I’m sure if I took a poll of how many of us have resolved to get in shape and never started, or started and quit, I’ll bet the number would be high; at least 95%. That would leave 5% who are strong and fit their whole lives. If you could just make a wish, which group would you like to join?
Obviously, 100% of us would want to live strong and fit. We all know the benefits. We would experience less sickness and disease, we’d sleep better, be less uptight, and laugh more with a greater sense of overall well-being. Why the are there so many of us non-starters and quitters? What does it take to become a 5 percenter? It’s going to take a different approach. Before we ever start another exercise program, there is a foundational understanding of what makes us tick that we need to establish. We must realize that all human decisions, even our subconscious ones, are motivated and fueled by two active and ever present forces; Pain and Pleasure.
Even as you were knit in your mother’s womb, so was your capacity to feel physical and emotional pain or pleasure. Your first encounter with this reality was the day you entered a strange new world filled with pain and you let mom, dad and the doctor know about it. In that universal, easily understood baby dialect, you let everyone know you wanted some pleasure – and you wanted it now! The only thing that has changed from that day to this, is the maturity level at which we process the inevitable pain and pleasure we experience in every area of our lives.
These two forces are so fundamentally important, that I’ll be covering them extensively in our Inspirational blog, but for now, the question is – What does all this have to do with health and fitness? Pain and pleasure have everything to do with why we desire to be strong and fit. They also have everything to do with why we succeed and why we fail. If that sounds contradictory, that’s o.k. I’m going to work through this in my next three posts.
Today was part 1 – Intro. To Fitness. Next, part 2 will be – Pleasure; part 3 – Pain. Last, part 4 – Breaking Free to Get Started. I hope you’re interested enough to follow along, because there’s a huge benefit. This powerful duo of pain and pleasure is rooted deeply in our hearts and affects success and failure in every area of our lives. I’ve failed at a lot of things, and succeeded at others. I’m just a 56 year old, ordinary guy, who’s learned some extraordinary truths along the way and I’m excited to share them with you.
