As you set foot into a fitness center, you’re bound to see sleeveless shirts, spandex tights and the latest and greatest model of running shoes, all accompanying the fittest of the fit. It may appear that you’re an underdog. Envy (Or goal tampering) takes root so deeply that you temporarily forget all about your trainer-recommended, time-consuming, heavily researched fitness program which requires discipline and patience, and go straight to working the guns and buns to reach your vanity goals.
Here’s where fitness enthusiasts get it all wrong! While it’s tempting to chase the pump or focus on the quick fix method, we need to remember that authentic change in a lifestyle is so much more lasting than a fleeting chase for bikini season. While many will rely simply on fad diets and magazine articles for fitness, they may find themselves falling short. These programs are written by reputable authors and scholars, yet they are simply that: programs. These guidelines often carry the power to motivate, but not the power to drive us to think for ourselves.
As a personal trainer of four years and a lifelong fitness enthusiast, I recently learned a huge, life altering lesson: The mirror and the scale are liars. That is to say, they’ll only ever validate or negate your feelings. They can’t give you an objective understanding of your fitness level like good old fashioned work ethic. I’ve found that clients who are losing inches and decreasing body fat percentage are haunted by what the scale says so badly that they don’t accept the the fact that they’re littered with compliments and having to by new, smaller clothing sizes. Can you relate? It’s time to stop the madness and chase a more substantial goal, a performance goal.
A good friend of mine, who is also a trainer as well as a former professional baseball player, recently commented to me that one day he can greet himself in the mirror thinking he’s “hot stuff” and the next day, find himself wondering how he can be so “skinny and fat all at the same time”. Because our bodies deal with bloating, water retention and hormonal changes, everyone’s appearance (and thus the way we perceive our appearance) is ever-changing, and therefor our vanity goals are never attainable. If even a ripped pro athlete feels like the mirror has no value, why should you still embrace it?
I encourage all readers of this article to accept the fact that to spark change in the body, one must spark change in their lifestyle. Instead of reading about a new low carb diet, read up on the difference between complex carbs and simple carbs. Discover why carbs are not truly “the bad guy” and how they actually energize your body for endurance training. Instead of aiming to lose 5 lbs, learn to track the amount of calories you eat daily as well as the amount you burn, and keep in mind that one lb. consists of 3,500 calories. How many calories should you burn daily in order to lose a lb. a week? These simple truths can help you find authentic fitness that is transferable to others and a catalyst for change in your own life. Lastly, get active! After all, it’s not truly a performance goal if you’re not showing your stuff! One sure shot way to drop some weight, tone your thighs and enhance your endurance is to aim to run a 5k, 10k or marathon.
Forget about the scale, set a goal, and chase it with all you’ve got. Train diligently, knowing that for you to put in the type of work required to make your body into a cardio-machine, you’re sure to see some positive results. No matter what, the mirror and scale will be far more kind after you’ve put in the effort, and nobody can ever take your new milestone away from you. Be a conqueror. Give this a try! You’ll be happy you did.
