Mastering Self-Discipline: The Key to Achieving Your Fitness and Personal Goals

How much of your success is determined by the ability to delay gratification? Join me, Rob Maxwell, as we dissect the pivotal role of self-discipline in not just meeting, but surpassing your long-term fitness and personal ambitions. We'll challenge Webster's traditional definitions of discipline and explore a fresh perspective: discipline as a self-initiated journey essential for personal growth. Tune in as I share intriguing conversations, including insights from military training, to question whether discipline can truly be taught or if it springs from within. 

Discover the secret to maintaining a robust fitness and nutrition regimen amidst life's chaos. Learn why early morning cardio might be your best friend and how committing to strength training twice a week can be a game-changer. We’ll discuss practical strategies for making disciplined nutritional choices, even when you're on the road. The takeaway? Consistency in fitness and diet arises from the unwavering practice of self-discipline. Get ready to harness this power and transform your health goals into reality.

Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to. There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell, I'm an exercise physiologist and a personal trainer. I own Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work or don't work. Today I'm going to talk about the ugly D word, discipline. Really shouldn't be ugly, though. I mean we can learn discipline to an extent and we can absolutely learn why it is so important and why lacking it might be one of the root causes to the problems we might be having. Before I get to that, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. Look, they're committed to providing the highest level of customer service and home selling and they have the sales and reviews to back it up. And, most importantly, I think I personally vouch for them because I believe in them. So give them a shout. 386-451-2412.

Speaker 1: 1:21

So let's first start out by using Old Webster to see what the definition of discipline is, and then I'm going to give you my definition and see if I agree completely with what Old Webster is telling us. The first definition is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior using punishment to correct disobedience. That's one definition. Another one that is also considered a noun is a branch of knowledge. Typically one is studied in higher education. Yeah, really just dislike that definition even more than the first one. And then finally, the verb version from Mr Webster. Was he a doctor? Eh, who knows, mr or Dr Webster, train someone to obey rules or a code of behavior using punishment to correct disobedience. Many parents have been afraid to discipline their children, as in quotations as an example of their Mr or Dr Webster's definition of discipline. So I vary from that a little bit, because in the first definition the second one I just think is silly talking about like it as a kind of a way to educate, but the first one talking about that teaching people discipline through punishment or reward, teaching people discipline through punishment or reward. You know that definition. I don't fully agree on that. So I think let me just state here that my definition of discipline is doing the right thing now. Putting off any gratification, like that really is what discipline is and you really have to be self-disciplined in that. That's why I think that the definition of like teaching people to be disciplined through punishment or reward isn't really discipline. I mean, maybe it's a way to learn discipline, like, maybe I don't know that that's always true, but maybe that's a way to learn discipline. But unless you're doing it for your own greater good and delaying gratification, so putting off what feels best right now for what's better tomorrow or down the road, really didn't learn discipline. You are simply trying to get something, manipulating the other person's behavior to get what you want, or you're trying to avoid something, manipulating the behavior to not get what you don't want. Maybe, again, if it's taught and you learn it, then maybe that kind of enters into the definition of discipline. But I don't know. But I do know that discipline, as far as the way I see it, and especially when we're talking self-discipline, which is what I'm talking about, is that you have the discipline, you have the ability, you have the want, you have the desire to put off what might feel right right now in order to be better tomorrow or the next day. That is what a discipline is. That's the definition I want you to pay attention to and ask yourself if you really have that discipline. And ask yourself if you really have that discipline Now.

Speaker 1: 5:34

I was having a discussion this morning out on my run about this topic and the person brought up, say, the military. So a lot of military individuals, whether retired or in, have discipline. Individuals, whether retired or in, have discipline. But we were talking about whether or not discipline can be taught and the person brought up a great point, that one person we know pretty well they were a client that when they were in the military like well, they're still in, were in the military, like well, they're still in.

Speaker 1: 6:07

But when they were going through boot camp and going through where they're constantly forced to show behaviors of discipline, they were because, I mean, they didn't get written up or they didn't get in trouble. So they were doing all of the things they had to do to show discipline. So they were waking up on time, they were making their bed, they were out for their PT at the right time, they did what they were supposed to do there. They you know, if you don't know the military routine, that's kind of it and you know, after their PT they only have a certain amount of time to shower, they only have a certain amount of time to eat their breakfast, then they have to be back for their drills and things like that. So basic training is extremely structured and requires a lot of discipline. They did it when they were there. I mean they had to because, again, they got through it. If they didn't do it they wouldn't have gotten through it.

Speaker 1: 7:06

But then we just know, based on speaking to their family members, when they got back home on breaks they demonstrated zero discipline. They let their, you know, body kind of like do what it wanted to do, meaning they didn't shave, they really didn't brush or comb their hair very much, they weren't showering like they were, they slept most of the mornings away, they weren't helping out around the house. It took a crane to pull them out of the house to go exercise and I think they even gain like maybe 10 pounds on a break. So you know, can discipline be taught? I mean maybe. I mean I mean I think everything could be taught. Personally, I mean I'm a you know, I'm a social scientist as well. You know my first degree's in psychology, so I studied the social sciences and I do know that, like everything can be learned, everything can be taught. It's just to what degree, you know.

Speaker 1: 8:12

And obviously in this case it showed that however long this training was and then they had school too. So like they actually had more of an opportunity to be more disciplined or to learn more discipline, but that didn't take, because when they came back on breaks they just did whatever the heck they wanted to do when they wanted to do it, and that's the basically the opposite of discipline. But I do think it can be learned. I just think to what degree. Like you know how much of this is innate, how much of this is necessity. I think that's a big part of learning too, like when we really have to do things, we're going to be more disciplined. So there's always that component too. So let's just leave that one as, yeah, we believe that it can be taught and learned, but to what extent depends a little bit on other factors like necessity, motivation and probably some innate personality type stuff which is pretty much in the DNA or shaped pretty early in life as personality is. So we have that.

Speaker 1: 9:21

But now, why is discipline a good thing? Well, I mean discipline. You hear the definition of it. Like my definition of it is you are delaying the gratification for the good of yourself down the road. I mean, that's obviously a good thing. You know they've been talking about this forever. I don't want to butcher the quote, but I know Marcus Aurelius, the famous Stoic, made a quote and again I'm going to butcher it, but I'll give you the gist of it, which was why should I lay here in bed all morning? When I need to get up and do what I'm supposed to do, is my life not more than laying under the sheets? Again, it was something to that effect right, that effect right. We get the gist. Basically, he's saying that like if I lay here all day I'm just a slug and life is a lot more than laying in bed, like we have stuff to do. So discipline is a great thing. I mean, self-discipline really gets us more of what we really want. It's just hard and so many people don't know how to delay the gratification. But I can say, once you learn it, it's really difficult to go back like you don't want to go back. So discipline is just. Self-discipline is a good thing. You will learn, you will get more of what you want to get without the complications of not being disciplined. That's why it's such a good thing. You're going to get to where you want to be.

Speaker 1: 11:07

Now this is a podcast about health and fitness and wellness, so obviously self-discipline is going to. We have to do our cardiorespiratory exercise and when I say have to, I get it like it's a choice, but like we really do have to. I think everybody knows now that aerobic or cardio exercise is critical to good health and fitness. I mean it's even now recommended, not just by the fitness folks, right? I mean there's not a doctor out there that won't be telling their patients they need to walk, right. So cardio is important. It is good for us Now.

Speaker 1: 12:34

If you live in the South, if you live in Florida, and I'd argue even in the Northeast, it's been really warm. I just got back from New York and it was in the 90s and we got out early because it was hot up there as well. But if you get up now and you don't do your cardio outside, if that's what you do I'm talking about for the people that train outdoors, I mean, forget trying to do it later You're being very undisciplined. If you put it off because you tell yourself you're going to do it on your lunch break or you're going to do it after work, and if that's the case and you're not following the 7 to 7 rule which states get all of your cardio done if you're training outdoors by 7 o'clock in the morning and don't start it until after 7 pm, because it is simply too hot and humid and it's not a matter of just sucking it up. It's undisciplined to try to do it when it's warm out.

Speaker 1: 13:43

For two reasons. Number one you're not going to do it. I mean most likely you're not going to do it. You're going to say, oh, I want to sleep in this morning. I have to be at work at eight o'clock. So if I'm going to do this run or this power walk, then I need to be out the door by 530 to get it in, because I have to shower, of course, hopefully, and I'm going to feed my kids or feed my pets, whatever your chores are.

Speaker 1: 14:12

We all have chores. I'm going to have to do it that early to get it in and that would take discipline to do right, because you know you have to get it in and that would take discipline to do right, because you know you have to get it in early because it's too hot. You also know you have stuff to do immediately afterwards or before, however it works. You know. But you have chores to do. We all do. Takes discipline to do it.

Speaker 1: 14:36

But if you exercise that discipline, then, number one, the rest of your day is so much better because you start out with a real win, something that says you know what? That was hard. I wanted to sleep in. I didn't have the greatest nights of sleep last night. I was kept up by whatever. My AC broke, this happened, that happened, whatever and you go. You know what. I can lay here in bed and think about this and complain about this, which is going to get me nowhere, because I'm really not sleeping anyway, or I can get up and get this done and have a win. I'm driving to work and I go, no matter what happens.

Speaker 1: 15:18

Today, I have a win because I did my cardio exercise and I did it when I should do it. That is a win. That takes discipline, you know. Is that what most people do? No, I mean, of course not. I mean most people are not exercising at the minimum recommendation of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Less than 30% people are actually doing it in general, let alone doing it at the right time. And yes, there is a right time, because if you don't do it, you're probably not going to do it. That's the bottom line You're not going to do it. That's the bottom line. You're not going to do it.

Speaker 1: 16:05

And if you say, oh, that's not true, you know I'm a masochist I'm going to get out there at 12 o'clock and do my power walk, it's like, well, you know what? That's not overly disciplined either, because that's not good for you. I mean, you're really going to take a chance with the heat, which isn't healthy. And even if you do get through it because you drink enough fluids and all that, so you remain relatively safe, you're not going to have a good workout and you're going to delay recovery for the next day. Like, getting it in at the wrong time of day isn't necessarily disciplined because it will impact your recovery.

Speaker 1: 16:41

If you're doing, say, a 30-minute run or walk or power walk or whatever you do maybe you do rowing and you get out early so if you're doing that and you're doing it before the sun comes up, so you still have a good 10 to 15 degrees Well, more than that leeway in the heat, you know then your body is going to recover, which is good. You're going to get your hydration afterwards and you're going to be ready to go the next day. It's a big difference if you say, do that at 12 o'clock, whatever those activities are, that you do Same duration in the exercise. You do same duration in the exercise and now, all of a sudden, your body has probably taken at least twice as long to recover, because there's such a thing as cardiac creep. So once the heat sets in, it elevates your heart rate substantially, which requires more energy to bring your heart rate down.

Speaker 1: 17:36

And then you're really setting yourself up to go through a process where your body's trying to recover just from that 30-minute workout you did in the middle of the day in June, july, august, september, which is just really unnecessary and it's not disciplined, okay. So I think I made the point of how important discipline is and that's just in the sense of cardio, and I really picked on the fact that it's not just about doing it, it's about doing it at the most appropriate time, which takes discipline, because it is not easy to get up and get going for some people. For me it's not overly difficult. So I'm not going to say, give myself a pat on the back for the discipline. I mean maybe it is. But myself a pat on the back for the discipline, I mean maybe it is, but it's also just the fact I've learned through the years that I'm way better off if I do it. So now it's just discipline has become habit.

Speaker 1: 18:31

But there's other aspects, right. So discipline says you know, rob tells me that I got to get in at least two days a week of my strength training. Well, you know what? I get it. I mean I get it and I don't get it. Like I totally can empathize with people to where that is difficult, because there's things for me in my life you know I'm trying to think off the top of my head, head I know there are things in my life that I'm like ah man, two times a week, like I don't, I don't want to do that but I do it and that requires discipline. Now for me the strength training doesn't require discipline because I love to do it and I also have the benefit of having a gym. So you know that's convenient for me. So again, I'm not going to give myself a pat on the back for having to exercise that discipline because it's easy for me. But I understand that for some people it is. It does take discipline to say he says I need to get in at least two times a week of strength training. You know I don't feel like it. You know I got this going on at the end of the week blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 1: 19:35

And you don't exercise your discipline muscles and you do what's more convenient, whether it be go fishing or, you know, take a road trip somewhere. I mean, all these things are great and fine, but we also have to say but I still need to do this too. That's going to require discipline. That doesn't mean we don't take a trip here or there. I'm talking about like on a regular basis. We have to exercise our discipline muscles to say, you know, I would rather take a trip up the coast and you know, see the coastline, you know, and I'm supposed to train with Rob or a trainer somewhere else, but you know what it's not going to hurt to do this. Yeah, that's not really exercising a lot of discipline, right? Because we know to get benefits from strength training, we need to be consistent. If you're overall consistent, great. If you're not and you have consistency issues, my bet is you have discipline issues if you have consistency issues, because consistency will come from discipline exercised over and over and over.

Speaker 1: 20:38

And now let's look at food. I mean, to eat right requires discipline. I mean, you know, if we're traveling and we stop somewhere at one of these you know, basically mini malls with gas pumps, which is all buckies and wawas are you know like you could get every food known to man, except for healthy food of course. We looked at it one day that the cheapest item in a wawa is a banana. I found that funny, like the one relatively healthy food is the cheapest thing in there. Because nobody buys it. Sadly, but I do. I get bananas at wawa, but anyway it. Sadly, but I do. I get bananas at Wawa.

Speaker 1: 21:20

But anyway, we're going to have to exercise our discipline muscles to say you know what, I'm not going to get that Frappuccino with a Cool Whip on the top because that looks like that's the only thing here. Well, that's not disciplined. You could have been more disciplined and said before we go on this road trip we know there's not going to be very many healthy stops along the way. So you know what? I'm going to boil some hard-boiled eggs and I'm going to have egg whites or eggs. I'm going to have some oatmeal already prepared. I'm going to have some sourdough with peanut butter sandwiches in the back. So we could have exercised our discipline muscles and done that ahead of time. But we can also exercise them at the time and say, look, I'm going to be disciplined here because I don't want to have to pay in a negative way for this in the future, because you will.

Speaker 1: 22:13

I mean, you know, weight loss and weight gain isn't as mysterious as people try to make it out to be, which, honestly, I really think they know that. It's just an excuse that they don't want to do what they're supposed to do because it's hard. It takes discipline to eat right. It takes discipline to eat just enough and not too much. It takes discipline. But anywhere you go, you can exercise discipline. You can go.

Speaker 1: 22:37

We went to a Yankee game in New York, obviously I mean obviously, as in that's where Yankee Stadium is. Hopefully everybody on the planet knows that. Well, maybe not Everybody in the United States better know that, but anyway, there are, you know, horrible choices and there are decent choices. I would say there are no great choices to eat healthy at a baseball game. I found a black bean burger there that I ate. So that took discipline. I mean, I wouldn't say that it took discipline to turn down the hot dog, because I think hot dogs are maybe the most grotesque food item ever produced on the planet. So that didn't take discipline. But I can tell you what, looking at some of that other stuff, you know, chicken fingers looked pretty darn good, right, I mean they're fried, they look good. You know, they're relatively lower in price compared to the healthier foods. So it took discipline to go. Nah, man, I can't eat that crap. I'm not going to eat those trans fats. You know, I'm not going to eat that junk. That's just fried, blah, blah, blah. It takes discipline to turn it down.

Speaker 1: 23:51

Some people might say, oh, I'm on vacation, you know, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that. Well, that's just not very disciplined. The bottom line is pleasure doesn't lead to happiness. So we're fooled when we think I'm giving into this. We really think it's going to make our life better if we do that, right. But it's not like. That's not what leads to a good life. It's doing good things and having great memories, right? Isn't that what really leads to a good life? You know, doing good things and having great memories.

Speaker 1: 24:26

So, like down the road, 10 years down the road, if you're talking to somebody and you say, oh yeah, I remember we went to that Yankee game, you know it's going to be oh yeah, I had a hot dog and a Coke. Like you're not going to remember what you ate because it doesn't matter. I mean, that's just bodily needs, what you need at the time. You know it's going to feel good for five minutes and then after that, basically that's it. That doesn't mean you can't allow a treat here or there, and that doesn't mean you can't allow a treat here or there. That doesn't mean that. It just means that it's not as impactful as you think in a positive way. You're probably going to remember oh, I remember that. That was the game that the team won or the team lost. That was the game where a fly ball came at us and we caught it. You know, you're going to remember the memories. You're going to remember the good times. You're not going to remember, or maybe you remember the bad times. That's still memories. Like you got oh, I remember that game. We got stuck in this traffic jam, whatever which probably turns into a good memory too, because you got a funny jokes out of it.

Speaker 1: 25:29

But it's not the food you eat. It's not the time you slept in and skipped your workout. Not the time you slept in and skipped your workout. It's not the time you gave in to, like alcohol which, by the way, substance abuse is not a discipline issue, that is a disease. So I don't want you to confuse that.

Speaker 1: 25:47

But how we eat requires discipline. Whether and what time we exercise requires discipline, and the bottom line is we just have to understand that. We have to delay the gratification and say I don't need what I think I need right now. In 12-step programs they always say and I agree with it, feelings aren't facts Like you're probably not hungry, you're probably bored, you're probably not tired, you're probably lazy. So a lot of times how we feel shouldn't really matter. It's about, like, what you're doing and what is good for you tomorrow or the next day.

Speaker 1: 26:33

It's easy to skip things, but we're being kind of like fooled by ourselves. We have to be more objective and do the things for the right reasons, because you're not going to necessarily feel better if you give in to these things that require discipline. You're going to feel worse. All right, Hope that helps. Hope that's some motivation and some tips to get rolling this week. And now let me thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach Bar, none the best garage door service in the state of Florida, and we're lucky to have it here, owned by Jeff and Zach Hawk, who I also personally vouch for. They can be reached at overheaddoordaytonacom. Please remember to download these episodes because that helps me with my numbers. Please share it to your own social media and please send it to friends. It helps me greatly and I appreciate it. Until next time, be max fit and be max well.