Fitness is Meaningless

When I was growing up people idolized body builders in the gym. The bigger and leaner they were, the cooler it was. For decades these gladiators consumed obnoxious amounts of protein, trillions of dollars worth of suspicious supplements, and people thought they must be healthy, because, well look at them. Fast forward twenty years and our hero's of the 80's & 90's are broken down, suffering from heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. The underlying problem was that for years health was measured in looks and not numbers. These titans could pump out heavy reps on a Nautilus Machine, but would immediately go into Cardiac Arrest if they had to run a mile, or climb a flight of stairs. I know, I was one of them.

Performance is King

It doesn't matter how you look, or how good your cholesterol numbers are. For all the medical science out there, the best doctors on earth can't tell how healthy you are. They can only tell how sick you are, or are not. The only indicator of health is performance. When your body is healthy it performs better. If you are faster or stronger on a given day, it's because you ate well, slept well, treated your body well.

Getting There

Walking on the treadmill should only be a means to losing enough weight until you can run. Stop using the elliptical, or any silly machine that doesn't directly translate into a real world movement. I fully encourage you to lift dumbbells, climb stairs, ride a bike, swim, or anything else that is a real world movement.  All that matters is that you measure it and repeat it. How much weight did you move (Just your own body or did you add weight)? How far did you go? and How Fast. You don't have to go too heavy or too fast, start with a mildly challenging scenario and make sure one of those three metrics improve each time you repeat it.

The Challenge

I want you to challenge yourself. How fast can you cover one mile. That's four times around a high school track. Test yourself once a week for the next eight weeks. Email it to me or a friend to hold yourself accountable. Next I want you to pick a light weight (to avoid injury), maybe a pair of ten pound dumbbells. How many times can you touch the floor with them, then lift them over your head without stopping? Record your weight and reps. Each week try to increase the weight or reps. 

Looking for More?
Visit me at SolidBodyFit.com. Feel free to email me or come by our new facility next to Legacy Place for the Grand Opening in June.