What's your B.A.M?
Bare. Arse. Minimum.
I use this term when talking to new clients who are first starting out or clients who are struggling with time or motivation.
Basically what you are doing is finding the minimum you are willing to do to achieve something.
Think of it as a set of non-negotiable rules.
You might decide to not drink on a school night or commit to a minimum of 3 training sessions a week.
Of course you can do more, you can stop drinking all together or you can train 5 days a week. The magic in B.A.M is when things are not going well.
The idea of BAM is to help you through the tough times. It is inevitable that you are going to go through times of self doubt, frustration, sickness injury the list goes on. The reality though, is that it will not last for forever. You just need to be able to ride out the tough times, and knowing and committing to your BAM helps with this.
When ever you set out a goal for yourself, also plan out what your B.A.M is. Look at all the things that are going to potentially stop you from achieving your goal and then work out what the minimum you need to do to get through that tough period is.
An example might be that you have a goal of losing weight and know you have a long weekend planned with a group of friends. You know that it will probably be pretty boozy with lots of yummy food.
So your B.A.M might be to go for a walk in the morning before everything kicks off and make sure you are drinking at least 3 litres of water each day. No, you are not going to burn lots of calories or lose loads of weight but you will maintain some control of your habits.
Your B.A.M shouldn't stop you from “having fun” and should not require too much motivation. What it will do though is help you stay on track so you don’t completely lose sight of your goal.
Now that the year is in full swing, things are going to come up that are going to effect your health and fitness journey. So figure out what your B.A.M is for your nutrition, exercise and mindset. These will then become your set of non-negotiable rules to help you when shit hits the fan!
Be Consistent
Scott Flint