Phase 2 fitness

Getting in shape sucks.

Hard stop.

Being in shape, pretty cool, effortless almost. You see people on the internet just doing a workout, and going about their day. But for you, it feels like the whole day. Because you're stuck in Phase 1 fitness, and you can't seem to get to Phase 2.

One of my favorite authors is Jodi Piccoult (because I like to lie awake at night contemplating morality), and she has this super tragic book called Nineteen Minutes and in it the dad swims laps every morning, and then goes to work.

Your neighbor who you can set your clock to because they rollerblade by at 4:19 on the dot Monday through Friday.

Your coworker who commutes to work on a bicycle daily.

They didn't get their on accident. These systems are the result of years of hard work and maybe even more important, patience. As they struggled through Phase 1 and knew there was something better on the other side.

Phase 2 fitness

In this phase you probably have 1 'coach', maybe two. Right now, I have Jordan, the Pilates program instructor who leads the program and my private Pilates lessons. Maybe for you it's a rugby coach, a personal trainer or a Primal health coach (working on their NBHWC certification... wink wink). You've found the one who works for you, after experimenting with ones that didn't work in Phase 1.

Systems, not plans

I keep ankle weights in my car because I'll never remember them if I take them in the house. I have a second-hand walking pad in my living room. When I want to bullshit, I do it on a walk. When I want workout I have a few subscription services that I like that I can leverage. I hate to say I don't have goals (looking at you Pilates Boomerang), but I don't have goals. I don't have Specific, Measureable outcomes attached to my fitness pursuits, there's no deadlines, or metrics. The other day I discovered I can do a whole bunch of pushups and that was pretty cool, but it wasn't something I was looking for, I just kinda realized I can do push-ups and it's something I used to really struggle with. Cool discovery.

That's what Phase 2 fitness looks like; where you want to be most of the time. Content and cruising. Routine. You know what you like and how you'll feel. Your workouts don't destroy you. You complete them, feel energized and keep it moving.

Phase 3 fitness

I'll be honest: You don't need to be here, and if you're here its temporary.

Running a marathon.

Toughman challenges.

Bikini contests.

Body Building Competitions.

Professional athletes.

Those stage artists who perform in Vegas shooting arrows at balloons using their feet while balancing on their hands.

Strippers.

The weekend of Pilates training I did where I did 10 hours on the Reformer in 2 days.

It's cool and we do it occasionally, or... in phases (ba dum hiss). It's leveling up. It's the things we do sometimes. We decide this is the summer we're going to like all the Adirondack mountain peaks or do a few semi-pro paddleball games. It's when your kid decides to go Varsity and you start doing their early morning runs so they don't get hit by cars in the dark.

It's when you have multiple coaches/ trainers/ professionals helping you along the way. It's when you're trying to learn a new skill. I'm toying with the idea of getting serious about adding inversions to Asana practice. I don't have much experience in that department and I don't see it in my usual yoga classes. I'd have to research and probably drive a bit further than I want to find someone to help me with this goal.

Phase 1 fitness

Starting from scratch, building the plane as you fly it.

You take a Zumba class and strain your ankle. You join a gym and keep forgetting that your sneakers don't fit right and your toes hurt after a session. You join a gym and it's the wrong direction after work and traffic sucks. The Peloton seat rubs holes in your ass. You need to buy hot yoga mat towels. You bought the wrong Pickleball paddles. The new sneakers smell when you sweat. The hill behind the house is wayyyyy to steep and you can only climb it once.

I didn't read the fine print and went to a hot yoga class when I had to teach my own class an hour later.

I joined crossfit and had to K-tape my ankles for 5 out of 7 days a week.

It's exhausting, expensive and mentally taxing. You pack the gym clothes, but forget a snack so you're starving at the gym and only get half of what you had planned done at the gym, then get hangry snacks. You trying a new HIIT class and you can't walk for a week so your goal of four workouts is no longer doable. It feels like 1 step forward and 2 steps back. But it's actually one step forward and 1 side step and then a step up a stair. It's DISCOVERY.

My least favorite part of trial and error is error. I hate having to keep trying things until something works. But that's phase 1, it's figuring out what works for you. It's not reading the internet (I say from the internet...) But the reality is, in Phase 1 you don't need a plan. You just need to figure out what your mind, body and soul like. That's it. That's really it.

Putting it all together

I don't give out specifics of my workout plan, because, it's mine. It works for me. At a high level, it's low level movement (a ton of walking), Pilates and Yoga. It fits in my schedule, keeps me feeling good doesn't take up a huge amount of mental real estate. That's about it. Friday is Reformer, Tuesday is Gentle yoga. It's taken about a year to really feel good about my routine. I have no immediate plans to add anything in. I have some long term wishes (like handstands) but I can't realistically carve out that time right now. And that's ok. Because everything is a phase.

If you keep hitting Phase 1, fatigue and give up, shoot me a message, fill out a discovery form, comment on any of my socials and we can brainstorm how to get you through phase 1. Be your own best friend.

Sterling using the magic ring more than I have.