“See a lot, see a little. See a little, see a lot.” I love this quote from sports psychologist Dr. Kevin Elko. To me, it means start focusing on less, the few important things, and your vision will become clearer.  Now you might be thinking, “Thanks Steve, I love the motivational cliché but how exactly does this apply to my fitness?” Well thanks for asking!

Sometimes I have so much on my mind that a workout is the last thing I want to do (I know shocker, the trainer is human). However, I have conditioned myself to know that the feeling I get after a workout is exactly what I need to clear my mind, approach a solution in my life, take on the next task, etc. In other words, I gain clarity in my life – the chaos that preoccupied my mind prior to the workout fades and order begins to take shape. Sure, sometimes it’s not as seamless as that, but the point is to mindfully focus on completion of the task at hand. Focus on less – not all the distraction, to do lists, planning, etc. Those things begin to naturally assume order and fall into place if you can first tackle what’s right in front of you. As a byproduct, that mindful focus will improve your workout. Each rep will be better executed when you’re not thinking about all the things you have to do. If you try to focus on all of it at once, you are sure to get even more overwhelmed.

I rely on order and structure in my life or everything begins to feel like it’s falling apart. This starts with knocking things out one at a time. You have heard it a million times, “win the morning, win the day.” There is a reason that experts recommend making your bed first thing in the morning. It is a simple task but has an enormous psychological carry over into the rest of your day. Starting your day with simple task completion (even if it’s as easy as making your bed) ignites momentum in completing the next task, and the next, and the next. Before you know it you have completed and followed through with what you set out to do that day, which might free up time for more important things, like family time or *hint hint*… a workout.

Let’s look at it a different way. Let’s say you roll out of bed and leave the covers and sheets everywhere. You might lie there awhile and then check your phone. Then you stumble towards the coffee machine and the news comes up. While watching the news you are simultaneously scrolling through Instagram and half-heartedly checking emails at the same time. All of a sudden you are reacting to information input in your environment instead of actively taking control and deciding how you will set your day up for success. This will surely backpedal you from completing anything of importance that day, including your workout, and cause the dreaded anxiety to set in (2020’s favorite word). How do I know? I have been there several times. Trust me, it only delays the inevitable. Now let’s talk about fitting fitness (see what I did there) into your day.

You might be thinking “but Steve what is the BEST time of day to workout?” The answer is “a time that you won’t skip.” Whether you prefer to tackle it first thing in the morning (after making your bed of course) or in the afternoon or evening, it should be planned and scheduled in as part of your day. Workouts are always better when there is intention behind them. If you like the feeling of “winning the morning” in a physical way by knocking out the workout first thing, then go for it! If you like to carve out time during a lunch break, get after it! If you like to finish your day on a high note and workout in the evening, get it done! Set yourself up for success beforehand by carving out a time that works best with your schedule. Most importantly, dial in during the workout no matter what time of day you do it. The feeling you get afterwards may be just want you need to see the bigger picture with clarity.

Put things into motion and set your priorities straight. There is a lot of unnecessary clutter out there making it easy to fall prey to reacting, acting on impulse and spinning out of control. Distraction is everywhere but not if YOU are the captain of your own ship. Dial it back in and focus on less, the fewer but more important things and you will start getting somewhere.

“See a lot, see a little. See a little, see a lot.”