No Limits Fitness: The EASY Button

I love the Staples commercial with the “EASY Button”.

“That was EASY!”

Sorry, people, there is no EASY button. Things are hard. Somehow, most people just don’t get this.

This flaw in our society is glaringly obvious in the realm of health and fitness. Everyone believes there is an EASY button because that’s what they see on TV. The average American watches 20-30 hours of TV per week. (That is an abomination, but that is not the point of this article) If you get an hour TV show on DVD or watch it on line then how long is the program?

Its 42 minutes give or take.

OK, stay with me now.

18 minutes per hour of commercials. This means that the average person watches... {Wait for it}… 7.5 hours of commercials per week. Holy cow! Bet you never looked at it that way, huh?

The majority of these commercials push alcohol, OTC and prescription drugs and food that is unhealthy. Does anyone want to argue that fact? Didn’t think so.

What does alcohol do? “Helps” you relax and have a good time. What do drugs do? “Makes the pain (or whatever) go away”. What does unhealthy food do? “It’s easy and tastes great”.

Did you ever look at it that way?

You are brainwashed 7.5 hours per week to believe that you need alcohol, drugs and convenience food to make your life better.

Yeah, and that’s just TV. What about the radio? Newspapers? Magazines? You get the point.

Life is easy. Just relax and everything will be fine. Apparently that’s not working.

Because of what we are brainwashed to believe, as soon as life gets hard we pick up our ball and go home; yeah, I’m talking about fitness.

A moderate sized health club will add 1000-2000 new members per year. Just as many people leave. Why join and then leave?

“It’s too expensive.” “I don’t have the time.” “The drive is too far.” “The floors are dirty.” Please. YOU are conditioned day and night to believe that there is an EASY button. There is not.

Fitness is hard.

Are you fit? As fit as you possibly can be?

The answer is NO!!!

You are NEVER truly fit! There is always more you can do. There is always another step in your fitness ladder. You can always be more fit. Always.

Millions of people get on the fitness journey.

They join a program or buy a book or whatever. Then almost immediately it gets hard. Money runs low.

“Life” get’s in the way. A kid gets sick. You get sick. You twist your ankle. You get divorced. Your parents move in. You move out. You get fired. You….

The list could go on and on.

It all comes down to one thing. It get’s hard and the majority of people just give up.

I see it all the time. People find the smallest little thing to grab onto and say, “Aha, see. I knew I couldn’t do this.” Then it’s over for now until something again makes then give it another shot and the cycle starts all over. I find it sad and frustrating.

I hope you made it this far in today’s article because I have the answers for you. Remember that the future is perfect!

The answer is within you and it’s going to be hard. Remember the hard part. It’s going to be hard.

In 7 days I’m doing an Ironman triathlon. Is that going to be hard? No EASY button for me. You don’t get one either. “Know pain, to know gain.”

Step 1: Take responsibility for you and your body. Yeah, you have had the deck stacked against you but it’s still your responsibility. Don’t beat yourself up but don’t blame anyone but yourself for what and who you are. Don’t go to step two until you have accepted responsibility! Do it!

Step 2: Accept “Know pain, to know gain”. No, that’s wrong. EMBRACE “KP to KG”. Write it on a card and look at it every 5 seconds. This needs to be something in your life that becomes second nature. When the going gets tough you have to keep going…. and going …. and going.

Step 3: Stop watching the news, reading glossy magazines, reading the paper and watching TV. “No cable fo’ you!” I don’t have cable TV and it is marvelous. I play the guitar and read a lot. I haven’t watched the news in years. Just think about the brainwashing that occurs in those 7.5 hours per week. Watch TV shows online or go to the Red Box. $1 for a movie. Really? That’s awesome.

Step 4: Read and apply motivational and information books. I like Jack Canfield and Tony Robbins. Read a book or two per month. Do the exercises in the book. Set goals. “Get ‘er done!”

Step 5: Set aside 60 minute per day every day of your life to exercise. SET ASIDE THE TIME!! Then when that hour arrives, do something! To tell you the truth, it doesn’t matter what the heck you do. If you are doing something that is all that matters. Fill in the details later.

Step 6: Set aside 60 minutes per day everyday of your life to exercise. Holy crap! That’s the same as number 4. I guess this is important.

Step 7: Write down everything that goes into your mouth. Put the results into online calorie and nutrient counters like sparkpeople.com or something similar. You can also see a holistic professional like a qualified personal trainer or naturopath. I do nutrition consults in person or over the internet (rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com). You will have to pay money for this. Remember the hard part that I mentioned before? There is no EASY button. Suck it up and write the check. You cannot be truly healthy if you don’t get your nutrition in balance. It’s virtually impossible to do this yourself. Get some help.

Step 8: Supplement your body with energy and nutrients that you aren’t getting in your diet. Most people are malnourished. Yes, even people that are 300 pound people are malnourished. They may get plenty of sugar and fat, but true nutrients elude them. Even people that exercise and are really fit tend to fall behind on energy because they don’t recoup lost nutrients. I use supplements from Advocare. I would suggest that you start with the 24 Day Challenge: www.24daychallengemovie.com. If you have questions contact your favorite Advocare distributor. If you don't have one then I will be glad to help you out! Yes, this is going to cost money. You buy food right? You need to fuel your body the right way. Most do not.

Step 9: Work with a GOOD trainer to get you started on your journey. I would suggest sticking with a strong trainer that is going to hold you accountable. Obviously, I would suggest me. If not me, then someone certified and qualified. Once you find a good trainer use them as a resource. Be in constant contact with them. Don’t just fade away because things get hard! Be strong and stay strong! How do you find a good trainer? Ask your fit friends! By the way, don’t ever work a trainer that doesn’t have a real certification. I also wouldn’t ever go a Boot Camp class with an instructor that isn’t properly trained. Ask what his or her cert is. If the answer is “ExpertRating” then that means they paid $50 and took a super simple online test. My son’s fish could pass that thing.

Step 10: Pick an endurance pursuit and then challenge yourself. I don’t care what it is; really doesn’t matter. Running, biking, swimming, hiking, kayaking, adventure racing, triathlon, duathalon, etc. You get the picture. Get your butt out the door and do something! Your body was meant to be outside and accomplishing things. Do what you are meant to do! Set a goal and go get it. Accomplish your goal? Good. Now set a bigger one…. and a bigger one… and a bigger one.

Do these 10 things and you will get the body that you want and deserve. Make excuses and skip one or two, well then you are rolling the dice.

When you hit 60 years old, do you want people to say, “No way you’re 60…” or do you want to be laid up with a broken hip or chronic illness?

It’s in your hands now. You have a plan that is hard. You have a plan that is going to cost you more money than you can afford. You have a plan that is going to test your limits.

You have a plan that will make you that top 1% of people in our country that can stand tall and be proud for themselves and their families.

What are you waiting for? Step 1…