinner if you’re staying late at the office that day). As mentioned items such as salads and sandwiches need to be made fresh hence the waking up a tidbit earlier part so you can get on that. A good mixed green salad or sandwich shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes total in terms of preparation and packaging once you get the hang of it.

Alright, that seems fairly simple in regards to nutrition, no? On to the second half of the equation, to get your ass shaking!

If the saying that “Abs are 20% in the gym and 80% in the kitchen” is true, that still means those 20% are essential motherfuckers as far as you’re concerned. When it comes to the 9-5 life, the concept of working out is summed up to one simple premise; choosing the right time. I for one decided long ago that the whole hit the gym after work simply was not for me. I had no energy, no motivation and certainly no capacity to withstand the hordes of other people in a now packed gym so I hit the weights before work around 6 AM. Naturally that choice simply isn’t for anyone and everyone. Some people genuinely can’t wake up that early, while some others don’t mind working out after their work day at all. It’s completely up to you. An added bonus for early risers however is the unmatched pleasure of a gym you do not have to share with others!

Image Source/SimplyShredded.com

So yes choosing the right time is essential, but more important, choosing a time you can consistently work out during is all the more important. Remember, we’re trying to instigate a routine at play here. Routine means order, order means focus, focus means results.

Having a good well thought out long term plan is essential for your overall fitness goals. Good nutrition only compliments a good exercise plan. Make sure you have a plan that addresses your goals and has milestones and check marks so you can always review your progress and tweak as necessary as you go along.

If you think this is anywhere near over, just hang in there and stay tuned for Part 2 about the Office fitness!