1. VISUALIZE THE BODY YOU WANT BY USING YOUR INNER POWER
Many professional athletes practice visualization, which means picturing themselves going through the motions to achieve a certain goal -complete with sounds, colors, tastes and smells - and have seen it pay off big time. It really works. What you can conceive in your soul and create in your mind, you WILL EXPERIENCE with your body! During my 10 years as a professional athlete, I spent 10 minutes a day visualizing my body the way I wanted it to look and feel, the result that I mentally conceived in the visualization were experienced in my training sessions, making them tremendously intensive and effective. Now, whenever I work out, I close my eyes and visualize whatever I wish to accomplish in my workouts.
"As I use my inner power to visualize my outer looks, I create the perfect environment to materialize the image of the body I want."
2. SET REALISTIC GOALS
You aren't likely to hear some rookie say he plans to win the Olympia championship when they finished in last place the year before and he has yet to get off the bench. In other words, most professional athletes set realistic goals. So face it: You are not going to lose 30 pounds by your 10-year class reunion next weekend. (A more realistic goal is approximately two pounds per week.) Focus on taking one baby step at a time, keeping your ultimate goal in mind. It will be all the more rewarding when you finally get there!
3. FIND A WORKOUT THAT WORKS FOR YOU
My challenge after retirement was to maintain the weight and body fat composition I had achieved as an elite athlete. No easy task when you're working a full-time job, right? Because keeping in shape also means aerobic activities, my body was used to fast, quick, blood flow - something pedaling on the stationery bike or walking/running on a treadmill couldn't match. But then I came to believe that a simple pair of dumbbells could do wonders. When time is an issue (and when isn't it?), you need to focus on finding workouts that give you the biggest bang for the buck.
4. CHECK YOUR FUEL GAUGE
While you'd never put sugar in your gas tank, many of us put junk into our bodies on a regular basis and then wonder why we don't have the energy to get through the day. While training for the World Championships, I made myself eat healthfully because it was very obvious that my physical and my mental shape depended upon it. After I retired, however, I developed a weakness for junk food, despite the fact that it made me feel sluggish. Then my yogi master reminded me that I'd only been addressing half of my fitness dilemma. Besides focusing on exercise, I also needed to eat more wisely. Now I give in to my junk food cravings only one day a week, and my body feels and looks much better.
5. MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH YOUR BODY
It's easy to put your body first when it's the source of your income. Still, as soon as I finished my training session, I started filling my Palm Pilot with clients one on one session. No wonder that at the end of most workdays, I was either too zonked or too preoccupied to go to the gym. So on Sunday nights, I began checking my calendar to determine my business and social obligations for the week, then penned in when I planned to work out each day, literally making appointments with my body to exercise. And just like I faithfully stuck to the rest of my schedule, I never once canceled a workout.
6. ALWAYS BE READY TO WORKOUT
As a professional athlete, competing and working out are always in the forefront of your mind. The rest of us have 28 million other things to think about, which means that we need to make exercising as convenient as possible. I joined a gym close to home, and being able to drive, run or bike there has proven effective in keeping me on a consistent schedule, regardless of the weather. For added motivation, I always keep a clean set of workout clothes in my car so I can head to the gym or the local park on a whim. (After all, if you don't go home first, you won't find excuses to stay home.) I also keep a stash of fitness gadgets in my closet, including a medicine ball, handheld weights and a stability ball. These let me exercise my entire body and, because they're so different from what I usually do at the gym, I generally look forward to using them again. Plus, most of these items travel well, which allows me to workout when I am on the road.
7. GREAT BODIES THINK ALIKE
When I was competing as a Pro, I had various training partners and a crowd of fans -not to mention lucrative contracts - to motivate me to stay fit. In the real world, we have to find other sources of motivation: friends, family, even a local sports team. When you've entered into a pact with someone else, you're more likely to remain committed. Once you've found a workout partner, consider signing an agreement that outlines your fitness goals. Seeing your fitness dream written down on paper may give you the boost you need to achieve it.
8. CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS
When I was a pro, working out regularly and being in top shape was a given. These days, I feel an incredible sense of achievement whenever I complete an ordinary 60-minute workout. Sure, I use to push and pull over 15 tons of iron in a single session, but now I'm beside myself with joy when I break the ton or two. Aiming to stay at the gym 60 minutes but can only stay 30 minutes? Celebrate anyway, because you're on your way. You can give yourself little rewards here and there - as long as it's not junk food. Instead, splurge on a smoothie or a low-fat yogurt. Every 2 weeks of success for sticking to your training routine, celebrate big time by treating yourself for a big night out, dinner and popcorns at the movies.
9. BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE
Always be aware that what you have is the result of what you've asked for and for what you've done to get there. Share your knowledge with others that are inspired by you. We've all learned from someone else and we all need to share the wealth of knowledge we accumulate along the way.
10. KEEP LEARNING
Learning is what keeps us going, if it wasn't for learning we would all be in a status quo living as most of our ancestors did; kept away from knowledge and forced to be in a state of ignorance so they wouldn't create an uprising against corrupted governments. So keep learning and keep improving. Life is a sport, play it as a professional. You won't go anywhere except where you are if you are an amateur.
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