What Coco Chanel can teach us about fitness.

Coco Channel was driven and ambitious.  Her vision and designs created a business, then a brand, then an empire.  She did this all in a time when society did not associate women with traits like ambition, creativity and competiveness.  What would it look like if Coco Chanel was a performance athlete?  Let’s look at some of her quotes.

“Women have always been the strong ones of the world.”

-Don’t let dudes rule the weight room.  Women have a place there too.  You have real strength.  The greatest strength you can have is your attitude. You have a courage that is more important than the number on the side of the dumbbell.

“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.”

-That is kind of harsh! The point I like to focus on is that when you are younger, natural physical gifts make you feel healthy and strong.  I had a bad diet when I was younger, and did not really have to workout. Younger people at the gym seem to be able to really pack on the muscle quick.  I feel the difference from 20 to 33.  The idea is, if you keep going, keep working you can fight rapid ageing and have a healthy body regardless of you number. I have seen fifty-year-old ladies in some fitness classes that are in great shape and are doing about the same work as me.  Their secret, they have kept working out after nature’s gifts have left. These women have worked passed the gift and have the body that merit creates.

“Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.”

-I was talking to someone about my attempts to train for a half-marathon.  I am not sure if I will be able to pull of a half-marathon.  She immediately said, “You can do it.”  She had no idea about my flat feet and my troubles with my hip and back.  Just, you can do it.  The point is I was talking myself out of even trying.  I can run a half-marathon, and end up having to walk part or even aborting the run all together and quit if my body disagrees.  I can still train for the half-marathon, and if I feel like my body is just not up to it, I can change my plans.  I am not thinking about “winning” the race.  How much do you think you can do in your life if you did not know that you would fail at some point? You will always fail at something. It is the effort, tiring and experience that make you who you are.

 “Gentleness doesn't get work done unless you happen to be a hen laying eggs.”

-I talk a lot about being gentle to your body to prevent injury.  Always keep in mind that you want to be safe.  But, to get results, you have to kick your butt a little bit.  Work hard, give it your all safely.  If you have been doing low reps, low weight and have not been sweating, you are being too gentle.  Your efforts will produce results.

“Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.”

-I feel you learn the most about yourself on the bad days.  The days when you are not into what you are doing but still press on.  The big goals and big dreams are the authentic you.  The days when you want to quit or give up and don’t, when you dig in deep and work harder are examples of your authenticity. You forget what others are doing and find out who you really are.  Some days I have really crappy workouts, everything goes wrong, I had a bad week, I am way too busy; but I do what workout I can anyway.  Anyone can do a great workout on a great day, but overcoming the bad day proves how strong you really are.  Don’t you feel so much more accomplished when you overcome adversity?

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.”

-This gets concept gets lost so much in the gym or on the track.  We all focus on some superficial goals from wanting to look a certain way or accomplish some fitness feat.  Do not let this confuse or stand in the way of the person you really are.  Your goals support the person you are and are becoming; don’t let them over take you.  You are a whole person, mind, body and spirit, not just going to weigh 130 lbs in 6 months.

So if Coco Chanel was an athlete, I don’t think she would “do fitness,” she would “be fitness.”

I don’t have time for your bulls#*t, or finding time to workout, or motivation part duex.

always good to keep a dumbbell next to the sink when you are doing the dishes.

I don’t know anyone who is not busy; some are just way busier than others.  Here are some tips I use to squeeze in activity.

1. Time that you rest between sets can be filled.  I workout at home sometimes because I don’t have time to go to the gym.  So, the 60-90 seconds I rest between sets, I will put a load of laundry in the machine, gather the recycling, add to the grocery list, or wash a dish or two.  I have some small tasks that I can do between sets, so by the time I am done with my weight training; I have also done some small chores.  I kinda run around the apartment and make my wife nuts though….

1. Sometimes I like to just watch TV or read to chill out.  But, taking a lesson from my ballet friends, you can stretch while you are doing this.  I remember seeing dancers doing homework or even having a quick bite to eat in the splits.  The idea is, if you are ever being just still, might as well stretch.  So I have a couple of stretches I know I can do wile watching a movie or reading.  This has the added benefit of relaxing you too, so watching a little TV in the alligator pose before you go to bed is nice. 

Relaxing, stretching and reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Do you like to watch sports?  I feel guilty watching athletes in their prime competing while sitting on my butt.  So how about doing some squats or curls, or getting on the treadmill during the game?

1. If you need to think about something, think about it during a set.  So before you send off that e-mail, do 15 curls and think about it.  You will collect your thoughts, and if you are emotionally charged about the e-mail, you might calm down a bit and send something more measured. 

1. Don’t wait.  RUN!  My wife gets a shower, and then I have to wait for more hot water before I can get a shower and do the dishes…. Time to run around the block.  Then I will really need that shower!

Easier said than done I know, but over the years, I have squeezed in a handful of workouts this way.  Even if you can’t get your full workout in, anything is better than giving up and doing nothing.

A little quad stretch and some star trek

Motivation, or I really dont feel like doing any of this crap.

Go out running in that? I dont even want to go to my car and drive to the gym!

Motivation!
So last week I got up to go to the gym.  I was having a bad day.  When I got to the gym I was in a bad mood.  Every guy there was bigger lifting way more weight; I caught myself in the mirror and thought, “I hate my body.”  I am just wasting my time here.  I could only think of my faults that day.  So here is the dirty secret that a lot of trainers don’t tell clients.  I have those days, I can be very insecure, and I am not always in the f’n mood for this crap!

Here is what I do.

1. Just start, give yourself permission to quit after you start.  I say, I will just do my arms and if I feel like it, I will do the rest of the routine.  After I get started, pressing on works and I feel better by the end!
2. Know not every workout is great.  Sometimes, you just have a weak or slow day, but getting through your workout at a lower weight, slower speed or only doing half the routine is better than nothing and will help you establish the healthy habit
3. Do something else active and fun.  Go for a trail run, take a zumba class, punch your mattress. 
4. Get in the habit of reducing your excuses.  Pack your gym bag and have everything ready to go.  Have Reduce the number of steps it takes for you to get out and moving.
5. Plan to fail.  Sounds bad.  But build back up plans in your schedule.  As an example, I know I want to run today, but the snow might be too bad, so I have a leg circuit that I can do at home with just body weight.  I got in the habit of working out around 1200, but  that might not work tomorrow, so I am planning to sneak away around 6, see how that works.  I might have to skip Friday, so I look for time on Thursday.
6. Getting off track does not equal failure.   Don’t have all or nothing thinking.  If you miss a day, don’t wait till next week to get back on track.  Get used to making little course adjustments.  If you are driving somewhere and you start going in the wrong direction, you just try to get back on track, you don’t go all the way back home and start over.  Let the little hiccups pass over you and press on!
7. Have some fun!  You will stick with things better if you have fun.  Take some music with you, find a supportive friend (or a really cool personal trainer), switch things up, play some games, try to have some laughs.