A fellow fitness blogger, Dave Soucy, of www.DaveSoucy.com published an article posing the question “What Does Get In Shape Mean to You? Not only do I think it is of paramount importance to know exactly WHAT you want to do, and have laser-focused goals to identify that desire. I also think everyone needs a “Powerful Reason Why” they do the things they do and seek the things they want (PRW is something I got from Adam Waters RTP Transformation course).
So, now I’m asking you the same question: What does “get in shape” mean to you? If you were “in shape” would you look good or be good at something specific? Would you have a different attitude? And more importantly, why is that important to you?
If you haven’t got those two things figured out, then I would bet you’ve been struggling to reach your subconsious goals for awhile.
Here is what I came up with for Dave’s post:
I make my health and fitness a high priority for a lot of reasons. The main ones are the benefits of being healthier, and as a result happier and enjoying more freedom. Everyone wants to look good and feel good.
Although, there are some deeper reasons why being “in shape” is important to me. I like to be an inspiration to others, to show them that anyone can enjoy not just average health, but abundant health and vibrant physical living (and that you don’t have to be a “fitness freak” to do so).
I also feel responsible for those around me, my family and friends, and I would want to be capable of handling potential future situations that arise – not be limited by a de-conditioned body. Don’t worry, it’s more of a preparedness mindset, not paranoia :)
Lastly, I think that living a physically-focused lifestyle is a dying tradition, a rare practice, and I’m doing everything I can to prevent that from continuing! I meet people all the time who will avoid situations because there is more physical activity involved than they are comfortable with – even if it’s just walking! I see this as a major cultural problem, and it’s going to take a revolution to get it turned around.
In my experience as a fitness coach, what could be labeled “surface motivations” like the vague “I want to look better” generally don’t carry someone to their goal. It’s not enough to just want something – you need to be compelled to achieve it. There needs to be purpose behind it. If you have an inner drive that is fueled by purpose, you can achieve almost anything.
To your health and success,
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CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional
To me, getting in shape means being able to have decent stamina for cardio workouts. I’ve grown up running cross country and haven’t always been so passionate about that sport, however, I loved it because it “kept me in shape.”
Now that I’m more focused on building muscle and defining my body, I’ve been focusing more on a reliable weight training program. I’m currently sticking to the Escalating Density Training program and it’s working decently well. I’m not sure if you’ve heard about it before but my friends told me it was a good program.
I still try to “stay in shape” though by hitting the treadmills before each workout.
Thanks for the helpful information, it’s brought back some good cross country memories.
Hi Tyler,
Thanks for your comment. I was into cross country in high school, and still love getting out for a trail run these days. Good stuff!
I know EDT, and have used it many times myself in the past. Density training is one of my preferred training methods for building strength-endurance.