How you think about Training?

22nd October 2018

A key element of fitness is being able to sustain what we are doing. You may have heard of people talking about the “80/20 principle” where they really nail things 80% off the time, then give themselves that little bit of leeway (the 20%) to keep themselves sane. Here we take a look at how you think about training.

Obviously this use of numbers is a real approximation, but what if you really struggle to incorporate an effective balance in your life?

People tend to fall into a couple of distinct camps, however we can fluctuate between the two ends of the scale at different points of our lives. We’ll talk you through the two extremes. Alongside each explanation, we’ll provide strategies and pointers to deal with these thinking styles.

It can be quite hard to analyse how we think about training, but one way of thinking that is quite easy to spot with a little bit of introspection is ‘absolutist thinking’. This is actually pretty prevalent in a lot of pop culture and the media when it comes to training, so it’s very unsurprising that this way of thinking gets adopted extremely easily.

How do absolutist thinkers ponder their training, nutrition, and lifestyle?

All or nothing. Work hard or go home. Do it all or do none of it.

All synonymous with the notion that exercise and weight management should be a strict, relentless routine, this style of thinking inevitably sets you up for failure – because it revolves around guilt, unrealistic expectations, and perfectionism.

Slipping up on your diet slightly becomes an all-out binge. An extra snack becomes extra helpings for the rest of the day. Skipping one workout in a week becomes skipping every workout in a week.

Why do we feel like we should do this when we’re stuck in an absolute cycle? Because we’re stuck in an unfounded belief that only partially completing our fitness targets and habits has no benefit, and that we have to meet a certain threshold every time in order to be successful.

What research actually says is that exercise has cumulative effects. Generally, the more exercise you do, the more benefits you accrue. So, for arguments’ sake, not missing any of your workouts is clearly a good thing (as long as your targets are sensible and do include rest too). However, because the benefits are cumulative, it also means that doing some is better than none at all.

Likewise, for food, although eating slightly more than you need in a day may not be ideal, or eating a food which isn’t as nutritious as your usual choices may be considered ‘off plan’, it’s far better to see these events as temporary diversions rather than complete road blocks. They may add a little extra time to your journey, but they don’t stop you dead in your tracks and cause you to turn around if you just roll with it and go back on plan straight afterwards.

This is where we really have to try and catch ourselves to prevent the absolutist thinking kicking in – telling ourselves that “because I slipped up, I might as well eat whatever I want now,” and similar lines of thought. Although you may find temporary psychological relief in letting go, the added “blowout” caused by letting the “all or nothing” mindset kick in will be more demotivating after the event than just accepting a slight diversion.

Recognising this type of thinking will take time and practice – but for absolutist thinkers, if guilt, “oh, screw it,” and phrases like “I’ll just restart on x date,” kick in, be very wary. Consistency is built up from averages as much as it is repeated behaviours, so really try to nail daily habits, but allow slight slip ups to be averaged out amongst your usual habits through a level response rather than an extreme one.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the so-relaxed-we’re-beyond-horizontal types. There is no urgency, and there is definitely not any sense of guilt. Although both of these things can, in moderation, be very useful for maintaining healthy habits – the main issue for this type of thinker is that they justify unhealthier choices with very few healthy ones. If the 80/20 principle was referred to here, this type would relax and play 80% of the time, and work 20% of the time if they are lucky!

A good way to confront this style is to note down and actually pinpoint when habits are being achieved. Having a paper/whiteboard checklist in your bedroom or on your phone can be a good way of tracking how many days per week you actually hit your step target, go to the gym, and eat your portions of fruit and vegetables. Having these factual numbers makes it a lot harder for the laid back part of your personality to try and cut corners.

Having a person to be accountable to can also be extremely effective for this type of individual. Group exercise sessions with friends add in a healthy dose of peer pressure (as discussed in our ‘benefits of group training’ post!), and one to one personal training sessions add a necessary level of intensity and focus.

Obviously, both of these types are quite generalised and so we will all fall somewhere differently on a spectrum at different stages of our lives. Part of the role of our trainers is being able to complement your thinking style to get the most out of you as a client so you reach your goals.

It can be very useful to know what kind of thinker we are in all walks of life, not just fitness. You may find you approach your work life and relationships in a similar way. Fitness could be a really beneficial first-step into developing how you think to improve your emotional wellbeing alongside developing your fitness.