I find going to the gym 5 times a week for just 30-45 minutes the optimum schedule for me. Now I realise this sounds like a awful lot! But remember it’s not for a very long time each visit.

I came to this routine through some trial and error and some honest conversation with my internal voice. Firstly I tried to go 3 times per week, which  is the recommended amount to gain benefit. However, the problem I found is that I would wake up in the morning and decide to have a rest day, promising myself I would make up for it tomorrow. By the end of the week I would be lucky if I had made it to the gym once or twice. I would end up feeling bloated and frustrated.

So the time came for some honest internal dialogue. Why, why, why!?

Questions that start with a why, usually require the answer to start “because”. During a coaching session, this can cause the client to subconsciously feel that they are having to justify themselves. So as I coach I try to avoid asking these types of questions unless I specifically want to explore with the client’s the true reason for their desire to achieve something.

Here is how my internal Why conversation went:-

  • Why do I want to go to the gym? –  Because it’s good for me.
  • Why is it good for you? – Because to strengthens your body and more importantly for me, my heart.
  • Why more importantly for you?- Because my mother died from a heart attack at 45
  • Why is that age resonating with you? – Because I have just turned 39 and I now realise how young 45 really is!
  • Why else is going to the gym important? – Because my father has vascular dementia, so watching my weight, cholesterol and keeping fit will help me avoid suffering from the same condition.
  • Why else is going to the gym going to benefit you? – It will help me keep in shape, which will help my confidence levels.
  • Why are your confidence levels so important to you? – Erm I’m a confidence coach, so if I can’t keep my confidence up how can I expect my clients to! :-)

So now, I go to the gym 5 times a week. It’s the right balance for me because I just do it every weekday and have the whole weekend to relax and recover. By using the power of “why” I was also able to add weight to the importance so that I kept understanding some of reason for going to the gym.