Every Damn Day

If you’ve seen one of our social media posts or come to one of our free workouts, you’ve likely read or heard the phrase “Every Damn Day.” Yeah, it’s aggressive. It’s direct. It’s a statement, not a question. And, maybe it’s a bit in your face. But, it’s one of our Dirty South Fit mottos because it describes our approach to health, fitness and life. But in a practical sense, what does “Every Damn Day” actually mean?

Over the last 5 years, I’ve trained upwards of 400 clients. And, of those 400, at least half treated fitness and nutrition like it had a deadline. “I need to lose weight for my wedding in 3 months.” “I have a beach trip coming up, so I want to get in shape.” “My friends are doing a food challenge, so I just need to eat good stuff for the next 4 weeks to win the challenge.” Any of these sound familiar? (I guess “every damn day” could actually describe how often I heard statements like this.) My goal for each of these guys was to shift their focus away from the idea that fitness has a deadline and instead promote the concept of sustainability.

The one thing about fitness with a deadline is that once the deadline passes, the client inevitably backslides. Every time. But when you approach fitness as something that’s sustainable, you don’t have to worry about backsliding. When it becomes part of your routine, part of your habit, you don’t have to get ready. You’ll always be ready.

For us, “Every Damn Day” doesn’t mean you have to go try and set a new personal record every day or even work out every day. For us, it means, make fitness sustainable.

How’s that?

Be intentional with your behavior.

Plan your workout days and your rest days in advance. When you rest, make it part of your program, not out of complacency.

Meal prepping is one of the best ways to be intentional with your nutrition. Cook big meals on Sunday evening you’ll have healthy leftovers throughout the week.

Being intentional also means allowing for celebration. There’s room for wedding cake and drinks with friends. But be intentional about it. If you’re going out on Saturday for cocktails, you have to be on point with your nutrition and exercise during the week.

Show some restraint.

You may want that donut, but you don’t NEED that donut. Back away.

Don’t get caught off guard.

Vacations, holidays and work trips are the easiest way to fall off the fitness wagon. So how do you avoid that trap? Plan ahead. Bring a jump rope and an exercise band with you. Set up some bodyweight workout routines you know you’ll be able to do anywhere. Bring healthy snacks so you don’t get tempted to eat garbage. Plan for the worst and you’ll be ready for anything.

Be adaptable.

This can be a tough one. If you always workout in the morning and your boss calls an early meeting, it can throw off your fitness routine. Although it might be easier, your objective isn’t to workout in the morning, but rather to just workout – whether that’s in the am, a quick run at lunch or a bodyweight workout at home after work. Learn to be adaptable and it’ll be easier to overcome the inevitable obstacles.

Accept that things don’t always go to plan.

You may have the best plan. You’ve meal prepped, you’ve got your workouts and rest days scheduled, you bring healthy snacks and a change of clothes to work and you have plenty of exercise options ready. Yet, despite all the prep, life still gets in the way. When this happens, know that it’s okay. Getting back on track is just as easy as it was to fall off.  

Forgive yourself. Get back up. Refocus. Understand that the plan may have failed, but that doesn’t make you a failure. The best thing about this is that there’s another opportunity for you to make a positive impact on your life “every damn day.”

Kevin Snodgrass

NASM - CPT, CES