Whatever your fitness or performance goal—lose weight, build strength, run a faster 5K, you name it—establishing the right environment for yourself is the foundation for your sustainable success.
It’s so easy to fall prey to the idea that every goal has a simple, linear solution: “Losing weight equals moving more and eating less;” “toning up means lighter weights for more reps;” “running faster equates to including intervals.” While there is some truth to these approaches, they’re only part of the puzzle.
The first step on any fitness journey is to step back and consider the bigger picture of your environment. Your environment—all the facets of your life that impact your ability to achieve and sustain your goals and to live the life you deserve and desire—is built around four core areas: movement, nourishment, recovery, and belief.
By taking a look at each of these, you can determine whether you’re operating in survival mode or in a thriving state. (Spoiler alert: Fitness and performance goals are not priorities for our bodies when we’re in survival mode. In other words, your body doesn’t care that your mind wants to look better or lift more when you’re lacking quality nutrition and restorative sleep.)
Your body doesn’t care that your mind wants to look better or lift more when you’re lacking quality nutrition and restorative sleep.
So what does survival mode look like? Unfortunately it’s probably very familiar: eating on the run, not getting enough sleep, relying on coffee and energy drinks to make it through the day, not making the time to decompress, engaging in negative self-talk, and putting yourself last. Can you achieve success in an environment of these conditions? Possibly, but I’d ask: At what cost will your success come? More importantly, are you interested in making a fundamental change to your environment or just a short-term tweak that will result in a short-term gain?
On the other hand, when you’re operating in a thriving state, you wake up with ease, feeling refreshed from a restorative night’s sleep. You enjoy a nourishing breakfast without feeling rushed, and you even have time to digest your food and enjoy a cup of coffee. You have a reservoir of energy—not the kind of excess energy that makes you feel jittery or anxious; rather, the kind that makes you feel vital and confident enough to deal with the demands of life. You are actively engaged in life and being “fit” has less to do with the gym specifically and more to do with how you’re living your life overall. Your schedule is focused and priorities are set straight, and you’re making decisions consistent with your life values.
By taking care of your body’s fundamental needs for healthy movement, quality nourishment, regenerative sleep, and a positive mindset, you are propelling yourself into an environment that gives you an edge on life.
Put simply, losing weight and getting in shape has everything to do with your environment and less to do with eating less and moving more. As proof, consider that research has shown a lack of sleep minimizes weight loss and can even lead to poor eating choices. Unless your body gets what it needs, you can’t expect it to give you what you want.
To determine whether you’re thriving or surviving, take a closer look at your environment.
Add up your total score and divide it by 20 (the highest possible score). The resulting number is a percentage that indicates how well you’re managing your environment. For example, if your total score is 10, you’re operating at 50 percent of your potential (10 ÷ 20 = 50%). Remember, a smaller percentage just means you have plenty of opportunities for improvement. For any facet of your environment in which you scored yourself lower than a 4 or 5, jot down a few ideas about what you can do to enhance that area of your life.
Here are a few ideas to help you start making improvements in each facet of your environment.
This piece was written by Mike Rizk, founder of Condition for Life and self-proclaimed biomechanics geek by day and mean hacky-sacker by night. Based out of Central Jersey, Mike gets his kicks being a father and unlocking people’s hidden potential by sharing the message of being conditioned for life.
Originally published May 2014. Updated May 2015.
Whatever your fitness or performance goal—lose weight, build strength, run a faster 5K, you name it—establishing the right environment for yourself is the foundation for your sustainable success.
It’s so easy to fall prey to the idea that every goal has a simple, linear solution: “Losing weight equals moving more and eating less;” “toning up means lighter weights for more reps;” “running faster equates to including intervals.” While there is some truth to these approaches, they’re only part of the puzzle.
The first step on any fitness journey is to step back and consider the bigger picture of your environment. Your environment—all the facets of your life that impact your ability to achieve and sustain your goals and to live the life you deserve and desire—is built around four core areas: movement, nourishment, recovery, and belief.
By taking a look at each of these, you can determine whether you’re operating in survival mode or in a thriving state. (Spoiler alert: Fitness and performance goals are not priorities for our bodies when we’re in survival mode. In other words, your body doesn’t care that your mind wants to look better or lift more when you’re lacking quality nutrition and restorative sleep.)
Your body doesn’t care that your mind wants to look better or lift more when you’re lacking quality nutrition and restorative sleep.
So what does survival mode look like? Unfortunately it’s probably very familiar: eating on the run, not getting enough sleep, relying on coffee and energy drinks to make it through the day, not making the time to decompress, engaging in negative self-talk, and putting yourself last. Can you achieve success in an environment of these conditions? Possibly, but I’d ask: At what cost will your success come? More importantly, are you interested in making a fundamental change to your environment or just a short-term tweak that will result in a short-term gain?
On the other hand, when you’re operating in a thriving state, you wake up with ease, feeling refreshed from a restorative night’s sleep. You enjoy a nourishing breakfast without feeling rushed, and you even have time to digest your food and enjoy a cup of coffee. You have a reservoir of energy—not the kind of excess energy that makes you feel jittery or anxious; rather, the kind that makes you feel vital and confident enough to deal with the demands of life. You are actively engaged in life and being “fit” has less to do with the gym specifically and more to do with how you’re living your life overall. Your schedule is focused and priorities are set straight, and you’re making decisions consistent with your life values.
By taking care of your body’s fundamental needs for healthy movement, quality nourishment, regenerative sleep, and a positive mindset, you are propelling yourself into an environment that gives you an edge on life.
Put simply, losing weight and getting in shape has everything to do with your environment and less to do with eating less and moving more. As proof, consider that research has shown a lack of sleep minimizes weight loss and can even lead to poor eating choices. Unless your body gets what it needs, you can’t expect it to give you what you want.
To determine whether you’re thriving or surviving, take a closer look at your environment.
Add up your total score and divide it by 20 (the highest possible score). The resulting number is a percentage that indicates how well you’re managing your environment. For example, if your total score is 10, you’re operating at 50 percent of your potential (10 ÷ 20 = 50%). Remember, a smaller percentage just means you have plenty of opportunities for improvement. For any facet of your environment in which you scored yourself lower than a 4 or 5, jot down a few ideas about what you can do to enhance that area of your life.
Here are a few ideas to help you start making improvements in each facet of your environment.
This piece was written by Mike Rizk, founder of Condition for Life and self-proclaimed biomechanics geek by day and mean hacky-sacker by night. Based out of Central Jersey, Mike gets his kicks being a father and unlocking people’s hidden potential by sharing the message of being conditioned for life.
Originally published May 2014. Updated May 2015.
Healthworx
2255 S Wadsworth Blvd g4
Lakewood, CO 80227