Motivation Monday! March 17 - W.O.W. Preparation

Tell me if any of these sound familiar:  

You're running late so you skip breakfast and decide to just grab something at Starbucks on the way to work.  

You didn't have time to make your lunch in the morning because EVERYBODY was moving too slow and had issues, so you're going to have to eat out for lunch.  

You have nothing in the refrigerator to eat for dinner, so that means Pizza or take out AGAIN.

You had every intention of making it to the gym today, but then you went to look for your workout clothes and none of them were clean, plus your gym bag was buried in the back of your closet.

You're at the gym and spend about 20 minutes walking around trying to figure out what you should be doing or you spot the hot guy/girl at the gym, and just decide to do whatever pieces of equipment are near them.

What is the common denominator in all of these situations?  Lack of Preparation

W.O.W.  Preparation

"Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance"  Yes it's a tongue twister, but it's also a life truth.  The reason most people do not succeed with their goals (Fitness related or otherwise) is because they don't prepare ahead of time.

Think about it:  If you decide to take a vacation and don't plan your destinations, where you're staying, and what you'd like to see when you get there, then chances are when you get there it is going to be nothing but chaos and confusion.

With my clients, I give them workouts so that they are prepared when they hit the gym.  They are not there to waste time and try to figure out what to do next.  They are prepared with a plan of action so they can get in and get out.

I also give them two week programs to follow so that they know what they are supposed to do for the next two weeks and plan accordingly.

Geneva's Tips for Preparation

 Meal Preparation

Since I am preparing for my fitness competition, my meals are all structured planned out.  Since I am on the go quite a bit, I don't have time to cook each meal separately.  This means I have to prepare meals ahead of time.  I usually do an hour on Saturday and an hour on Sunday (before Real Housewives of Atlanta of course)

Get a Slow Cooker so that you can prepare large quantities at one time

If there has been one thing that has been a huge help for cooking lots of protein, rice, and steaming vegetables at the same time it has been investing in a slow cooker.  If you have a family to cook for, I can only imagine the time it would save.  I just put the meat, rice, or veggies in and let it cook.  When I come back it is all ready to go.  This has been a huge time saver AND the meat comes out much more tender.

Prepare Healthy Snacks  on the weekends

Portion out your almonds, rice cakes, and whatever else you like to snack on ahead of time.  If you're running late, then all you have to do is grab and go.

Plan what you want to eat ahead of time

Of course this is not always feasible, but when you go grocery shopping decide what it is you want to eat that week before you get there.  It's a lot easier to prepare meals when you have all of the ingredients instead of trying to slap random items together.

Workout Preparation

Spend about 15 minutes at the beginning of the week preparing your workout schedule 

If you know that you can only work out 4 times this week due to schedule conflicts, then go ahead and schedule those 4 workouts in your calendar NOW.  If you know you like to take my awesome cycle class on Friday evenings (shameless plug) then go ahead and schedule it in your calendar.  You're a lot more likely to stick to it, if you place it in your schedule.

Pack your gym bag the night before

I am a notorious fiddle faddler in the mornings.  It has been this way since I was a little girl and it's not stopping anytime soon.  Trying to get things together in the morning just does not work, so I make sure to pack my bags the night before.  If it's packed, then all I have to do is grab it.

Have your workout Prepared before you get to the gym

Nothing wastes time more than wandering around figuring out what to do next!  Have it written down in your phone or in your workout journal what today's workout looks like.  If someone is using the machine that you want to use, then you will not have a problem moving on because you know what to do next.  Don't waste valuable time waiting for machines because you don't know what to do next.

Let's not be the people that spend all of their time on Facebook talking about how they are going to the gym and don't spend any time actually preparing for the gym!

Happy Training!