The new you — It's a marathon, not a sprint
We all know the tale of the tortoise and the hare, and we know the moral of the story — slow and steady wins the race! This moral fits most of our daily life, especially our fitness and nutritional life.
We all know the tale of the tortoise and the hare, and we know the moral of the story—slow and steady wins the race! This moral fits most of our daily life, especially our fitness and nutritional life.
We all want the quick easy solution, the quick fix, whatever is going to give us the quickest results. What we don't think about is if this is the best solution? Most of these quick fixes (Weight Loss pills, extreme diets, and extreme workouts) are just band-aids that cover the wound, not heal the wound. If all these so-called diets, pills, and workouts were the solution, why are there so many? And why do they all claim to be the one? If they were the one, then guess what folks? There would be ONLY one.
In most cases, we need to find the true problem as to why we are where we are. Time management, life, work, kids, relationships, interests etc. These are all reasons/excuses that get in our way when it comes to getting in shape and reaching our fitness and health goals. Your first step to being what you want is to find out what's truly holding you back. Then take the time to fix what is holding us back, instead of constantly putting bandages on those issues. Why are you not working out? Why are you not eating right? Why can't you stick to a plan, diet or regiment? Figure that out first. Excuses are the bricks that build the house of failure. Art Williams said it best "Do It!"
The best way to get the results you want is time and patience. It's that simple. Find a healthy way of eating, not a fad diet! How do you do that? Well instead of listening to what everyone else has to say, do your own research. Take the time to research info on healthy eating, good and bad carbs, proteins, different healthy meals, and put together what makes sense for you. We all understand and know mostly how to eat right. It's just figuring out how to fit eating right into your lifestyle. Remember to live life. Don't take things you love out of your life completely, rather enjoy them in moderation.
The same goes for working out. Find a workout that will keep you interested, something you'll actually enjoy. Try a bunch of new things—mix and match workouts that you feel work best for you. Whether it's weight training, boxing/MMA, running, Yoga, Zumba, spin class—find a couple of things you really enjoy and do them all. This will keep you from getting bored as well. Weight training mixed with cardio and yoga will do wonders.
If this is still hard for you to figure out, find a professional that has the background and experience of working with others. Not just Bobby Biceps or Debbie Do A Lot from the gym. What works for one person might not work for you. When it comes to the fitness industry, there are way too many cooks in the kitchen and not enough true Head Chefs. So make sure your advice is coming from someone that really knows fitness, and then take the time to research it before you do it. Knowledge is power.
Geoffrey Wade, owner of Outlaw Training and Fitness in Riverton, NJ, is an occasional contributor to Sports Doc.
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