I'm a fairly observant person, and I enjoy grouping people based on certain characteristics. This is all too easy in the world of fitness and health. We have the unhealthy, overweight and unfit, who always demonstrate certain traits together; on the other end of the spectrum, we can observe the fit, strong, and healthy people who also share their own set of unique characteristics. So what are the most persistent traits that we can steal from those darned Alphas, in hopes of helping ourselves? Luckily, I've had a lot of experience around these people; over the decades I have come to learn a set of rules that many of these people typically follow: A "10 Commandments" of the fit and healthy if you will, which I think can help the average Joe out a heck of a lot. Follow these rules and you'll notice a lot of changes that come with them. Break these rules, and remain stagnant on your journey.
1. They take the stairs...and walk! This tip has been overly perpetuated for years; but guess what? Most people still ignore it. Brutalizing yourself in the gym for an hour or two is great, but what do you do for the other 22-23 hours of your days? If you are completely stationary most of the time, the bottom line is that nothing you do in the gym will make up for it. Take the stairs, park far away from your destination, go for walks.....MOVE!
2. They have active friends. Before Exercise Physiology, I studied Sociology; therefore, I am always highly interested in the cultural aspect of fitness and health. Notice how many fit or active friends you have, who also have fit and active friends. I'm not saying to dump your lazy friends, who probably hold you back; but you may want to start looking for more active people in your life. A "fit buddy" keeps you moving and motivated.
3. They are patient/they enjoy the process. Progress is progress.....period. When some people experience the amazing "newbie gains," where their bodies seem to change week to week, many people do not. You must learn to enjoy the journey and the process, and stop trying to rush to the end. Focusing on the means, instead of the ends, will keep you motivated longer and keep you from becoming frustrated in the long-run. Seriously, people, Rome was not built in a day, why do you expect your beach body to come after a few months?
4. They mix things up. There is a huge difference between what you like to do and what works. Many people tend to stick with the same program or diet, when that approach didn't necessarily work for them to begin with. Runners rarely lift weights and the "power lifters" rarely want to run or go hiking. Maybe you're progress has stalled because your body no longer adapts. Maybe you are making no progress because you've done the same thing for 10 years! Challenge yourself with new programs and you'll see a wealth of gains soon, guaranteed. Variety also helps prevent injury from over-use and keeps us motivated as well.
5. They remain consistent. Contrary to the last remark, some people you need to stick with a program for once. Many people change their program and diet too frequently, which never allows the body to adapt and grow. This is especially applicable to nutrition. Depending on the program, a good one can last anywhere from one month to a full yea. If you find yourself continually program "hopping," that may be your biggest problem. Even the worst training program can yield results, even if the person doesn't hit it as hard. The main theme should be consistency.
6. They train hard, but smart. No program should have you going "balls to the wall" everyday. For the guys who have access to the awesome drugs, this may work; but this is dangerous to us humans. If you are a bit tight or sore, you can work through that. But learn to recognize symptoms of over-training or injury before you end up laid out on the couch for weeks. A smart way to approach this is to train around injuries. As an example, if my back is acting up, I will avoid compression exercises, such as squats, and move to the leg press machine instead. This allows me to get my leg training in, without hurting myself further. I learned in the Infantry that there is tough, and then there is just plain stupid. Don't be stupid!
7. They have plenty of excuses....which they overcome. This is a severely over-used term "no excuse." Great motto; the only problem is that people are still chronically inventing them! Time, energy, access, aches and pains, colds....they are still excuses. I have two herniated disks (L-5 and S-1), knee pain, a strained shoulder, two jobs, I am a full-time student, I do a lot of housework....blah blah blah BLAH! If we all waited for the absolute perfect time to workout, none of us would ever train! Observe your fit friends or family members and you'll notice that they always find a way to train....period. You call them crazy for running in the freezing cold; you pick on them for being late to a family dinner because they were training; but deep down, you know that you wish you had that type of discipline. Quit making excuses and start making a plan to fit training into your life. The operative word here isn't time, but time-prioritization.
8. They don't "grow up." A characteristic that many fit people share is the fact that they can be considered to be a bit "immature" to some of their friends and family members. They play with children more, they act like children, and anytime there is a chance to play a game or sport - no matter what they are wearing - they jump at the opportunity. Since when did growing up become synonymous with being lazy and boring? According to one of my favorite sources, (1) fidgeting can burn up to an extra 300 calories per day. With that in mind, find your inner child!
9. They welcome adversity. Look at any person you know who is fit. Chances are he or she will welcome any challenge that is presented. Whether it's climbing a mountain, competing in a sporting event, or simply working out in the freezing weather. Even friendly competitions during training can push a person past most plateaus in gains and progress. It can also keep us coming back for more. Most importantly, I enjoy challenges as a way to measure my own skills and gains. Take a few notes from these people. Or, better yet, join in the challenges with them and discover your own hidden strengths and bad-ass-ness!
10. Lastly, and most importantly: Fit and healthy people enjoy their lifestyle; they don't obsess or stress over it. Thanks to the internet gurus and holistic weirdos, everything has at one time or another been demonized. In the late 1800s it was Banting, (2) the first low-carb trend; then it was Atkins in the 70s; next, in the 80s and 90s it was fat. Now, we seem to demonize carbohydrates all over again. The point is, too many people waste their time reading all this regurgitated nonsense and demonizing food groups. *TIME: didn't many people say they didn't have enough of that?* Is "low-carb" better for you? Are fats your enemy? Possibly. I, however, would lean more toward the observation of over-consumption and under-activity. But the fact remains that in the thirty minutes you wasted reading that one article, you could have gone for a walk, did a body-weight routine at home, or simply did some ab work or push-ups. Stop being OCD about every single tiny aspect of it all, and just look at the big picture: millions of uneducated people run around and eat with absolutely no research under their belts; and most of them are fitter than those gurus you read about! THAT is your goal: to pay attention to what you eat and get moving; your goal is not to read about a bunch of odd and possibly inaccurate facts on nutrition.
Conclusion The fit and healthy tend to usually be the least stressed when it comes to their habits; this is why they seem to make it all look so easy. And that's the beauty of it, it does become easy and simple! Once you commit to and adapt to the new lifestyle, much of it will simply become second nature. Observe your fit friends to see how much they stress about their lifestyle. Sure, they pay attention to what they eat - which is more simple than many believe - and they always make sure they do something active each day, but they rarely get crazy about any of it. That is the true magic of it all: keeping it simple. I learned this a long time ago: K.I.S.S. - "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Just follow these rules, or any other positive ones you come across, and try to hit most of them every day. Your fate is in your hands, people; make the right choices each day and you won't regret a thing.
Sources
Cissick, John M. (April 2002). Basic Principles of Strength Training and Conditioning. NCSA's Performance Training Journal. Volume 1, Number 4.
Clark, Nancy. (2012) Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. 5th Edition.
Mala, J., T. K. Szivak, S. D. Flanagan, B. A. Comstock, J. Z. Laferrier, C. M. Maresh, & W. J. Kraemer. (2015, April). The role of strength and power during performance of high intensity military tasks under heavy load carriage. US Army Medical Department.
Resistance Training for Health and Fitness. American College of Sports Medicine.
Strength Training: Overloading to Increase Muscle Mass. Sports Performance Bulletin. Clin Sports Med. 2007, 26: 17-36.
Groves, Barry, PhD. (2003, 30 April). William Banting - Father of the Low-Carbohydrate Diet.
Schoenfeld, Brad J. (2010, October). The Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy and their Application to Resistance Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Volume 24, number 10.
Warpeha, J. (2007, Dec 1). Single Versus Multiple Set Training: What Does the Research Say?.NCSA's Performance Training Journal. Volume 6, Number 6.
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