By Coach Nolan
I just recently finished my third competition in the last 6 weeks.
I thought it would be cool to share the things away from the competition floor that helped me feel successful on the floor but that also help us all in our everyday lives, inside and outside the gym.
More is not better, better is better
I’m proud to say that I podiumed at all three of the competitions I did this fall. I even got the privilege to share one with my girlfriend Emily (easily the one I’m most proud of).
At all three, I competed against athletes who do waaaaaay more exercising than I do on a regular basis.
I’ve been there. 3-4 hour marathon training sessions. Multiple strength pieces. Working out to start and end the day.
Now my fitness is taking class 4-5x a week, prioritizing sleep, nutrition and moving better.
Many people think the answer to increased fitness or getting the results they want is to do more, more and more.
When for most of us the answer is doing less inside the gym and prioritizing the stuff outside the gym.
How’s your sleep? Do you get 7+ hours of sleep on a consistent basis?
How’s your stress? Do you find yourself in a positive headset more often than a negative?
Do you consume mostly whole foods?
Do you prioritize moving well or moving weight?
Before we going looking to do more exercise, look first to the things we often neglect that have the biggest impact.
Focus on whats within your control
Think about all the things that are within your control. Think again. One more time.
A vast majority of the things throughout our day are not within our control.
Traffic.
The weather.
What other people say.
How your co-workers show up (luckily I work with an ELITE team)
In the competition setting, it was what my competitors were doing.
But what could I control?
My effort.
I repeatedly reminded myself to focus on my effort and mine alone, not anyone else’s.
My expectations.
I kept them realistic. I didn’t let anyone else’s effort dictate them.
My mindset.
I constantly thought in the positive. When I teamed with Emily, i constantly reminded her of what we COULD do. I talked about all the good and almost none of the positive.
Anytime you find yourself frustrated or at a loss in a situation, focus on the things you can control. You’ll be amazed at how much more navigable the situation becomes.
Communication
Studies suggest that anywhere from 70-92% of all communication is non-verbal.
Holy moly thats a lot!
I can’t tell you the amount of people who came up to Emily during our competition in Danbury to tell her they enjoyed watching her compete simply because she looked like she was having fun.
Her body language was upbeat.
We laughed a lot.
Anytime anyone asked us how we were doing, we’d first respond with a smile.
You can influence those around you greatly with not only your words but also with how you carry yourself.
Even if you’re not having the best of days inside, what you project to the outside can tell a totally different story.
Time spent
I calculated the time spent competing versus the time spent in training for myself. As much as I love competing, it takes up less than 1% of the time I spend exercising or working on my health & wellness in a year.
Thats a whole lot of time spent working on the best version of myself.
The end result we’re all looking for is often momentary.
A spot on a podium lasts seconds.
A call getting a promotion can last minutes.
It’s the time spent working on ourselves where we can gain the most satisfaction & growth.
