I had no idea that “Banjo Night” was a thing in the Greater City of Pittsburgh, but last week, I found myself at the Elk’s Lodge on the North Side of Pittsburgh listening to men in their 70’s and 80’s play their banjos for a number of hours into the evening (and in case you don’t believe me about this whole Banjo Night thing, please click this link and consider visiting Pittsburgh soon).
A super rad friend of mine had invited me out to listen to some happy banjo tunes last Wednesday evening. I was invited out in order to quiet my mind from a lot of stress from my real world adult life circumstances. Sometimes you just need to spend time with people that “get you” and understand what’s going on in your life. We got to talking about training, eating healthy, and keeping up with the demands of our busy work lives as the both of us are gearing up for some very intense fitness events (I’m up for Level II SFG in April, and my friend is up for the Pittsburgh Marathon around the same time).
On this particular night, I was off my nutritional game. I had managed a few mini meals throughout the day and made the usual excuse of “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That” when it came to my own meal prepping and eating around my work schedule. By the time I sat down around 8:00 p.m. for a night of musical fun, well. . .I wasn’t having much fun at all. I was tired, cranky, hangry, etc. etc. My friend picked up on my lethargy and lack of enthusiasm immediately (she has a sixth sense for this sort of thing and knows when I’m not up on my own healthy habits. Side note: It’s important to surround yourself with fit friends to hold you accountable to your actions. Remember that). Instead of sympathizing with my whining, I was given some tough love on part of keeping my own health in check.
“If you don’t make your goals a priority, you won’t achieve them. Make your goals a priority.”
Let me reiterate this for yinz. . .
If you don’t make your goals a priority, you won’t acheive them. Make your goals a priority.
How mind blowing is this concept? HOLY SHIT!
As tough as this was for me to swallow at the moment, it was 110% true. The whole entire sentiment of making goals your priority IS true, without question. The battle here is finding the time, energy, resources, or even just a plan of attack to make those goals a priority. Having taken the extra week and a half to think about what my goals are and how bad I wanted them, I came up with a no B.S. step-by-step guide to setting yourself up to achieve any goal you set out to achieve.
Step 1. Breath (and listen to banjo music :-P) .
If you’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of the adult world, it can be hard to take a step back, breathe for a bit and collect your thoughts. Your being calm and collective is vital to the decision making process. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you will probably find yourself more likely to make impulsive decisions, or freeze and make no thought out decisions in the first place. Stop for a second, reach out for help form a trusted family member or friend, and breathe. Take in some quality you time and relax before tackling the goals you have set out for yourself. The calmer you are, the more easily you’ll find it to make informed decisions for how to tackle your goals.
Step 2. Prioritize! Prioritize! Prioritize!
Getting back to my own example here, my friend had pointed out that I wasn’t prioritizing my own healthy habits due to (the excuse of. . .) my own work hours. When I got to thinking about her remarks from that evening, it hit me. I am responsible for my health not just for my work, but for my training, my energy, my everything really. In fact my being in tip top shape nutritionally and physically is vital to my own very success as a business owner and competitive athlete. Connection made! Within a few days after that conversation, I set aside time to just do what I knew how to do but failed to execute. I began meal prepping, setting aside time to sleep well, and gave myself the much needed breaks in my day to rest, relax, train, write, or whatever else. A funny thing happened within a week. I was sleeping 7-10 hours a night. I was getting my 3-5 meals a day without stressing about it. I was crushing my lifts and getting stronger for my certification. taking the time to prioritize what I needed to do to stay on top of my athletic and business game made all the difference. Sometimes you just have to take the time to prioritize.
Step 3. Stay the Course!
How bad do you want to achieve that thing you set out to do? Maybe you’re gearing up for a big power-lifting competition. Maybe you want a super heavy pull up. Maybe you’re working on a marathon training program or some super intense biking adventure. Whatever the case may be, ask yourself how bad you really want to acheive that goal. If you believe without a shadow of a doubt that you can and will do the thing, then you will. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for as long as it takes until you reach your final destination. I’m here to root you on in the mean time! 😀
We don’t have to feel overwhelmed or utterly distracted by the things going on in our lives. Sometimes, all you need to do is reach out for help and prioritize the things you wish to do in order to accomplish the goals you set out to achieve. Should you need help prioritizing your fitness and nutritional goals, we here at Primal Fitness Pittsburgh are here to help! Feel free to give us a call or email us at info@primalfitnesspittsburgh.com for your free consultation today.
Get out there and smash your goals folks! Until next time. . .
Mater your instincts!
Janelle Pica is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. After having suffered through an autoimmune condition, Janelle was able to significantly improve her health by making dietary and lifestyle changes that put her condition into remission. Janelle is a certified RKC/SFG instructor and a Ground Force Method Instructor. She now focuses her attention on hybrid programs that involve demanding strength training meshed with fluid, functional movements. Janelle has studied under some of the top level fitness instructors in her industry and has competed in competitions such as the Iron Maiden Challenge. Janelle has been featured on major websites such as eattoperform.com, Robbwolf.com and balancedbites.com.
For inquiries regarding training with Janelle, please email us at info@primalfitnesspittsburgh.com
