Consistency

Let's face it. Most people truly interested in fitness struggle with the "doing" part. We won't even mention those that aren't. Once their gym membership agreement is signed and sealed the great majority of members do not show up on a regular basis. Ask any gym owner.

They're too busy, too tired, too rich, too poor, too lazy, too sick, too full, too hungry, too preoccupied, too comfortable, too pretty, too ugly, or just plain too freaking human.

So if being consistent is essential to achieving the objective we join the gym in the first place to achieve, why do so many of us fail? Is it possible to be consistent day-in and day-out in this modern age of uncertainty, or is the concept of routine compliance nothing more than a pipe-dream sold to the dreamers of the world?

Consistency is defined as "dedicated conformity to a specific set of principles, actions, or belief." No positive changes will occur without regular training, you must get to the gym! You have to show up, and if you don't bust your ass in the gym and eat like our ancestors did, meaning lean, clean and real, your ass will bust you literally!

Your workouts must be strategically planned and viewed as a top priority, not just for building muscle or reducing body fat, but for the maintenance of health and the security of your future well-being. Do you want reliable life-insurance? Train to save your brain. Train to protect your ability to simply walk and talk. Train for the results.

Look at the old folks around you, bless them all. Most of them have never trained a day in their life. Want to look and feel like them? If your answer is yes then don't go to the gym. Stay at home, watch TV, drink beer and munch out.

Like it or not, each of us has an inner athlete locked in our DNA and it needs to be expressed. Acknowledge this and you're halfway there! Exercise demands time, energy, and a strong commitment. The action required is intimately associated with our character. We define ourselves by our intentions, but the world defines us by our action.

Loyalty to training and allegiance to what optimum mental and physical health requires is mandatory if you expect to achieve a superb natural physique and great athletic performance at any age. Any hunter knows you must keep a sharp eye on the target you intend to hit. Is your scope in focus?

Reducing stubborn bodyfat or gaining lean, high-quality muscle is no easy task. Without clarity of purpose and ferocity of intent, your commitment to training will get swallowed up in the sea of procrastination or shelved on the wall of idleness.

It should be obvious that modern society has no idea what health is or how to achieve it. The average 35 year old man or woman in America today is fat, totally deconditioned, loaded with disease and addicted to refined food, alcohol, tobacco and prescription medication. The acronym for health isn't E.A.S.Y. The acronym for health is spelled W.O.R.K.!

Left to itself, the body without guidance from the mind naturally chooses the pathway of least resistance. Like every living thing on the planet, it does this to conserve energy. But we're more than bugs on leaves. At least some of us are. We have a brain and the ability to reason and weigh the options. We can think! Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy.

For the first time in the history of the world people are rotting from the inside out. Osteoporosis, artery disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, chronic infection, obesity and cellular necrosis. These conditions are caused and accelerated by how we live and eat! But if you train and eat smart you can prevent this outcome! You can stay lean and hard and vital. You can remain functional and free from disease your entire life.

But you must focus on your goals and keep in mind the reasons why you want and need to do the work. Don't listen to convention! Go against the grain of mainstream. Shut out what the majority are saying. Reject what the media says! Get to the gym, blow off some steam, strike the liberty bell and make a difference. Do it for YOURSELF! In the end everyone will envy you, ask how you did it and want what you have.

The body has a discrete and insidious way of sliding downhill over time, like a stone rolling down a mountain. Pretty much anything living or not suffering from neglect responds this way. No secret there. The process is predictable and can be measured. The forces that grind us to pulp over time are gravity, cosmic radiation and oxygen, all of which cause oxidation and damage. No one dies from old age. We all die from damage. Reduce the damage and you will live longer and feel better.

These natural forces including entropy are naturally expressed in the continuum of time and change everything. We live in an emergent universe with only one constant, change. Regardless of intellectual ability, social position or financial status, these forces affect everyone's life from beginning to end. But if you're wise and use your brain you can control them and yourself so your ride through this life is less miserable and painful.

"To command nature we must obey her." (Francis Bacon).

Our bodies inevitably lose massive vitality and strength unless they are exposed to the foundation of resistance training. We must create an anabolic flux to oppose catabolism. What's the minimum amount of time needed to achieve this? Wrong question. If you think in terms of the lowest common denominator you get results equal to the same. Ask this question instead. What does it take to get in spectacular shape and keep it for life? What must I do to remain well?

Each workout you perform with diligence will bring you one step closer to your destination of inner contentment and self-confidence. A true master rests in the work of his or her own past. After the wood is chopped we can rest by the fire, but the work comes first. It's what we've done that counts. A solid work ethic is the secret to success.

Consistency is brother to persistence, sister to loyalty and cousin to discipline...all one big happy family in love with life. Consistency is that quality in everyone that pushes us through the hard times and past the myriad of excuses commonly used to justify missed workouts. You can't make any progress if you don't work-out. Get up and do the work!

If you are physically fit, well-fed with genetically compatible whole food, conditioned like a wild tiger and maintain an excellent diet and attitude life-long, you absolutely will enjoy a superior quality of life. This is the point. Consistency leads to self-reliance and personal power because you have put the time and effort into creating and maintaining this quality.

"The laborer is worthy of his reward." This is a true saying.

Unbeknownst to conventional thinking, training is actually a model for superior health of mind and body, spirit and soul. But very few get that. Fewer still can even grasp what the hell that even means.

Take whatever time is necessary to plot out the course of your life. Set goals and write them down. The writing down part is unbelievably important. Plan your workout schedule and eating habits in advance. Don't leave your health and fitness to chance. If you don't take action and create your own optimum health and lifestyle program, no one else will.

Think long term and be committed for life. Every decision you make right now will affect your future. Choose a lifestyle that creates health and longevity and resist the temptation to be successful at doing nothing.

Don't exchange your health, reputation or family for a deal with the devil. Don't make the mistake many CEOs, fitness experts and health practitioners make. They get caught up in business (busy-ness) and stop doing the most important work of all. Eventually, their busy but physically inactive lifestyle catches up with them.

As the workouts slide so does the diet. Inevitably, they get sick or fat or both and believe me, this is the rule, not the exception. Health should be the outcome of working in the health industry and living right, not morbidity or premature death. But try telling those not doing the work that. No time they say. Easy for you to say, they say.

Then POW! The rug is pulled right from under their feet. Suddenly they've got all kinds of time to ponder the error of their ways looking up at the ceiling from their hospital bed.

Sorry Charlie. No tuna.

Photo by Ryan Bruce from Burst

As always, stay well and live free!

Dr.C