My Soap Box on Working Out

One of my clients said the other day that I sometimes get on a soap box about certain issues so I guess I will prove him right by talking a little about the entire concept of working out.  I talk with people so much about working out and ways/methods to get what they want.  Often I that conversation has little to do with WHY they want what they want.  I think if we spent more time thinking about that and being honest with ourselves - it would help direct our goals.  Of course I have ideas about why people want to workout and I will list them here with my comments:

1.  To look good - Of course we want to look good or experience our version of what looking good means.  I feel like some people spend a great deal of time being hyper-critical of themselves while others don't think enough about what it is that they actually want to "look like".  It seems to me that a goal that is attainable has to be one that can be visualized.  Visualizing what it is that you want to look like and then developing a plan to do so is a great step in the right direction towards reaching your goals.

2.  To be healthy (Hear comes my soap box rant) - While I hear this a lot - I think people sometimes fail to realize what "healthy" with relationship to fitness really entails.  A healthy body is one that is strong,  that has cardiovascular fitness, flexible and functions properly.  Sometimes people focus on strength and not much else.  A lot of people focus on cardiovascular fitness alone (often with the goal of dropping lbs. and not thinking about the other benefits).  Some people (but seemingly a lot less) place more emphasis on flexibility.  And even though I think they would tell you differently, I believe a lot of people miss the whole concept of what a properly functioning body should be.  This is actually what inspired this post.  SO MANY people complain and talk about injuries and aches/pains that they have.  Most commonly in the shoulder, knees, and lower back.  All you have to do is delve a little into their daily patterns of activity and you will quickly discover that there is a gap in how they are using their bodies.  They usually have a job that has them in certain positions for long periods of time.  Then they come to the gym and do the same exercises over and over thinking that it will yield different results - and sometimes eventually quit when they don't have success.  I hardly ever hear about balance in people's routines.  When they come to the gym they may hit one or two.  Some people will do some weights and cardio (which should always be done in that order consequently) and every so often I will run across a individual who will actually get some strength training, cardio and flexibility training into their program.  But even them there is always one thing that seems to to take precedence.  I guess this all comes down to balance. People have unbalanced lives (I am speaking physically here - although I would suspect some of you would agree that applies to more than just physical health) and unbalanced bodies.  Of course everyone is different and strategies should be adjusted accordingly - but a BALANCED program is one that focuses on all components of physical health.  And when we talk about strength - we need to focus more on functional strength and even balance associated with it.  When we talk about cardiovascular fitness we need to recognize the impact of the repetitive motions and the amount of effort necessary to get the results we want.  Thinking about flexibility and implementing a program means giving our stretches due time during the workout and stretching all of our body parts - not just one or two.  And when we consider the whole body and how we train it - it is imperative that we train it as a FUNCTIONAL WHOLE - working to make sure that each limb and portion of the body moves correctly and is properly strengthened as well as flexible.  Do so will help ensure our bodies are so much more flexible.

3.  Enjoyment - I will just end with this.  If you can't find some sense of enjoyment from your workouts - however that comes - then I think that they are going to be not nearly as productive and you will lose enthusiasm quickly.  Learn how to work your body properly and completely - enjoy the process and find that balance that makes you feel like you are taking care of things in a way that will enhance the rest of your life.

Andy