The Unending Battle of Fitness

Nearly every person I know has fought this battle. It is a battle that is not won, but it can be managed. Just as we don’t eat a meal ‘once and for all,’ or take a breath of air and be done with it, we don’t get fit ‘once and for all.’ So how do we manage it?

First, know what you really want to accomplish. Most people who say they want to get fit really mean they don’t want to be fat. This little article is not really about fitness, but about fatness. This article is not for people who want to compete in some athletic event but is for people who want to look better and feel better (and as a bonus, the person who looks better and feels better usually performs life tasks better!).

I have been involved with physical fitness and athletic performance in one way or another all of my adult life. Movement, of course, is the key; the greater the demands of the performance the more movement (in volume, intensity, and type) is required. But what we are talking about here is not competition with another person, it is just about looking better and feeling better about yourself. So here are a few non-conventional suggestions that may seem just common sense, or too easy, but might be just what you need.

Realize that every movement you make that goes beyond what just gets you by will be for your good. That is to say, for example, that if you want to get to the third floor of an office building you could take the elevator or you could walk the stairs. Guess what you should do? You could even stop on a step and do some toe raises for 30 seconds or so—or even 10 or 20 squats if no one else is around. And you could probably do it several times a day. Similarly, if you are going shopping you could drive around the block looking for a parking place close to the store you intend to patronize or you could intentionally try to park a couple of blocks away and walk (just don’t forget where you parked!). Likewise, every time you picked up a bottle of water or a bag of groceries, or your backpack, or carried in some firewood, etc., you could do a few arm curls. What could you do when a television commercial comes on? Can you see where this is going? In short, don’t take it easy. Every repetition counts.

What you don’t need is to get a membership at a gym or to buy some expensive exercise equipment or special clothing before you get started. Just start where you’re at and with what you’ve got. If you do have an inexpensive piece of equipment such as an exercise ball or a dumbbell then great; keep it out and use it when you can (and be innovative with its use) but just use your own body weight when you can’t. Nothing should hold you back. One of the most physically fit men I ever met was confined to a jail cell. He ran in place, did one-legged squats, did handstand pushups against the wall, isometrically curled his bedframe and he didn’t eat too much. He did all this to try to save his life. Ask me about him sometime.

That brings me to my last piece of commonsensical but unconventional advice. Don’t go on a diet. Don’t buy a bunch of miracle vitamins or energy bars or supplements or other hyped junk. Just eat less of what you normally eat (smaller portions). Also increase your intake of water or food that has a lot of water it (fruits for the most part). Lastly, get rid of all the food in your house that you know is not good for you (high-fat, high-sugar foods). You know the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ –if you build it they will come? Well, if you buy it, you will eat it. So don’t buy it.

But do buy this advice. It works. I hope to see less of you. Hmmm.