Fit to play

I have mentioned this before and will continue to do so; getting in great shape is hard.

This leads many people to question the effort they are putting in and to search for alternatives. One, to find what they are currently ‘doing wrong’ (we must be doing something wrong because we’ve been working hard for a decent period of time).

And two, to find the solution to all our problems that we’ve been missing (there has be something easier that this).

We never really get close to finding answers, we’re more likely to fall victim to scaremongering and spin. You see, fear is what will grab our attention more than anything, just watch the TV news!

If someone tells you that something you may be doing is harmful, or a waste of time then you’d damn sure check to make sure that you’re not doing it. Here’s a list of things that you may have been told are harmful for you but actually are completely fine:
* Aerobic Training
* Weight Training
* Squatting
* Meat
* Eggs
* Sweetener
* Protein Shakes
* Creatine
* Cooked food
* Wearing trainers

There was even an article suggesting that some cardio was the equivalent of eating a cheeseburger … they’re all the same, it reports, except one is tasty.

Not only is this a completely ridiculous comparison, but the article itself draws itself to an idiotic conclusion.

More often than not, fitness articles will make amazing promises in the headlines but never really deliver the thing you’d really be after. You find yourself clicking an interesting headline online, reading the whole article and thinking ‘I pretty much already knew that’.

The same thing happens so often with training classes. Fitness businesses (and anyone who wants to make money) invent a new method of training, calling it ‘revolutionary’ when all it is usually is either a differently-marketed type of circuit training or a novel way of doing aerobics training. There’s nothing special, it’s not easy… if it is then it’s not doing much, in my opinion.

Sometimes things crop-up such as ‘Hot Yoga’, which not only has no benefit whatsoever compared to regular yoga, but is actually potentially risky.

It is important to take pioneering, ground-breaking novelty in the fitness industry with a pinch of salt, and never forget the basics of what makes up a good training programme and diet.

Once every few years there may be some innovative new research that comes out and shows something to be effective. Recently, new research has gone into a training variation known as blood-flow restriction training (if you don’t know what this is yet, you probably don’t need to), these can be useful tools for training but won’t replace the basics.

This new research doesn’t make anything any easier, it can just lead to slightly more effective training.

If it was all this simple the world would look completely differently.

So what are the take-away points from all of this rambling by me?
* Acknowledge that getting in shape is hard
* Always question everything you read (including this)
* Stop looking for an easy solution to your problems
* Enjoy the journey

Honestly, if there was a magic pill I’d take it… but there isn’t and getting fit will always be tough. But think, if it wasn’t, then everyone would be walking around with their dream body.