Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 7:03AM | Amy C How to Build a Strong Foundation
In yesterday's post we talked about the importance of a strong foundation. Today, I want to share some tips on how to go about building one.
how to build a strong foundation
When I engage in major cleaning projects (like a closet), the first thing I do is make a huge mess. I take everything out, assessing whether I need it, if it belongs in the closet or somewhere else, and make piles of like-items before I begin to put them back.
Your foundation is no different.
Here are the steps I take when I want to reassess my own foundation for my personal health and fitness goals. Yours might be a little different, but hopefully this can help serve as a guide.
1. assess the goal
The first thing I do is assess my goal. Is it still relevant? Is it still exciting? Where am I along the process? What needs refining? Thrown out?
Today I have a number of different goals. One overarching goal, and then smaller, more specific goals for the various activities I enjoy.
My overarching goal is to maintain a level of fitness that allows me to continue to enjoy doing what I love. For me, this means being able to run longer distances on a whim or in remote locations (like this 1/2 marathon or into the Grand Canyon).
Running goal: I have a big event coming up in August, so putting in the miles and vertical is important and having that event on the calendar provides some structure for the long miles.
Climbing goal: To push my boundaries and increase my strength. I want to climb with strength and grace, so getting out on routes is important, but the grade of that route right now isn’t. In fact, if it’s below my capability, I am enjoying it more... simply because it’s helping me feel mentally stronger and preparing for harder routes to come.
Mountain biking: This is all about fun. I want to fall in love with mountain biking and for me, in order to do that, I seek easier trails with a few challenging sections (instead of a challenging trail that I end up walking a lot).
Nutrition: To eat more consciously. I look at the ingredient lists on packaging and choose the ones I can actually read (i.e., no chemicals). I try to eat less sugar and watch my caffeine consumption. (I’m kind of a sucker for an amazing coffee, but try to drink more decaf than I used to.)
2. identify motivations
Yesterday we talked about internal and external motivators (and how both are important for a strong foundation).
I’ve made it a habit to pay attention to what gets me out the door and what circumstances hinder that action. Did I have a late night? Is the trail particularly interesting? (I have a horrible track record for getting out for a run in a neighborhood, yet if I’m camping and there’s a sweet single track nearby, I’m stoked.)
From my list of goals, you can see some of my motivations blending together. With running, my goal is an event. But secondary to that is to be able to run long miles in cool places. If I wasn’t training, I might not be putting in those miles (and would be missing experiences like running in the Grand Canyon).
I want to love mountain biking, but I know that for me, learning something new is challenging, so I seek out easier trails to help me feel more comfortable on the bike itself. Easier trails also allow me to have more fun (because I’m successful and can do it). Early on I was riding harder trails and ended up in tears more often than was helpful.
I noticed this, refined my goal (learning to ride --> having fun) and behavior (riding challenging terrain --> riding easy terrain), with (so far) great results (tears and frustration --> smiles and confidence).
3. observe reactions
Your foundation is based upon knowledge. The more you know about what you want and why you want it, the better chance you have of designing the steps that are right for you, to get it.
Once you’ve identified your motivators, practice the art of observation. When do you struggle most with sticking to your goals? Are you looking for external motivation when it might work better to gather your strength internally?
I’ll use mountain biking again for a great example.
I mountain bike predominantly with my husband. Externally, he finds great trails to ride and is a good riding partner (and teacher) so it’s easy for me to simply go with him when the trail is easier.
But he’s a fast (and expert) rider, so keeping up with him was discouraging. I had no great benchmark to know when I was improving, and found myself feeling frustrated for not riding faster.
So I made an internal shift. I’m not motivated by the external circumstances I often find myself in, but I am motivated by the desire to have fun and experience a new sport.
So my goal shifted toward having fun and smiling. Now when I ride, I make sure to pay attention to the wind on my face, the terrain around me and how often I find myself smiling.
In observing, pay attention to not only your actions, but your inactions. What’s stopping you? Do you have an arsenal of excuses?
As you begin (and continue) to move forward with your goals, pay attention to yourself, continually refining your awareness of what’s working and what’s not.
Motivations change and shift as we grow and evolve. Observing those shifts helps me to adjust my expectations and results. What motivates you today might not be a major motivator tomorrow.
4. adjust the behavior
Now that you know your goal, understand what motivates you and you’re well on your way to observing your current behaviors and actions, the final step in the process of building a strong foundation is to adjust the behavior.
Can you set your alarm 10 minutes earlier? Call a friend to set up a workout date? What about setting your workout clothes out the night before?
For me, it can be hard during the week to get my runs in. But if I choose a trail and time I need to leave, I have a much higher probability of making it to the trailhead.
Internally, I find that practicing patience and compassion goes a long way in getting through a plateau or as I’m re-introducing my body to climbing. Knowing that just being out there, doing it is the most important thing I can do. And it reflects my overarching goal: to be able to do what I love outdoors.
What about you? Are you ready to build your strong foundation?
If you’re interested in learning more about this, you’re in luck! I’m launching a new workshop to tackle this exact issue. Read about the Building Your Foundation for Fitness workshop and sign up today. Space is limited.
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Reader Comments (1)
You have great articles. I have to come back again. I found this post very helpful, expecisally to figure out internal and external motivations. I never thought of that. I think one should write all this down. I just ask myself, what are my internal motivations to workout more often and what are my external motivations. Already the thought about it is motivating.