Remember to Keep Moving the Dirt

I was recently having a conversation with a new personal trainer. He was having a hard time getting his clients to see the big picture, to get over the need for quick fixes and unrealistic results. The conversation turned towards one of my favorite training analogies, moving a pile of dirt.

If you can imagine training, or better yet working towards your goals, like moving a big pile of dirt, you’re going to be successful in the long term. The idea is that as long as you move some dirt every day, you’re headed in the right direction. Sometimes you’ll get a big shovel full, sometimes you’ll get a teaspoon. The important thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter how much dirt you move, just that you’re moving dirt at all. 

Moving dirt can come in many forms too. It can be anything from a solid eight hours of sleep, having a big salad with dinner or just making it to the gym - regardless of what your training session looks like. We’re all really good at picking out where we do poorly. Instead, I think we should be trying to notice the positive habits. The things that move dirt and help us, instead of only seeing the negative. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain