Most people who understand this simple fact, can get a lot of confusions cleared about fitness and its importance in their lives.
I have met thousands of clients both online through my Social Media handles, & through my online fintess program GENESIS. Believe me, most of the people I consult, do not have a very clear aim when it comes to fitness and nutrition.
Well, when I ask them about their goals, they often tell me that the goal is fat loss or muscle gain. But this is where I correct them, that what you are talking about is results.
Fat loss or muscle gain will happen because of doing something. You will not go to the gym and do fat loss/muscle gain. For e.g. if you want to get good marks, you can’t do anything to the marks. The only thing in your hand is to study hard. If you do that, the results will follow.
Therefore, when it comes to fat loss/muscle gain, the aim is not fat loss/muscle gain, the aim is strength, endurance and other components of fitness, which will make you lose fat and gain muscle. Of course other factors like nutrition and lifestyle play an equal role.
Similarly, when it comes to fitness, most people get confused about fitness as such, and get over obsessed with certain aspects, due to which a lot of other factors in their lives are ignored.
Fitness is not the aim, it is a tool. This means, that for every single person, including professional sportsmen, fitness is a means to achieve a particular goal or target in life, in a better way. For e.g. over 99% people in the world are normal individuals, not professional athletes. For them, there are many reasons to get fit, which are quite common, some may be exclusive too.
For e.g. rehabilitating from an injury, recovery from a prolonged illness, living a pain free life, improving the quality of their lives as they age, being more productive in work, having overall higher energy levels, being stronger etc.
On the other hand, even for pro athletes, the aim is not fitness, it’s a means to achieve a better & higher performance in their chosen sport, reduce the risk of injuries, be faster, stronger, more agile & flexible, develop better endurance etc.
Fitness for all these people is a means, or a tool, to achieve their goals. That’s why there is no common workout/diet program for an individual. There are way too many variations in to be taken care of. What is the age of the person, their lifestyle, medical history, are they suffering from a chronic diseases or an injury, which culture they belong to (to decide upon their eating habits), their taste buds, allergies and sensitivities, present body condition, time & energy management etc.
That’s why I keep pushing on one point very strongly, in case of dieticians and trainers. Start understanding your client. Fitness is a part of their lives, not their entire lives. Stop imposing impractical and unnecessary complicated concepts on them. Single body part bodybuilding type workouts, useless stack of supplements, extreme dumb diets, counting calories and weighing food etc. are all the stupid concepts which have very little space in lives of over 99% people.
For most people too I have this advice, understand your own individual life. Assess it acc. to your needs and wants. Your goals are your own, and may not resonate with everyone else, and vice versa.
Stop getting super obsessed and stressed about fitness and nutrition. These are beautiful concepts in your life to enjoy, and make you happier, more productive & stronger.
Food is a pleasure of life, it’s not a punishment, the way dieticians have made it today.
Workouts are supposed to be hard, but fun too. Play a sport, go for a run or cycle for long distance, do some bodyweight workouts, perform sprints, lift heavier in the gym. Do everything, but enjoy it, and make sure, that you aren’t obsessed with your fitness and nutrition to a level, where you are just occupied with the thoughts of your diet and workout routines.
If you are unhappy, struggling financially, unproductive and lethargic, are having family issues or problems at work or business; then the first priority is to sort out these issues.
If you are having issues with your spouse, then even with the best of the physiques, you aren’t fit. Because fitness is not just physical fitness. It’s a combination of physical, psychological, financial, spiritual and other aspects. If someone is ill in your family, then your priority is your family, not your workouts, it’s the family member who needs your time, care and attention. That’s why you should be fit and strong, to achieve your life’s goals, and not just have fitness as your only goal.
