How to Use Your Phone to Stay on Track
Let’s be honest.
Fitness goals take a LONG time.
Losing fat can take months.
Putting on muscle can take years.
It’s tough.
It's frustrating.
It requires constant vigilance. It requires discipline. It requires a foolhardy desire to follow a difficult path.
You have to eat the proper amount of food. You have to make your training progressively harder. It’s almost enough to make anyone give up. Pizza and regret. Here I come!
I'm a Personal Trainer. I see this process from two different angles. I see clients grow frustrated at their rate of progress. Then I feel my own frustration over the same issue. It's only human to grow restless.
Throughout this process you have to keep two things in mind. The daily details and your final goal. The big picture and the small picture. You have to see the forest for the trees.
Your final goal should be in the back of your mind. It is the reason you started working out. It could be a number on the scale, a visible number of abs, mastering a kettlebell swing or a feat of strength.
In the slog of progress and hard work it’s hard to keep this goal in mind. We get caught up in the daily work and sacrifice. We forget why we started. It's hard to keep the big picture in mind when you are hungry NOW.
There is a simple way you can use your smart phone to keep this goal in the front of your mind.
Optimize Your Backround
This is going to sound corny and might out me as having a man crush.
The wallpaper on my phone is of a shirtless Luke Rockhold. This is for one of two reasons. He and I have similar body types. His fighting weight is my ideal body proportions and weight distribution. It’s my realistic aesthetic goal. Seeing this picture throughout the day keeps me on track.
I change this often. It always corresponds with my fitness goals. Sometimes it will be a picture of Bruce Lee to remind me of the warrior spirit necessary. Sometimes it will be the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling to remind me to work hard.
When I’m in the gym and feel lazy I pull out my phone. The image reminds me of my goal.
When I want to cheat on my diet, I look at my phone.
It reminds me that I’m only cheating myself. It reminds me that my momentary lapse of judgment will push me farther from my goal.
You can use your background picture in the same way. Make it a picture of how you want to look. It can be realistic or not. Who cares if you want to look like a video game character?
You use your phone for nearly 5 hours a day. Those 5 hours can be a waste. Or they could be a reminder to keep you on track. If you optimize this space you will always be reminded of your goal.
Keeping your goal in mind will make the daily dietary and fitness tasks much easier. Whenever you feel lazy you can pull out your phone and have instant motivation. Whenever you want to give up you will have a reminder to stay disciplined.
It's easier to travel a difficult road when you can see the destination.