How to Reverse Engineer Your Fitness

A kiss on your neck, right below the ear.  Mariah Carey hitting a high D.  That one place on your couch where your surround sound system reaches its max effect.    

The sweet spot.  

It's a glorious place to be.

But for many of us, the sweet spot is something we never actually hit when it comes to fitness.

We either go balls to the wall......or we put on the brakes completely.  Never quite finding the right groove.  The right balance.  The right level of consistency.

Because we come up with a goal.  And then life gets in the way.  And all too often, we abandon ship at the first sign of a slight detour.  

Maybe you ate a piece of cake at your dad's birthday party (ah well, this diet is ruined now).  Or maybe you missed your evening run because your had a late meeting at work (fuck it....my entire week is down the drain). 

But guys, the sweet spot of fitness is out there.

And the key to finding it?

Getting crystal clear on your end goal, then reverse engineering it.

Find your sweet spot each step of the way, then turn up the volume,  one notch at a time.  Create a roadmap, and allow yourself the opportunity to take it one step at a time, rather than running full tilt, expecting that you'll be able to sustain your breakneck pace, all the way to the finish line.  

How do you create such a roadmap?  Here's how.  


1.  Define your destination

What does healthy look like to you?  Do some journalling.  Do some daydreaming.  And imagine a scene of your life that includes the best, most healthy version of yourself.  What does your day, your week, your month, look like?   What do you eat?  How do you work up a sweat?  Where?  When?  Dream big.  And do not sell yourself short. 

2. Narrow it down

When you have a big dream, it requires you to say "no" a lot.  Dreams require time, energy and space in order to make them happen.  And we only have so much of all of those.  One big lesson I've learned over the past year,  is that you have to scale back in order to scale up.  And it is so important to be able to prioritize what matters most.  Give yourself the grace to let other seemingly important things take a backseat.  Don't try to be superwoman.  And let the laundry sit.  

Most importantly, when your best laid plans get derailed, get back on the horse.  Every time.  Life is going to get in the way.  So plan for the bumps.  And give yourself a bit of leeway.   

3. Hit rewind

Break down your ultimate fitness goal into very specific tasks and activities that will help you accomplish it.  Remove the fluff.  Remove the gristle.  And simplify the process as much as possible.  Give yourself permission to be a beginner, and try not to race to the blackbelt, right from the start.  Step 1.  Step 2.  Step 3.  Step 4.


Guys, if there's one thing my kids have taught me, it's the value of taking things one step at a time.  My 6-year old son has the goal of becoming an NHL hockey star.  And yet, he's totally focused on killin' his cone drills during practice.  For now.

We've all got it in us to reach the high heights.  But it's all about finding that sweet spot, challenging ourselves just enough, then building on that foundation, mile by mile.

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