As we find ourselves more than halfway through the year I have found myself reflecting on things both personally and professionally. None of you want a trip inside my brain…trust me, so here are a few thoughts I have been having:

  1. Where do the activities that we do for health and fitness fit into the broader picture of our lives?
  2. To what extent are we training and dieting for ourselves or other people?
  3. Do we really understand why we are training or dieting a certain way or are we just doing it because we think that we are supposed to?
  4. How much do we really need to learn and understand in order to build a foundation of health and fitness that lasts?
  5. How strong is strong enough? How fit is fit enough?
  6. Can eating pizza and chocolate actually contribute towards being healthy?

I like pizza and chocolate so the answer to number six is a resounding yes. I think about these things for my own life and my clients’ lives and the answers look different for everyone. Think about your answers to the questions above as they could help you determine which path to choose. I won’t go through one by one, but I will touch on something that impacts all of these questions…getting in our own way.

We get in our own way…a lot. We overcomplicate things when keeping it simple is typically a better option. We rush towards results when really we should choose the path that requires patience. There are people that have worked to lose weight for years and years with crash diet after crash diet. Some diet with keto, intermittent fasting, paleo, high fat diets, high protein diets, low carb diets, or juice cleanses. Some try to build muscle for years, program after program, without any success. Others just want six-pack abs and have done more crunches than you can imagine without any results. Options like these are chosen because there is an underlying assumption that the strategy is somehow superior to other methods. There is no magic pill for any of this stuff. The answer is the same for all goals that you are looking to achieve and sustain. You need to progress things logically and take your time in order to achieve sustainable results and you should build new habits and activities into your life instead of changing your life completely. Instead of spinning your wheels with unsustainable quick fixes that have to be used over and over again for years, doesn’t it make sense to take your time so you can actually sustain the results you achieve?

I was asked earlier this year what I do for a living. I answered, “I am a personal trainer”. The person responded, “Oh wow, that’s great. So, you watch old fat guys like me workout all day?” I have thought about this a lot and I think it is important to be able to answer in detail what it is that I do. I solve problems. I put together puzzles for a living and try to figure out where the pieces fit. I help people decide which habits to integrate into their lives, what training approach to take, what foods to include or remove from their diet, and educate on what it takes to accomplish a certain goal. When making your next decision regarding your health, think about the intervention you are leaning towards and ask yourself if you are integrating it into your life or changing your life around it. Instead of going keto, just take the carbs out of some meals. Instead of getting on a five day per week bodybuilding program, just add two workouts per week that fit your schedule that you can logically progress over time. Instead of removing alcohol from your life completely, just don’t drink on certain days. Pick something that feels sustainable even if it feels easy. Do less and try to get out of your own way.