Ditch the guilt!

I know I’m not breaking new ground here, but I think some of the simple principles of exercise have been lost in the tide of new fitness regimes and equipment that have swamped the market over the last few years.

Let’s face it, any exercise beats staying on the couch. Constant pace cardio may not burn as many calories as high intensity interval training (HIIT), women may not be lifting heavy enough weights to achieve peak body toning results… really it doesn’t matter. All that is important is the fact that you are ACTIVE.

Equally, don’t be deterred if you can’t fit 30 minutes of exercise into your day or consume your 5 fruit and veg a day; just do what you can manage and aim to do a bit better when you can. 10 minutes of intense exercise is better than none and will make a difference. One carrot is better than no carrot!

Before you beat yourself up about what you haven’t achieved, ditch the guilt and consider what you need to change to do better tomorrow.

The England Cycling Team, under the guidance of Dave Brailsford, achieved stunning results in the World and Olympic Championships with the simple but highly effective mantra of “1% improvements each session”. These cumulative 1% increases add up and move you slowly and surely towards your goal. In the case of the England Cycling Team, it moved them towards ever better performance and medal success.

You can emulate this 1% improvement philosophy in your everyday life, with small incremental habit changes. Whether your goal is improved diet, fat loss, muscle gain, sports performance or career progression, it is clearly proven that people who focus on changing habits one at a time and consolidating that habit, achieve greater lasting success. “Ditching the guilt” could be habit number one!