I want to learn Spanish for a few reasons.
Reason number one: learning new things keeps your brain sharp. We only have a finite time on earth, so why not learn and experience as much as you can?
Reason number two: everyone speaks English. People in Spain do, people in China do, and heck, even my cab driver in Aruba spoke about four different languages. As Americans, we're behind the curve. Also, please don’t give me the bull that if you want to be in this country, you should only speak English. Yes, English is good to know, but don’t confuse ignorance with alleged superiority. Expand your mind.
Reason number three: Latina girls are just so cute. I mean come on. Unfortunately, I’m a busy guy. I have three jobs, I write for my website, and I'm working on a magazine for Aspen, the gym I work at. I wake up at 4:30 a.m. most days to get to Syracuse University by 6:00 a.m. to help out with the softball team. Then I have lacrosse followed by rowing. I'm usually there until 2:00 p.m. After that, it’s over to Aspen to train until around 7:00 p.m. on most days. On the days when I'm not at Syracuse, I'm in Cortland all day teaching a personal training class at the college or working with my clients there. I also take a class there to work on clearing up some prerequisites for graduate school. When I do have free time, I like to relax and “get my nerd on” by reading big fitness books that have words like 'Golgi tendon organ' and 'lower body cross syndrome' or push-up. I know—mind boggling, right? So where in the world am I going to find time to pick up this new Spanish learning habit?
I drive a lot, and I like to listen to music. What to do? What to do? On my way to Syracuse and on my way to Cortland, I now listen to Spanish music. It’s a start, right? That’s all we need—a start. While I may not be fluent yet, I'm able to say something romantic to a Latina girl en Espanol (gracias Spanish R&B).
Habit change is hard. I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one who is busy. I have to thank you for taking the time out of your day just to read this. It's also true that I have been part of the “change problem” with my clients in the past, asking them to do too much too quickly. This is setting most people up for failure. I've been shown the error of my ways and must adapt. I must change in order to be a more effective coach.
Adopt one new habit and you have an 85 percent chance of success. Adopt two new habits and you have a 35 percent chance of success. Adopt three new habits and your chance of success goes down to 10 percent. The more new habits we try piling on at once, the greater the chance we have of failing. Sure, you may be motivated to change, but if the path toward change is too daunting, you won’t go down it.
In the past, I’ve looked at clients' diets and said that we have to change everything. That works for a little while and they lose weight, but willpower is like a muscle. You keep working it hard enough and it will get fatigued. Our willpower will only take us so far before it runs out.
I had tried Spanish instant immersion CDs, and they worked when I wasn’t so busy. However, when I had tried to do it on my way to Cortland or Syracuse, I’d find my mind wandering, and I’d pop out the CD and listen to the radio. My willpower was small, and I failed at change because of this. It may sound simple—listen to a CD—but if that’s something that I can fail at because I ran out of willpower, you may now see how easy it is to run out of willpower when someone tells you to exercise four times a week for an hour, eat more vegetables, eat less grains, eat more lean protein, drink more water, and eat less processed foods. This becomes problematic when Betty from work brings in bagels every Tuesday and you’ve been participating in Bagel Tuesday every Tuesday for the last year. That’s a habit that will be hard to break, especially when a tasty looking cinnamon raisin bagel is staring you right in the face.
One habit at a time—that’s my new approach. I have to give thanks to John Berardi who introduced this approach to me through his website and videos. Books like Switch by the Heath brothers have also helped me to change the way I help clients change. So here is where you start—one habit at a time.
While a client's diet may be sub-par, I will tell him something like this: “Can you eat one cup of vegetables with every meal?” If he says yes, I go with this. If he isn't certain, I make it easier—“Can you have half a cup of vegetables with every meal?” I keep making it easier until compliance is a certainty. I’ve just made the path toward healthy habit changes not so scary. All I have to do is eat half a cup of vegetables with every meal. Easy. Consider it done. We'll do that for two weeks and then I’ll ask if he can increase the amount of vegetables he eats to one cup a meal. By then, the client has had his victories. For two weeks, he's done exactly what I’ve asked of him. He's succeeded. Maybe his motivation is a little higher and he's more open toward bigger change. So instead of facing a terrifying life change, you’re faced with one small change.
Once eating vegetables has become a habit, I can now start addressing a new habit. For example, “Can you only eat processed food in one meal a day?” If he isn't certain, I’ll move it up to twice a day, and I’ll keep making it easier until success is easy for the client.
I’ve changed. Instead of taking a bulldozer to bad health, I’m now using a pick axe, slowly chipping away at bad habits. This gives people victories in the short run. It ensures that they will have constant progress and, in the long run, will live much healthier lives. I make the path to success easy. If my clients can follow it until the end, they will see lasting health improvements. If I can change the way I coach, I believe everyone can change the way they live if they truly want to. Email me about where to start with yourself or with your clients at justin.kompf90@gmail.com.