Fitness Philosopher

Which Is More Important -- Knowledge or Self Motivation?

When I began this blog site, I envisioned it as a credible resource for technical aspects of health and fitness -- workout protocols, exercise technique, rest and recovery, physiology, nutrition, etc. -- with a smidgen of psychology and self-empowerment thrown in.  I envisioned this becoming a sort of "online fitness professional," with teaching so thorough that you'd be able to train yourself effectively. . . with or without a trainer in your physical presence.

Instead, it's evolved into the inverse -- a whole lot of psych and self-empowerment with a smidgen of the technical stuff -- and that's surprised me.

It's made me wonder if I have as much technical knowledge as I thought.  I mean, if I did, wouldn't the "obvious topics" be the first to come to my mind and be written about?  I wondered what was wrong with me, and if I was qualified enough to share my philosophies with you.

And then it hit me.

Maybe I haven't focused on the physical aspects of exercise because, deep down inside, I feel none of that information matters.  As a matter of fact, it's worthless.  Knowing the finer points of every aspect of training is not the holy grail that's going to lead you to improved health and fitness.  Look at all the individuals in our world who proclaim, "I know EXACTLY what I have to do to get in shape. . ." and yet continue to live unhealthy, unfit lives. 

Think about this:  There's endless literature out there that discusses the merit of different exercise regimens -- one set vs multi-set training.  "Functional" training.  Strongman training.  Super-slow lifting.  Power lifting.  There are countless web sites with geniuses spilling their knowledge about sets, reps, tempo and progression. Or about anatomy and biomechanics.  Then there's discussion about nutrition:  Atkins, Zone, Weight Watchers, nutrient timing, supplementation . . . blah, blah, blah.

These topics can be regurgitated over and over again, analyzed a million ways and understood to the N-th degree.  And none of that knowledge does any good if it's not applied.  None of this technical information is worth a dime when we don't even comply with a can't miss program that's been put together for us.

You might be asking yourself, "Is this guy really crazy (stupid?) enough to say that the technical aspects of training are insignificant?  Is he actually saying that learning the "how to" of how to train effectively is a waste of time?"

Of course I'm not.  I'm not implying that doing research, learning the details or conveying the technical aspects of fitness isn't important at all.  Of course it's important.  Very important.

• It's important for me and the other trainers to know so that we can train ourselves to get results (that whole "practice what you preach" thing).

• It's important for me and the other trainers to know so that we can effectively guide you to reach your goals. 

• It's important for you as a client to know so that you can understand what to do (and how to do it), especially if you're training on your own.

But what's MORE important is the psychology that serves as the undercurrent for successful training (and life, for that matter).  What's important is the stuff that, when you hear or read it, is so obvious and smack-you-in-the-face common sense that it's not given the attention it deserves or requires.  What's important is that you're conscious of the fact that if you don't apply the technical knowledge you've attained, you're going to come up short.  If you don't have the DESIRE to apply it, that knowledge is essentially "worthless." 

Gather knowledge.  Internalize it.  Talk about it.  More important, get up and do something with it.

Gina Kolata Is Back.

Is that good for our fight against obesity?

In a world that's increasingly fatter, every attempt to examine and understand obesity's root cause, with the intent to understand and stop the epidemic, is important.  In Rethinking Thin, NY Times science writer Gina Kolata tackles the issue, but I'm concerned that the message isn't necessarily a good one.

Essentially, her message is that a majority of individuals trying to lose weight are wasting their time because genetics has predisposed them to a specific weight range.  This (dangerously) has the potential to send out a "why bother?" message to scores of obese people striving to lose fat.

Picture average Joe vegetating on a couch, stuffing his mouth with crappy food, sitting on his ass 8 hours a day, getting fatter by the second.  Miraculously, though, he's come to the realization that he's killing himself with his bad choices.  He decides he's going to try changing his lifestyle and shed the excessive blubber from his frame.

And then a news report flashes on the screen, reporting a link between genetics and obesity. . .                                                                                                            

The anchors open their story with:

Ever wonder if all that exercise and dieting is worthwhile?  Well, new studies have shown that trying to burn body fat with all your hard work and healthy eating may very well be a ginormous waste of your time.  Why?  Because your weight is determined by your genes. . .

They continue on with an abridged version of the actual scientific facts, leaving an opening for Joe (and everybody else watching) to misinterpret the issue and fail to recognize his reality.  Joe suddenly thinks, "Wow.  My genes are what make me fat, not my couch potato, face-stuffing lifestyle.  So, why bother doing anything?  It won't help me anyway. . ."  And just like that, he goes from motivated to improve his health and fitness to motivated to find a beer and bag o' chips.

That's just great.

Too far fetched, you say?

People misinterpret "low carb" as "no carb." 

They misinterpret "dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate" as "dark chocolate is good for you so eat a lot of it." 

They misinterpret "wine is good for cardiovascular health" as "alcohol is good for you. . . Bottoms up!"

So, if a large percentage of the population has trouble discerning between reality and ridiculous for such topics as carbs, fat and alcohol, how are they going to define the fine line between "genetically determined body type" and "obesity due to overconsumption of sugar and processed food?"

Gina Kolata is always good for a thought provoking read and, personally, I appreciate how she motivates me to further explore the topic she's covered.  But in this case, I think the book's message may be more harmful than good to the obese people who read it.

There is an obesity epidemic ravaging the US and consuming the rest of the developing world -- and genetics is not the root cause.  It is incumbent upon us as part of the human species -- whether obese, or helping somebody win the battle against obesity -- to take responsibility for our lifestyle choices and beware the temptation to use genetics as an unjustifiable excuse for our growing waistlines.

Take Risks. Seek Reward.

When I meet prospective clients, our discussion often progresses from its initial purpose -- uncovering health, injury and exercise history -- to a heart-to-heart about the client's battles with achieving optimal health and fitness.  i.e.  What triggered the client to get out of shape in the first place?  What daily events prevented them from starting a program before?  If they have tried to start a training program before, what has kept them from being successful? Oftentimes, the answers go something like this:

• "I hadn't been in the gym for so long, that I didn't know where to begin my training."

• I was embarrassed to go to the gym and be around people who were in better shape than me."

• "I didn't know how to use the equipment and didn't want to look like an idiot fumbling around with the machines and free weights."

• "I'd tried before and failed, so why should I try again?"

• "My career, personal life, financial burdens. . . etc. got in the way."

• "I wasn't happy with my situation, but was uncomfortable with changing it.  I was afraid to take the first steps to make things better."

These feelings are all valid, and they represent the fears that so many of us have experienced -- whether we were scrawny or fat, rich or poor, old or young, an elite athlete or the "average everyday" person.   The question is, are you strong enough to look your fears in the eye, beat them down and work hard to come out on top?  Are you willing to take the risk?

Making the decision to improve your fitness and ultimately, your life, can be frightening because it does involve great risk.  You risk experiencing failure.  You risk feeling discomfort and pain.  You risk confronting your true self and having to deal with inner demons that you really don't want to face.

But if you DON'T take those risks, you risk NEVER finding success.  You risk NEVER experiencing the joy of overcoming physical and mental hardships.  You risk NEVER discovering the real you -- you risk NEVER truly living.

And your improved health is worth the "risk" of eating quality nutrition.  Your improved fitness is worth the "risk" of stepping into the gym and grinding through a grueling workout.  Your improved life is worth the "risk" of stepping out of your unhealthy comfort zone and trying to develop some new good habits.

Now the question remains:
                        If you know that "you're worth it," are you ready to take the risk?

                            Risk

To laugh, is to risk playing the fool.
To weep, is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to another, is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings, is to risk exposing our true selves.
To put your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk loss.
To love, is to risk not being loved in return.
To live, is to risk dying.
To hope, is to risk despair.
To try at all, is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken,
Because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they simply cannot learn, change, feel, grow, love, live. . .
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves.

ONLY THE PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE.

Author Unknown

 

 

Thou Shalt STEAL (And Be Proud of It)

"Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom." -- Proverbs 4:7

Now, please be advised that the above title is only meant to get your attention.  I do not condone stealing in any way, shape or form.  No holding up banks.  No taking candy off the shelves and secretly tucking it away.  And definitely no stealing somebody's words/ideas and claiming them as your own. . .

So, what's with "Thou Shalt STEAL"?

Replace "STEAL" with "learn," "acquire," "obtain," "sponge," "tap into" or "fill your cup".  The idea is, use all resources available to learn as much as you can, to become the finest you can be in your profession of choice (strength and conditioning, in this case).  Who are we kidding?  We surely don't know everything.  And the trainers who we think know everything, didn't always.  We've got to get our information from somewhere.  And what we learn won't just come into our minds as an epiphany, it's got to come from a source.  That source is more than likely going to be another human being -- whether it be a college professor, a mentor or our peers in the fitness industry.

We've got to lose any defensive feelings we experience when we see information that we don't initially agree with and denounce it as pure BS.

We've got to lose our feelings of insecurity when we meet other professionals who seem to know more than we do, where we wonder, "why do they know all of this information and I don't?"

In other words, we've got to lose our egos and be open to absorbing every bit of information that's out there, no matter what the source.

(Side note -- Of course, this doesn't mean that we lose our sense of reasoning of and logic.  There is a lot of lousy information out there mixed in with the good.  But just as you can't denounce things that you don't initially agree with, you shouldn't just accept the information that's thrown at you as gospel.  Apply your brain power to each scenario you face/each piece of data you obtain.  Test the new information against the "foundations" that you know exist (if you don't know them, learn those first. . . :) ).  And accept it/deny it as you develop and share your philosophy.)

I think there's a fear that exists amongst younger trainers, i.e. "I don't want to learn from/talk to/ support X trainer" because it's admitting that he/she might know more than me, that he/she might be better than me.  Admitting that you don't have all the answers, that you seek knowledge from your peers is not a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence.  On the contrary, it's indicative of great strength, confidence and intelligence because you're doing everything you can to make yourself better.

What is one of the common denominators of the most prolific, well-respected fitness professionals?  They openly talk about how much they seek out and learn from the experts.  They aren't above gathering information from professionals who may even be their direct competition for business.  They see that bettering themselves for common good, for a united purpose, is just as (if not more) important as the business side of things.

And for many of them, it wasn't always that way.  A few weeks ago, I was at a Perform Better Seminar in Boston when a highly recognized, respected trainer told me, "I've learned more from ages 40-47 than I did from 22-40."  This revelation came amidst the other oft uttered phrase of that day, "The more I learn, the less I know."

Look, our journey along the path of intellectual growth takes us through some pretty common stages:

1. When we're younger, we obtain a foundation of knowledge and think we have all the answers.  Anybody else with contradictory opinions is wrong.
2. We happen to keep learning (if we're lucky) and realize we didn't know as much as we thought.
3. We become walking encyclopedias of theoretical and applied knowledge (if we're lucky), but feel more so like we know nothing, because "there's so damn much to learn." (As if we've lost sight of our foundational knowledge and now wonder, "Which is my head, which is my ass?")
4. Once again, we stand firmly on our foundation of knowledge with the wisdom to be open to ideas, and the ability to find common ground amidst differing opinions and philosophies.
   

This message really comes from the heart, because I used to be that trainer who consistently felt insecure around my competition.  I wanted to be known as one of "the best" trainers around and I wanted others to come to me -- there was no way I was going to have to ask a peer of mine for advice.  Thankfully, I've become wiser with age.  I claw my way into seminars to learn from "experts" in my field.  I make a point to ask fellow trainers (more, less and/or equally experienced) their approaches to various topics.  I have learned more in the last 5 years, than I had in the 12 years prior and, because of that, I know less now than I did before. . .  and becoming a wiser, more polished practitioner every day.

I wish the same for you, as you grow in your career.  Dig in.  Get lost in all the theory and practical experience. . . and then find your way out of it again.  Fearlessly build on your foundation of knowledge.  Just don't forget to give proper recognition to those individuals who helped you along the way.

Are you Consistently Consistent?

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. -- Aristotle

Slow and steady wins the race. -- Aesop

Ask any well-versed personal trainer or avid fitness enthusiast what it takes to get in shape and you'll more than likely get a list that includes something like this:

• Set specific goals
• Lift weights
• Do cardio (High Intensity Interval Training preferred for fat loss)
• Follow a good nutrition protocol
• Drink Water
• Get adequate rest and recovery

These requirements, of course, do provide the foundation for obtaining that healthy, fit body you're searching for. . . but there's something even more important.

                                                        CONSISTENCY

You've got to get to the gym on a regular basis.  (Preferably more than "regularly, once a month.")

When training, you've got to be consistently focused and actively involved in the process.

You've got to consistently eat 5-6 balanced meals per day, consistently minimize the amount of processed foods you consume, consistently drink half your bodyweight in water.

You must consistently give yourself  good nights of sleep.

Most important, you've got to strive for consistent manifestation of positive energy and positive mental attitude.  Being positive will provide you with the environment to consistently develop new, good habits, as opposed to falling back into your old, undesirable ways.

Essentially, you've got to be that person that consistently "makes things happen."  When it comes to getting in shape, "the list" is important; but adhering to that list consistently will be the difference between realizing your goals or merely treading water indefinitely.

Who Are You?

When I was little, I had this poster consisting of 3 photographed chimps and a brilliant piece of writing.  The prose went something like this:

"There are 3 kinds of people:

Those who make things happen.  Those who watch things happen. . .

And those who wonder, "what happened?"

When it comes to improving your nutrition habits or beginning your strength training program, what person are you?  Are you the individual that confronts your daily obstacles, makes a decision to change and stops at nothing to make your dreams and goals a reality?  Are you the person that talks a hell of a game, but doesn't have the courage or drive to put your plans into action?  Or are you the person that just coasts through life, unconscious, and then wakes up one day -- 30 years later -- wondering, "Where's my life gone?  Where did healthy, fit body go?" i.e. What happened?

It's easy to fall into the daily routine of life, to get caught up in frivolous details, to become "unconscious" and forget how to take control of our well-being.  It's easy to fall into traps and start thinking, "I can't do this because. . . " or "I'm too busy to fit this into my schedule." or "It takes too much effort to change. . . "

These are only weak excuses.  Crutches that enable us to avoid reality.  We are not dead leaves blowing in the wind, helpless to control our destiny.  Yes, we deal with innumerable events that are out of our control; however, we are always in control of the decisions we make in response to the events that unfold in front of us.

Stop lamenting the past -- you can't get it back.  Stop worrying about the future.  It hasn't happened yet.  Become fully aware of NOW, this very second.  Make proactive decisions and take action now.  (Don't know how to take action?  Ask questions, do some research, write me and allow me to assist you. . . .)  Regarding your health, fitness and nutrition, be the person that takes control and makes things happen, and recognize the great things that unfold.

It's all about Balance.

I'm always telling my clients about the importance of balance.  Granted, most of the time I'm referring to muscle balance as it relates to strength, joint mobility and integrity, but there are plenty of discussions about the importance of balance in life:  balancing family and career, work and play, workouts and recovery. . .   

As it pertains to training, living a balanced life in conjunction with a well-thought-out training program can  bring you amazing results; without balance, though, progress will be much harder to come by. 

It is with this thought in mind, that I bring you the blog of Penelope Trunk, the "Brazen Careerist."  I found her one night when, ironically, I was in a state of imbalance -- procrastinating much more than I was working.  Many of her articles, centered on her desire to deliver "advice at the intersection of work and life," emphasize the importance of, what else?  Balance.  So, if you're looking for tips on topics like goal setting, knowing yourself, time management, parenting or fulfillment check out Penelope's blog. 

It may just give you the advice you need to bring you balance. . . so that you can get the most out of your workouts.