We’re making progress – hello, yellow phase! How long will we be here? No one knows, and that’s okay. These past two months, we should have gotten better at accepting things outside our control. But with business beginning to open and restrictions lifted, it’s clear that not everyone is ready to jump back into ‘normal’ life, and that’s okay. The speed at which you choose to return to life outside the home is a personal decision that should be respected. So what happens if you still aren’t ready to come back to the gym when we move into the green?
No matter what, you need to keep working out and eating a balanced diet. If we have learned anything from this crisis, our health and well-being need to be our priority. We never know when we will need our immune system to function at its peak potential, and we need to keep it prepared for the battles ahead. Luckily, we know that we can continue to optimize your defense system from the safety of your home if you are not ready to visit the gym in person.
WHAT DO YOU NEED MOST RIGHT NOW?
Regardless of whether you plan on returning to in-person workouts or you decide to stick with your remote coach, we need to determine what is most important to you right now. Do you want to get better at riding your bike or add a few extra yards to your drive? Do you have a lack of time that leaves you deprioritizing yourself and your workouts because of work and family commitments? Does your job require you to perform at an all-time high, and you need to make sure you are in the optimum position both physically and mentally to stay at the top?
WE NEED TO DEVELOP A PLAN
Some of our clients need workouts and a check-in here or there to see how things are going. Others need full-on accountability where their coach reaches out to them before and after they exercise. A lot of clients need nutrition coaching, and some need mindset training. A few even need a combination of all these things. Which bucket is right for you? A coach will help you determine what can move the needle in your life forward and develop a strategy to get you from Point A to Point B. If you are required to work long hours at a stressful job, you will need a program to reflect that. Three 30-minute at-home workouts per week with daily mindset training and accountability is an excellent option in a case like this.
NEXT COMES ACTION
It’s always wise to lay out a plan before we dive in, but a great strategy is useless if we don’t follow it. People generally don’t take enough action because they have so many things that they can and should be doing that they become paralyzed. Having a coach who tells you to do this one thing right now is the best way to make sure we are taking action on the important stuff and not allowing ourselves to wander from the path stay in one place too long.
WE ARE GOING TO NEED TO TWEAK THAT PLAN
Coaching, specifically remote coaching, takes time to get just right. The first two weeks are about analyzing what is working and what is not working so your coach can optimize that plan. Tweaking requires feedback and clear communication from both parties. If something isn’t working for you at home, you need to let your coach know so they can pivot and make it work for you. Vice versa, if your coach notices that there is an area in your program that they can better optimize for you, they must be able to communicate that to you and make that change seamlessly.
After the first two weeks, you will be off to the races and prioritizing what you need most right now, but in a few months, you might realize that your goals have changed or you are getting bored. These are good things because it means you are progressing! Too often do we get annoyed with complacency or stagnation, not giving ourselves credit for all the hard work we had to put in to get to a place where our progress could come to a halt. At this point, you and your coach will need to have a discussion to identify the next most crucial milestone in your life, put a plan in place to get you there, and the journey begins again.
If you are an Arsenal client who knows they won’t be ready to come back as soon as the doors open, reach out and tell us so we can continue to help plan for success. Not an Arsenal member? We are accepting new members into our personalized coaching program and would be happy to discuss how we can set you up for success right from home. Email [email protected] to get started.