A Common Delusion

"You can't hire someone else to do your pushups for you" Jim Rohn

What a fantastic opinion. It's so true.

Many people have been conditioned over time to believe there is some 'magic pill' that will get them into the shape they want to be in. Everywhere you turn bright-spark marketers are being paid very large sums of money to advertise these products. But does any of it work?

Unfortunately, no.

Others would like to believe that by hiring a personal trainer they are guaranteed success, or by throwing money at a problem it will go away?

Again, no.

It doesn't matter how many pushups someone else does - the buck stops with us.

I'm not trying to be negative or absolve my responsibility as a trainer. Far from it. I'm just telling it as it is.

There is no magic formula. No pixie dust. Just good old fashioned passion, grit and determination. This might be a hard pill to swallow but anyone that says otherwise is either delusional or a liar.

There millions of 'fitness products' on the market that promise great results for very little effort but in reality it just doesn't work like that! Take Newtons third law of motion for example; For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore the effort we exert must deliver us must deliver directly proportionate results. It is law.

The long and short of it is, training is hard - it should take you to an uncomfortable place. Most people will never commit to going outside their comfort levels on a consistent basis and that is why most people must settle for mediocrity. It is up to us to decide how uncomfortable we want to be.

Besides, if we could wave magic wands that suddenly make us 'perfect' would we appreciate it? My guess is no.

It's not about the destination, it's the journey.

A Belief In Fitness

The more I learn about my industry and the benefits of it the more I love it. Fitness has the potential to create wonderful things in peoples lives.

First, before I start to explain what about why I think fitness is so great it needs to be defined. I do not know of any other article that explains what fitness is as clearly as this one. Yes, it is a long read but it will change the way you perceive fitness forever. I highly recommend it.

I honestly believe the next major breakthrough in medical science will come through the medium of fitness or some derivative of fitness. We have reached the point where life expectancy is longer than ever but quality of life in our last years is deteriorating at a rapid pace. We are being kept alive by pills and potions to allow us to sit in front of the television a few more years. For me that's not living, it's waiting to die.

So how do we live?

Well, we train for improved capacity across many areas. Not neglecting certain aspects of fitness in favour of others so we can be ready to do whatever life demands of us. We train functional capacity and mental strength first and foremost with a goal of achieving excellence in these areas. A life worth living and a body of great form is merely a by product of these activities. A welcome by product all the same!

But it's not just health fitness seems to improve through training. I notice it has a profound effect on the whole of peoples lives. Want to be a better parent? Train. Want that promotion? Train. Want to learn more about who you are? Train. I'm not saying that fitness is the blanket solution for being better at life but it is a solution. There are plenty of other ways to improve yourself, but when you want to look, feel and perform better I believe there is no better way than working on your fitness.

A Commitment To Excellence

This is a personal mantra of mine. I know perfection is unattainable so instead I strive for excellence. I endeavour to instil this attitude in my clients, start where you are and be better today, then again tomorrow and the next day until in just a short while you look back and you are in a completely new place.

Perhaps Henry David Thoreau put it best; "Success usually comes to those too busy to look for it." It seems to me life's most desirable rewards rarely come to those who set out in pursuit of them - but strive instead for excellence, and the rewards of life often find you.

Excellence is subjective. It is whatever you want it to be. Nobody else can define it for you. If getting out of bed everyday and eating take away all day is what you consider excellence and you do that, well then you are excellent and you are successful. But most people would never choose this as a benchmark for excellence and I don't blame them.

Decide a worthy ideal for yourself and then start work towards that goal. Commit to excellence each day and failure becomes impossible.