One of the annoying things about being a Personal Trainer is having clients who are new to bodybuilding and gym who constantly ask or tell me about some amazing new routine or product they have seen. My very nice client Daniele (his real name) is one of these. Every day he arrives breathless with excitement brandishing his new book, product, training regime, dietary wonder, piece of gym equipment, fat burner, energy giver, muscle builder, hair re-grower, body fat measurer, joint strengthener etc etc. He’s just eating carbs, nothing but protein, only soup, once a day, all day, and every way. Most of these brilliant items come to naught, just as I always knew they would. However, just to show me what a complacent smart arse I am, every now and again, one of my clients introduces me to something that really captures my attention. After continuous quotes by Daniele from his latest life changing find, a book by Tom Ventuo called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, I decided I ought to give it a read. As with most “self help” books I dismissed large swathes of it immediately but also acknowledged the validity of many of his ideas and strategies One phrase, however, caught my eye. Ventuo believes in speeding up the metabolism (as do I) and that momentum is vital when trying to maximise fat loss. I’m with him on this concept too.The phrase he uses to illustrate this idea is “Spin the top every day.” I love this image. The children’s toy, a Spinning Top, is the perfect allegory to help one imagine and visualise this concept. The Spinning Top will only stay upright and functioning if you continue to spin it, if you neglect to do this it slows down and eventually falls over. To think of your metabolism in this way is extremely helpful in making you train with regularity and eat with consistency. Why is this image so important? Because EVERYTHING we do physically starts with a mental (sometimes an emotional) decision. After a long, hard, frustrating day at work the thought of having a relaxing cold beer or just mooching at home with the family is an enticing one. We know we should actually go do the cardio session we had planned to do......but sod it. So what is it that lessens the chance of choosing the lazy option and increases the chance of opting for the tougher gym option? The answer is; Having a clear understanding of what it takes to achieve the goals we have set ourselves in the gym. Having a phrase like “Spin the top everyday” helps clarify what we need to do to be successful. So the next time you have the option of pressing Snooze on the morning alarm, or getting up and going to the gym, thank Daniele, Tom (and me), say out loud, Spin the top everyday, haul your candy ass out of bed and get winning!