Lessons I've Learned in the Pursuit to Get Fit

When people ask me what I do for a living my response is always the same. I am a fitness professional. I pride myself on taking on the dutiful responsibility of coaching people through their journey to health, strength, and an overall more confident existence. As an avid fitness enthusiast myself I have learned numerous lessons in my pursuit to be my physical best. Some lessons I have had to learn more than once but as I continue on my journey I hold tight to the few "truths" I have had the pleasure of finding time and time again. Here goes...

The Development of Mental Fortitude is More Important Than the Pursuit of a Specific Physique

I will emphasize this point by telling you a story that may sound a little too familiar. My client shows up for his session one evening. He didn't get much sleep because his daughter had gotten her braces tightened the day prior and was up all night complaining about the pain (meaning he was up all night consoling her). Then he was in his car most of the day driving around to different meetings feeling like he was behind the 8 ball the whole day. Because of this jam packed schedule he didn't have time to eat lunch and therefor he wasn't properly fueled for the workout. All of these factors meant having to accept that the workout that day was not going to be an all out physical assault. It meant that a healthy dose of movement and conservative strength training were going to have to fit the bill. The key for my client was putting his mind in the right gear to stay on schedule with his workouts and then go get some rest. In this case "the program" had to take a backseat and the focus for the night was staying mentally charged and often that is the biggest win.   

Everybody Develops Differently

I have been in the fitness industry for the better part of 7 years and there is one thing I have learned without question. No two people develop in the same way. Anatomy, physiology, genetics, and specific talents vary greatly from person to person. Some people easily develop muscular legs, some arms, some shoulders. Some people get lean easily while others struggle significantly. The key in a fitness program is to disregard what everyone else looks like. Comparison is the root of all evil. The goal should be to assess what you want to improve, put the necessary work in, and commend yourself for your achievements. In life their will always be someone smarter, stronger, thinner, more muscular, more athletic, and more successful than you and getting caught up in what you don't have is counterproductive. Your journey is yours and it is the only one that should concern you.
Nutrition is EVERYTHING

Period. No matter what your fitness goal may be nutrition will be the single biggest factor in how adequately that goal is met. A solid training program is essential but without a kick ass diet to back it up you will end up spinning your wheels. Now I am not saying you have to eat absolutely 100% perfect 365 days a year but you need to be above 85% week to week. Whole natural foods, lean proteins, plenty of fruits & veggies, healthy unsaturated fats, and LOTS of water. If you think you can get a perfect physique with anything less than a perfect diet you are fooling yourself. From my experience "perfect" is not really what people ultimately strive for anyway, but pretty dang good is a very real goal. That means that your eating needs to be pretty dang good as well otherwise you will fall short. 

Habits are Hard to Break AND Develop

The products that promise 60 day abs, 90 days to shredded, and 6 week transformations are the "get rich quick" schemes of fitness. A lot of factors go into developing a solid fitness routine and a healthy lifestyle. One of the prominent factors is eliminating certain habits while implementing specific others. The truth is changing one habit that has been established over the course of many years could take as long as 6 months to break. Let's say for example this habit is going to happy hour after work and grabbing a couple beers 3X a week, or munching on potato chips in the afternoon while finishing up some work at your desk, or even waking up earlier to get your gym time in. All of these habits will take time to break and/or develop. Be patient and continue to focus on the process not the result. This will ultimately set you up for long term success.  

The Perfect Program Doesn't Exist

I have fallen into this trap myself..... more times than I care to discuss. You tell yourself that the reason you haven't seen the results you are looking for is because the program is somehow faulty. Maybe it's the tools, maybe it's the exercise selection, maybe it's the environment, and the list of excuses goes on. While some programs will be better at developing strength vs power vs endurance, etc... the reality is the perfect program is the one that allows you to be the most consistent. You know the kind of consistency that means that the only reason you miss a workout is because you're curled up on the couch with a 100 degree fever under a pile of blankets. I once heard Mike Boyle say "a crappy program that someone follows to a T will deliver better results than the most elegantly designed program that is improperly followed". This is tricky for people to believe but it is absolutely true. Set your goals and design your program accordingly. Some of the basic principles that I have found to be the heirarchy of needs for fitness success are as follows: 

1. You have to move well
2. You have to understand how to produce and absorb force
3. You have to get strong
4. You have to be mentally committed
5. You have to eat properly
6. You have to master the fundamentals
7. You have to believe the program will work
8. You have to get enough sleep

BOOM

There you go. The pillars of what I believe equates fitness success. The "truths" I have accumulated over the last 17 years of lifting and training others. Maybe this list will grow or shrink or change over the next 5 years but as for now I stand behind it. Firmly. Good luck.