I mentioned previously about achieving like an Olympian by setting yourself specific goals with fixed deadlines. Over the past two weeks I have spoken to many people regarding my half marathon training programme (Click Here), many have said that they would love to do a half marathon but couldn’t. When I have asked why not, many excuses have been given; I’m too old to start running, I haven’t got the time, I don’t think I could do it, I’ve got family commitments. Many people like the idea of running a half marathon but are scared to commit to it in case they fail; they have talked themselves out of finishing before they have even tied their shoelaces. I see this every week with people only setting goals that they feel they can achieve with minimum discomfort; I believe if a goal is worth setting it’s worth setting well. The more you have to put into achieving your goals the greater sense of accomplishment you feel when you get there.
We are constantly being told what we can achieve by others; these people are often scared to tackle big goals themselves and by holding you back it makes them feel more secure that they aren’t going for it. If you are told often enough that you can’t do something you start to believe it; at 6’5” Usain Bolt would have been told throughout his athletics career that he was too tall to be a sprinter, he chose not to listen and now holds the Olympic and World Records for 100m, 9.69s and 200m, 19.30s. Staying with the athletics theme, it was thought to be impossible for a runner to complete a mile in less than 4 minutes; Roger Bannister believed he could do it and set about training specifically for it. In 1954, he became the first man to run a sub 4 minute mile; he set his goal and took the necessary steps to achieving it.
For the excuses above, you’re not too old; John Keston, 83, holds the world record for 80-84 age group half marathon with a time of 1:39:28 (I would be pleased if I could get near this time), he started running at 55.
You don’t need a lot of time to achieve your goals, take action and make a start. My drop a dress size groups do less than 20 minutes of exercise per day and this can be split up into 4 minute blocks.
If you believe something is not possible, it won’t be. Think about the tag lines for nike and adidas; just do it and impossible is nothing, respectively. They are designed to inspire you to take action and achieve.
We all have family commitments; but it is important to allow time for yourself, this is true for all goals not just health and fitness. 41 year old Dara Torres has a young family and has claimed three Olympic Silver medals in swimming; her swimming career started 26 years ago with an American record in 50m freestyle. She keeps her workouts short and intense to allow time for her family, averaging 90 minute sessions (short for an Olympic swimmer - they train for up to 5 hours per day).
The Olympic games show us what the human body and mind are capable of; if you want to achieve, you can if you take the necessary steps. Set goals that excite you, be very specific and have a deadline; losing weight is not a goal, losing 12kg by 5th December for the office party. Positively focus on achieving your goal, set small targets and take steps every day towards achieving them. Hold yourself accountable; don’t put the blame on somebody else, take responsibility for your achievement, if things happen that you can’t control find another way to keep heading in the right direction. Let everybody know what your goals are, ask them to help; social support and motivation can keep you on track when you feel like quitting.
If one of your goals is to drop a dress size; I will be running my next 6 week course at Esporta, Coventry from Monday 8th September 2008. I guarantee that you will drop a full clothing size in only 6 weeks or get your money back. For more information email me darren@achieve.me.uk.
Be strong, eat clean
Darren
We are constantly being told what we can achieve by others; these people are often scared to tackle big goals themselves and by holding you back it makes them feel more secure that they aren’t going for it. If you are told often enough that you can’t do something you start to believe it; at 6’5” Usain Bolt would have been told throughout his athletics career that he was too tall to be a sprinter, he chose not to listen and now holds the Olympic and World Records for 100m, 9.69s and 200m, 19.30s. Staying with the athletics theme, it was thought to be impossible for a runner to complete a mile in less than 4 minutes; Roger Bannister believed he could do it and set about training specifically for it. In 1954, he became the first man to run a sub 4 minute mile; he set his goal and took the necessary steps to achieving it.
For the excuses above, you’re not too old; John Keston, 83, holds the world record for 80-84 age group half marathon with a time of 1:39:28 (I would be pleased if I could get near this time), he started running at 55.
You don’t need a lot of time to achieve your goals, take action and make a start. My drop a dress size groups do less than 20 minutes of exercise per day and this can be split up into 4 minute blocks.
If you believe something is not possible, it won’t be. Think about the tag lines for nike and adidas; just do it and impossible is nothing, respectively. They are designed to inspire you to take action and achieve.
We all have family commitments; but it is important to allow time for yourself, this is true for all goals not just health and fitness. 41 year old Dara Torres has a young family and has claimed three Olympic Silver medals in swimming; her swimming career started 26 years ago with an American record in 50m freestyle. She keeps her workouts short and intense to allow time for her family, averaging 90 minute sessions (short for an Olympic swimmer - they train for up to 5 hours per day).
The Olympic games show us what the human body and mind are capable of; if you want to achieve, you can if you take the necessary steps. Set goals that excite you, be very specific and have a deadline; losing weight is not a goal, losing 12kg by 5th December for the office party. Positively focus on achieving your goal, set small targets and take steps every day towards achieving them. Hold yourself accountable; don’t put the blame on somebody else, take responsibility for your achievement, if things happen that you can’t control find another way to keep heading in the right direction. Let everybody know what your goals are, ask them to help; social support and motivation can keep you on track when you feel like quitting.
If one of your goals is to drop a dress size; I will be running my next 6 week course at Esporta, Coventry from Monday 8th September 2008. I guarantee that you will drop a full clothing size in only 6 weeks or get your money back. For more information email me darren@achieve.me.uk.
Be strong, eat clean
Darren
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