When exercising in Portland, it is important to bring your own sunshine, in every way.  Train through the rain and down-tempo days.

The most important thing you can do to improve your fitness is to work consistently.  Stick to the plan.  You were in a good, empowered state when you went down to Form and Function and had Josh Sabraw design your customized program.  Or when you cut that article out of men’s health.  Point is, you had a plan that was going to move you forward.  Let me give you an example.

Problem: I was sick last week, and I felt tired and weak.  I felt like training was the wrong thing for me, that it was too much stress on the body.  But I also know a few things about exercise programs.  1-Don’t start backward momentum, because it can snowball as fast as forward momentum.  There is and will always be a hundred reasons NOT to take care of yourself.   Having a cold or a sore knee can seem pretty legitimate (if you have walking pneumonia then please do consult a physician), but it is just one of the infinite aches and pains that will distract you from the matters at hand. 

Solution: Make a pledge to yourself that even when you feel crappy, you will go to the gym and stretch, work on posture and mobility, etc.  Even when you don’t feel like it.

The second thing that I know is that exercise is not (typically) stressful to your body UNLESS you keep the INTENSITY or VOLUME high.  Going to the gym and doing squats with a naked bar, some plank and pushups, and some dynamic movement will get you to break a sweat and release some toxins.  Your muscles still need to move, remove wastes and stay active.  Going through your routine will keep you from getting stale on the shelf while you are recovering from your illness or injury, and the mental tenacity you build by showing up, rain or shine will make you even more confident of your success!

Starting and stopping is the epitome of quitting mentality.  It gets you nowhere. Even if your workouts aren’t the best in the world it is better to judge them HAVING COMPLETED them.  Another two weeks off and on will not build your expertise as a weekend warrior/athlete.  The champions all know that the only thing you don’t do is quit.  Everything else is part of the journey.

So every once in a blue moon you see me doing lifts with hardly any weight at all.  I am honoring my commitment to myself.  Since I would honor my commitments to others, I figured I should get the same treatment.

To recap, stay on program even when you don’t feel like it.  If you have a cold, muscle soreness, fatigue, etc., then reduce the workout to 50% or less of the load.  Don’t train through pain, but do train through rain.  Especially in Portland, where personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts have many opportunities to create their own sunshine and health success!

Yours in health and fitness,

Joshua Sabraw.