“It’s not really about the competition. Your biggest challenge in a race is yourself. You’re often racing against time. You’re frequently running everything through your mind. You’re always competing against preconceived ideas. It’s not really the person next to you that you worry about.”
–Summer Sanders, Olympic Medalist 1992
Before you read this, please know that this post is designed to really make you think*
*elegant way of saying “this is a rant”
If you are in the fitness industry, let me say that at some point in your career you should attend some type of health fair or conference were you have a booth and talk to hundreds of people. The reason I say this is because you tend to learn a lot about people and it really makes you appreciate the people that come to your gym or put time and effort into training with you.
Yesterday, PHP set up shop at a local health fair to hand out information about our gym, what we do, and why you should come and train with us. Not surprisingly, people were not about our booth. However, it was some of the responses we received that lead to this post and everything that follows.
Response: “Ohh, that sounds like work.”
“It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.”
~ Aesop (620 BC – 560 BC)
When this was the response to, “Take a card and check us out”, I had to hold back my true response due to not wanting to be kicked out of the health fair. If this is your response to saying “take a card and have a good day”, than there might not be anything anyone can do for you.
You see, a trainer or coach cannot instill hard work in someone, although having jedi-like mind powers would make us a lot more money. We cannot make you want to be a better person. We can add tinder to the fire, but you have to provide the spark. I hate to use this word, but the issue is that we cannot fix lazy. To be so put-off by the idea of putting in a little work to something truly is astonishing. So, for those of you that get into the gym and bust your ass, drinks on me (not literally), because regardless of how much you think you do, you are above the social norm, so party on!
Response: “Why do that when I can just take medication?”
You have got to be kidding me. This is the response to looking at mobility tools, Kinieso tape, and stretching diagrams. I say, here is a way that you can spend little money, fix your aches and pains, and learn a new skill, and you say “ehhh, I’d rather just take medication”, why??? This is right up there with saying “Exercise is not my thing” or ” I don’t like water”. You don’t have a choice. You don’t get to make those decisions, because guess what, your body NEEDS water and your body NEEDS movement. End of story with no discussion–this is fact, not an opinion. To put it another way, for those of you that have kids and a family:
What if I told you that with an hour and a half a day you could play with your kids/grandkids until you were well in your 60’s, including running, jumping, going on adventures, literally anything you can think of, without fear of catastrophic injury or bodily harm. Who in their right mind would say no to that? Well guess what, this is what happens when you get on a structured exercise program and when you get off those medications (caveat being if you currently need those medications to survive) and learn to start taking care of yourself. Anything less, is just lazy.
Response: “That is just too expensive.”
First of all, I won’t say it’s not, because people come from all different financial backgrounds and while $50/month is chump change to some, it is a weeks work to others. That being said, if you say this while having a fresh dye-job for your hair, a brand-name watch, equestrian boots, and your nails done, I have a hard time believing that $50 is something you do not currently have. What I don’t find hard to believe is that you just find it easier to dress yourself in riches and mask the true issue you have with yourself.
You don’t need new clothes, new hair, new nails, etc.. to be happy with the way you look–you need to do something on a more physical spectrum and get out there and bust your ass, work hard, and be able to be proud of something you have accomplished.
All this is to say, you can put a band-aid on a lot of things; looks, mobility, injuries, ect., but the one thing you cannot band-aid is laziness.
So challenge yourself to be a little better than yesterday. Do a little more each day. Do it for you and your family, not for others and not for vanity sake. Never settle, because there is always room to grow and improve, do not let yourself be stagnant.
As long as you’re green, you’re growing. As soon as you’re ripe, you start to rot.
–Ray Kroc
Little update on coffee:
Heartland Roasters has been killing it and doing wonderful things in the community and has still found time to get our blend going and together. We should have coffee by the end of the week and we will only have #25 for the first release, so if you want some make sure and tell us, because it will be going fast!
PURE HEALTH PERFORMANCE 