If you’re trying to improve your health and fitness, you’ll likely start with one of two things: changing your eating habits, or joining a gym. Props to you if you do both. These are both excellent things to incorporate into your daily routine to start making progress towards a better, healthier and fitter version of yourself. Is that enough though? Can you workout for 1 hour day a couple of days per week, and eat a little bit better and really get the results you want? You’ll certainly be moving in the right direction, but after the initial spike in progress subsides, you’ll ask, what else can I do?
I regularly meet 1-on-1 with the members of my gym to discuss their current fitness, any struggles, and future goals. In these sessions, I often times talk about “moving the needle.”The concept of moving the needle means that you are where you are (current needle position), and your best self is at the far right of the scale. Maybe your “best self” isn’t something you care to attain, although moving more towards that is better. Think of your best self as the fittest, healthiest, happiest, most energetic and disease resistant you could possibly be. Even if we never achieve this maximum state, we can and should be doing things to move towards that.
Anything you do that will get you incrementally closer, even if just .5%, is better than nothing.
In a recent class that I coached, I explained to the group this concept of moving the needle, then I asked them for their feedback.
I asked, “What are some easy things you can do to move the needle in the right direction?”
Here are there responses.
- 1. Sleep.
- Get more sleep. If you’re only getting 5-6, shoot for 6+. If you’re getting 6-7, shoot for 7+. If possible, try to get roughly 8 hours of sleep per night. This may require going to bed a bit earlier, and wrapping up your evening to-do’s sooner.
- 2. Stretch.
- Most adults aren’t very flexible. Stretching sounds boring, and is often left-out in most fitness programs because frankly, people don’t want to pay for boring. Whether it be to stay after your workout a few minutes and stretch, or do 5 minutes during your nightly Netflix; adding stretching into your week a few times will make you feel and perform better.
- 3. Eat Carbs and Protein post workout.
- To better maximize the benefits of your workout, you should be replenishing your muscles with carbohydrates (20-40g) and helping repair your muscle tissue with protein (20-40g). For me this is a non-negotiable, and should be done after every single workout.
- 4. Get involved in the community.
- If you surround yourself with people who are also trying to improve their health and fitness, it’s much more likely you stay the course on your own journey. Meet other people who are working out at the same time you are. You don’t have to become best friends with them, just get to know them a little so you’re more comfortable working out around them. If the gym you go to hosts community events, show up to them. One of the main reasons I see people leave my gym after their first 3 months is that they still felt alone. They didn’t attempt to meet anyone, learn any names, or make a friend. It’s almost certain that people who have friends at the gym will stick with it longer.
- 5. Show up.
- Sounds simple right. Just show up more often and you’ll start seeing more results. It’ll take time, but it’ll take less time than if you just show up every now and then. The person who does 3-4 workouts per week that were just “ok” will still be better off than the person that has 1-2 excellent workouts per week. Attendance matters. We encourage all of our members to shoot for 13 workouts per month, which averages 3 per week. We go so far as to highlight these members publicly on the month “LIST” on our social medias to praise them for their dedication.
- 6. Drink more water.
- Carry a water bottle with you everywhere. Not just in the car, but take it into the restaurant, take it into work, carry it to the event. If you have water with you, you’ll naturally drink it. Most of us are over caffeinated and under hydrated. Your coffee is fine, but being dehydrated isn’t. Drink water before coffee in the morning – as well as after to help keep your teeth cleaner. This is one of the easiest things to start doing to help you move the needle forward.
All of this advice comes straight from our members. The reason they were easily able to list all of these things is because they are all things we regularly talk about at Rampage. We’re not just about working out and lifting weights. Our goal is to make people better, more capable versions of themselves. The motto we stand by is to meet new people and do cool things. Any small thing you can do regularly to move the needle in the right direction, again – even if just a tiny bit, is a step in the right direction!