Train Like an Olympic Athlete this Summer: Be Your Best, Work Hard, Have Fun

Olympic fever is in full force this summer as the best of the best compete for gold at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. This defining event is when athletes from across the world represent their countries by competing in more than 30 different sporting events and leaving it all on the line to accomplish greatness.

Take the opportunity this Olympic season to elevate your fitness routine and realize record results. To enhance your workouts this summer, train like an Olympic athlete by including the following three elements into your fitness routine.

Dedication: Be The Best At What You Do

You may not have been born with Olympic genes and natural physique, but you do hold the ability to be the best at whatever you put your heart, mind and soul into. You can demonstrate your dedication to living a healthy and fit lifestyle by scheduling daily workouts and giving your best efforts during your designated workout time. To increase your fitness dedication efforts, enlist the help of a workout buddy to ensure accountability or use electronic tools such as alarms and mobile workout trackers to maintain a healthy fitness schedule dedicated to helping you look better, feel better and perform better than you ever thought possible.

Determination: Work Hard Toward Your Goals

Olympic athletes don’t just set goals – they stick with their goals even when they may be tough to maintain at times. Living a fit and healthy lifestyle takes work and some workouts will inevitably be better than others. The key to determination is sticking with your fitness routine, working through the tough workouts, enjoying the good workouts, always keeping your end goals in sight, and celebrating your successes along the way. By writing down your goals and visualizing successful results, you can establish a determined Olympic athlete mind-set that can help you accomplish extraordinary results.

Desire: Have Fun, Love What You Do

Desire drives results. The best athletes love what they do and hold a burning desire to continue bettering their efforts and realizing real results. You will never reach your full potential in any sport, competition or fitness program if you don’t love what you’re doing. To ultimately succeed in establishing a healthy and fit lifestyle, it is important to uncover what motivates you, inspires you and drives you to succeed. Whether it’s joining a small group fitness environment, training for an endurance event or expanding your strength training with a personal trainer, find what you love and have fun celebrating your successes.

Once you become dedicated to changing your lifestyle, getting active, eating healthy and feeling better, you will start to realize and appreciate all of the little victories in life that can quickly add up to ultimately reaching your fitness goals and aspirations. By incorporating the three Olympic athlete characteristics discussed above into your fitness routine, you will be on the road to accomplishing greatness this summer.

Our local Fitness Together studio is dedicated to further helping you train like an Olympic athlete by hosting a 2012 Summer Games in-studio competition where you can compete for gold medal status and exceed your personal bests in weekly fitness challenges. Fitness Together challenges you to compete like an Olympian, test your strength, endurance and overall athleticism during this eight-week fitness event running July 24-September 18. Call or come into our local Fitness Together studio this month for more information about digging deep and fueling your competitive drive during the 2012 Summer Olympics. 

provided by:

Kelly Huggins, A-CPT

Exercise Science, B.S.

Fitness Together - Fitness/Nutrition Coach