Keep it Positive.

Tracking progress is always important.  It’s good to know where you are compared to where you've been. It lets you know if what you are doing is working and can be an amazing feeling to see how you have progressed.  But the opposite can also be true.  If you haven’t been working out for a while you might not want to see the decline.

This is where apps like RunKeeper come in handy.  Most people have heard of RunKeeper for tracking runs, hikes, walks, and so on.  However they have also come out with some additional useful features. The good folks at RunKeeper recognized that it is important to always focus on the positive.  To this ed they were able to write there algorithms to congratulate you for any number of achievements.  This includes things like best time, most elevation change, and farthest distance.  These cover multiple time frames such as best this month, week, and so on.  This way you always get positive encouragement.  This is exactly what I needed on my most recent run.







I have not been training for a long time now.  I finally had some time to go for a respectable run the other day and I wasn't very impressed with myself.  That easy stride I used to have was completely gone.  By the end of the run I felt pretty crappy.  Thankfully RunKeeper pointed out that I was 9 seconds away from my best 5k time. (I race faster than I train) The point is that a positive attitude is key for improvement.  If your tough on yourself like many people are it's nice to have positive reminders.  There are many apps available that have similar notifications and tracking
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The Community That is Always There For You

For every major undertaking in life it is important to have a support system.  Some people can accomplish things all by themselves but the odds of success rise dramatically when you have friends there to help you along. If you need evidence of this try to think of some of the great accomplishments in human history.  There might have been one leader but there was always a team of people behind that leader supporting them in a tactile or moral way. Taking it down a level there is plenty of literature on why you should get a gym buddy.  This has been highlighted by the growing popularity of Obstacle Course Races (OCR) that require team assistance.  I recently just completed a Tough Mudder and I can comfortably say that I would not have been able to accomplish a number of obstacles without help from teammates and strangers alike.

But for many of us, there are a number of responsibilities that come before your next workout.  Work, school, parenthood, and more are things that demand your attention when you know that the gym will still be waiting for you when your done.  This is exactly what happened to me.  I just completed my masters degree, I am a new father, my employer has given me additional responsibilities, and I just completed major renovations on my home.  But just like the gym there were people who were just as excited to have me back in fitness.  They happen to be people that I have never met.  That's right I am talking about Fitocracy again.  I had to start slow but they don't judge.  The same people who are benching more than their body weight are giving me props for taking a 15 minute walk.  That has been one of the biggest things that has helped me jump back in with both feet.  I've been out of the game for longer than I would like to admit and they know it but they don't care.  They are just happy I'm back. FYI none of the people that are congratulating me work for Fitocracy and if I haven't mentioned it before I don't work for them either.  I am officially back to working out and making fitness a priority again.  I'm hoping that I will be back here soon as well.  If you want to here from me on a more regular basis feel free to follow me on Tumblr or (you guessed it) join me on Fitocracy.  See you there.  We'll be waiting no matter when you decide to join us