Less is more… mixed messages in a mixed modal world!

When we're always maxed out, we've got nothing left over for anyone or anything else.  _ Frank Forencich, The Beautiful Practice

In a world full of hyper-stimulation, 24 hour access to everything, everyone (everywhere), and an incessant pressure to work ourselves to death… the fitness coach is forced to adapt to a culture that promotes the opposite of balance in mind-body-spirit.  Along for the ride are the social media blasts of daily, weekly and monthly PR's… videos and pictures on Facebook & Instagram depicting the amazing feats of fitness that drive the perception of fitness into an arena that is cool for some, somewhat attainable for others… and unsafe and unrealistic for most.

What we don't see posted on social media is the true journey… the real struggles in balance… and the little things that actually mean the most (nobody wants to post a video of themselves doing rowing repeats @ 85% of their max 2K average… or a 45min video of a fulfilling aerobic flow session!!).

K.I.S.S… Keep It Super Simple… Here is a recipe for fitness for the long haul (you know… for life… longevity!!), we all need to push, pull, press, squat, pick stuff up and put it down, carry stuff (loaded carries), get aerobic, sprint (anaerobic), and most importantly rest, relax, rejuvenate, recover (all that coupled with quality nutrition and hydration).

It's easy, right?

Just program all of that stuff into your week… along with your job, attending to your family and social life, maintaining your home, making time for your hobbies… all while "keeping up with the Joneses" by being so busy that it forces you to identify yourself with a false sense of importance.

It's not easy… and we don't make it any easier on ourselves because we are slaves to unrealistic lives that only exist on social media… hence the term "if it's not on Facebook, it never happened".

The first thing to get lost or tossed aside is the most important piece of the fitness puzzle… rest.

Deep rest and relaxation is portrayed in a negative light in today's world.  Doing "just enough" means you're lazy… if you're not in the race, get the hell out of the way!!

As a Coach in Fitness, Strength & Conditioning, and Life… I know from first-hand experience that these things are true:

• Goals are the final destination when mapping out your fitness journey; prioritizing your goals is essential
• Training often and testing occasionally works… but only when the testing is appropriate
• You gotta leave some gas in the tank, because resting (deep rest) requires energy
• Training for fitness and improved health metrics is very different than training for competition… hence, knowing your goals is kind of important… in many cases, you cannot have one without negatively influencing the other!
• Improving is a process… you need to adopt the process and see it through while being open-minded and willing to adapt… bailing is not an option here!

I started my journey in 1990, when I enrolled at East Stroudsburg University to study Exercise Science & Movement Studies… from then until now, I have made hundreds & thousands of mistakes in my own training, along with trials and errors in programming and coaching for others.  Those mistakes have pointed me towards studying and educating myself on best practices that are realistic and appropriate for me and my clientele.  It's now 2016, and I feel as though my approach is now a bit contrarian in nature… forcing my hand to elicit a re-connection to the Earth and our natural rhythms… do less, so you can enjoy life more… having the energy to do the stuff you love more often (survive to train another day)… this brings a true appreciation and sense of gratitude for your health and fitness!  100 years of Strength & Conditioning principles are not wrong… they just aren't sexy, and make for boring Facebook material!

Along my journey… I have come across some insightful and informative words, and I will leave you with this little gem from The Beautiful Practice, written by Frank Forencich:

While we're at it, we'd do well to stop "the glorification of busy".  In today's hyper-kinetic culture, many of us have bought into the assumption that "busy equals important".  And of course, we idolize the warrior-entrepreneur who works 100 hours per week, starting companies and changing the world, or the super-Mom who raises a family, also starts a company and runs triathlons in her spare time.  If we get really busy, maybe we'll be important too.  It also obscures the fact that by itself, busyness is not a strategy for anything.  It's not an intelligent way to get things done.  Rather it's an expression of the anxiety and insecurity that we feel inside ourselves.  As one meditation teacher put it, "We are not restless because we are busy, we are busy because we are restless."

 

 

More than ever, my job is a difficult one!  Balance is the key to OUR SUCCESS… knowing what you need while providing you with what you want!  It's always changing and evolving.  I am in it for the long haul, and I am committed to the process, and I welcome the challenges of learning best practices along the way! 

Re-connect with your Earth, slow down so you can appreciate the speed of this life… and leave a little gas in the tank, because truly resting is the hardest workout of the week!

 

Love makes a difference!

~cpj