Baby Steps - Roger Bannister Took Them, You Should Too

Every Monday, That's Fit's very own "charged up" wellness guru Laura Lewis presents The Passion Principle, a weekly guide that will help you achieve your greatest potential through words of inspiration, cutting-edge ideas and action tips you can use in your every day life!

Becoming the best you can be and achieving goals that seem unreachable is as easy as one baby step at at time -- and a whole bunch of "gumption," as my Grandma Ruby used to say. Case in point. There I was in the seventh grade, participating in my school's President's Fitness council testing. Armed with a bit of talent and a whole lot of mental "game," I became one of the best in the sit-ups category in the county. Nancy Ormsby, she was the champ. But I gave her a run for her money. I attribute my success as a "sit-up" superstar to my mental game, the daily sit-ups I did in my living room as my sister timed me, and my tremendous focus upon the specific task at hand: To do as many sit ups as I could in 60 seconds flat.

Roger Bannister, the fellow who first broke the four-minute mile, achieved his goal in a step-by-step fashion -- not by over-training, but with regular daily workouts that lasted less than one hour. Every day, he ran for 45 minutes, training specifically on breaking a four-minute mile. He knew in his mind it was possible. He believed he could do it. And he did. Click here to watch Roger share his refreshing point of view.

Yogi Berra, National Baseball Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players and managers in the sport's history, once said, "Sport is 90 percent mental and 50 percent physical." Sport psychologists and Olympic coaches know this and take great care in coaxing along their athletes to meet their highest potential.

Dr. Colleen M. Hacker, the sports psychologist for the United State Women's Soccer team, who won a gold medal in the 1996 games and the 1999 World Cup, believes there are two very important factors to achieving and winning -- intrinsic motivation and self-control. I believe my Grandma Ruby would have called that "gumption!"

How can we achieve our goals like the high achievers in the world's record books? By following a simple, step-by-step process.

• Set your ultimate goal. What is it? Write it down. Be specific.
• Take Baby Steps. Break down your goal into baby steps. If your goal is to do cardio every day for 45 minutes to an hour but you're out of shape, start by buying a pair of good athletic shoes. Then decide what time of day you'll work out. Put it on your calendar, and begin with some cardio for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Be Motivated. Are you excited about looking great in your swim suit this summer? How about six-pack abs? How bad do you want them? You literally have to ignite the fire in your belly to fuel your attempt in achieving a ripped mid-section. Many champions attribute their success to intrinsic motivation.
• Have Self-control. A dear friend of mine, Robbie Durand, now the senior science editor of "Muscular Development" magazine, is one of the most devoted gym "athletes" I've ever met. With a special interest in powerlifting, he has been going to the gym since he was 15 years old. He is now 35. The guy has notebooks documenting every single workout session -- talk about self-control. He's simply made it a priority to go to the gym and never miss a day unless he absolutely must. He is in fantastic shape (without the use of steroids), in super health, his diet is wonderful, and I admire his dedication. In your own attempts to achieve your goals, you MUST implement self-control. Do you know why? Because it works.
• Be Intensely Focused. Here's the deal. Right before your next workout or even prior to making a decision regarding what you're going to eat at your next meal, focus specifically upon what you want to achieve. How long will you stay on the treadmill? How many reps while working on your biceps? How many ab exercises will you do? How much protein will you eat? Vegetables? What refined carbs will you avoid? Focus specifically upon the immediate tasks at hand and stay in that focus. Stop thinking about a week from now, a month from now. Think about now!
  

You have tremendous potential to achieve just about anything. Just put yourself in the game. And here's a reminder: The time to do it is now. You CAN be your best now. You CAN achieve your goals. If I believe you can do it, so should you.

I want to hear back from you -- so let me know how it goes. Now get out there and do it -- one baby step at a time!