One of my favorite movies as a young man was “Robin Hood, Men in Tights.” This classic had everything you needed, a great cast, a great story line, and absurdity. The scene that always sticks out to me is when Robin Hood meets Little Jon. Little Jon asks for a toll to cross his bridge. Then Little Jon says the line that makes me laugh every time I hear it, “tolls are tolls and rolls are rolls, if we don’t get no tolls then we don’t eat no rolls.” This reminds me of the gym and how we set our goals. It also just happens to rhyme.

I know this blog is starting strange yet if you are still with me hang in there. I have met thousands of athletes, lifters, and general public in my decades of training people and most did not have set goals. Then they found a trainer or a website that helped shape their goals. This is great, yet we must remember that most people never actually reach the goals that they set for themselves. So let’s review your goals. If you have large goals, do you know level of commitment it will take to reach those goals? Too often I see people set audicous goals (which can be great), yet they don’t manage the other aspects of their lives that will help them reach those goals. Much like Little Jon we must know the small steps that will get us to our goals. Tolls=Rolls.

Let’s say your goal is to lose 20 lbs. Are you willing to share that goal with those close to you? If not then you (like Little Jon), aren’t collecting your rolls. Are you prepared to wake up early on the weekend for the extra cardio session? Are you willing to forgo the cookie table at the wedding? These are challenges that make it hard to reach your goal. We must change our habits if we wish to reach our goals, and communicating this your friends and family is important.

So worry about the rolls not the goals. Have your goals, share your goals, and each day worry more about the rolls you (and Little Jon) collect. These are the small steps, the daily habits which will help you reach your goals.

Now go set some BIG GOALS and find the small rolls to help you.

As we head into the last quarter of the year, the staff here at Union Fitness has been discussing how we can make the most of these last few months while providing you, the members, with the best experience and service possible. This past week, I asked my Powerful class to use one word to describe the class. Some of the words that were written down were “Complete”, “Community”, “Empowering”, “Welcoming”, “Quality”, and “Valuable”. These words describe exactly what we strive to provide each and every day. If these words were not thought of by our members, then we simply haven’t done our job.

Going forward, we want to continue to provide these things, while also continuing to grow and evolve. In order to do this, we would like your help. Regardless of if you take classes, personal training, or have a fitness center or strength lab membership, we would like your input and feedback on how we can continue to be the best gym in Pittsburgh. One thing that would assist us in this is by giving us your top 1-2 goals going into the end of the year and leading into the beginning of the next. While most people wait until the new year to establish their goals, we want to set these goals right now in order to finish the year strong and get ahead of the game.

Although most of your goals may consist of things inside of the gym, remember that they don’t necessarily have to. We want to help you to be the best complete individual you can be. This means establishing goals that will also help you in your daily life and routine. Remember, exercise and training should be full circle. When you walk out of the doors here at Union Fitness, you should feel motivated and prepared to apply that same approach to everything in your 24 hour day.

So over the next week, write down your goals, any quality ideas you have, and even one word that comes to mind when you think of Union Fitness and what it has to offer. Then send us a message or stop in to see us so we can continue to grow as a community.

– Curtis Miller