What if...?

There's a sticking point for too many people that is, their own mind. When hear the words health and fitness, we immediately jump to exhausting, forceful and time consuming endeavours AND an end goal of looking a certain way or doing these unbelievable feats of strength and/or endurance. We think of how we USED to look and/or USED to perform because in our minds we are/still want to be 18-20 years old.

But what if.... you opened yourself to being healthy and fit, for WHAT YOU DO NOW???

What if... 🤔

I've shared the story before about my client who was a University level football player and trained with the National rowing team when he was younger. When I started working with him in his early-mid 60's he couldn't get over what he "used to be able to lift" or "used to do back then" that he can't now. It wasn't until he learned that he DOESN'T have to do those things anymore, that he began to experience a mindset shift. The ah-ha moment of realizing that as a lawyer, husband, father and grandfather, he no longer gets tackled by "refridgerator sized men" on a regular basis or has to race at extremely intense paces to win an event in natural weather conditions out of his control. He just needs to be healthy, strong and confident enough to do DIFFERENT things in his days now. It changed how he approached his health and wellbeing.

Freeing Yourself from Unnecessary Stress

This understanding is VERY important for us. It's not about what we "used to do" or what we "could do in the past". It's about RIGHT NOW. Your lifestyle, CURRENTLY. That's it!

This is an incredibly FREEING experience of understanding when you work with it. You just need to be open to it. For the general population...

• You don't "have" to run for your health, if you don't WANT to (there's SO MANY things to choose from!)

• You don't have to push cars around a parking lot to build strength if you don't WANT to (there's so many ways you can build strength)

• You don't have to do hill sprints if you don't WANT to (there are so many ways to build intensity and challenge into your routines)

• You don't have to eat vegan or keto or paleo... or any particular way, if you don't WANT to (there are many ways to eat healthy!)

Now, it's a different conversation if...

• You sign up for a 5km, 10km or half marathon race... then yes, you need to run to train and prepare

• You're considering entering strongman or powerlifting competitions... then yes, you need to lift, push, pull and carry very heavy things to prepare

• You're part of a team sport or committing to a race of some kind... then yes, hill sprints will be a benefit to you

  
  

... I think you get the point.

I Don't Believe we all "Should" have Something "Big" as our Goal in Health, Fitness and Wellness

I'm sorry - What is BIGGER than your own individual health and quality of life???? I have a hard time accepting that any event, competition or extreme goal is bigger than QUALITY OF LIFE. We've been lead to believe we "should have a big goal" to keep us motivated;

.... like a half marathon (... oh! but we hate running)

.... like a tough mudder race (... but we aren't really interested - we're just doing it for our friend who signed up and wanted a buddy)

.... like a figure/body building competition (... but we really aren't keen on the hard work, time and effort to change our body so drastically)

I believe this mindset/approach to our health, fitness and wellness goals are actually causing more problems rather than fixing, for us general population folks. Especially when we don't TRULY WANT the goal (or the process to get there). You may do well during that period of training leading into competition/event... but then what? Are you once again do something that DOESN'T really speak to your heart and soul? Sorry, I'm not on board with that - It seems like a miserable way to live and to be "healthy" doesn't it?

To add to that, these things all have PRESSURE that doesn't always need to be there for most of us and our health:

Pressure to sacrifice time we may not want to, sacrifice energy that may be running low as it is and pressure on ourself to achieve this goal without fail.

I'm NOT saying we shouldn't challenge ourselves (especially if we really want to do it), but I'm saying too many get sucked into this way of thinking and miss out on a more relaxed, less stressful way of living and being healthy. It IS possible to "challenge yourself" in smaller, more manageable ways than some massive goal that consumes you for months and potentially makes you miserable. 🙄

I'm Continuing to Live Very Differently than two Decades ago with my Health

20-25 years ago, I was playing a good level of soccer. Training, movement, exercise were different then. EVERY session I did on my own or with my team(s), were about the game I loved. It was always...

-Be fit for soccer

-Recover for the next game or practice / manage any knocks or injuries

-Get a better sprint time to improve the game

-Run a faster 5km to build game fitness

-Progress explosiveness, agility etc...

... It was always about soccer. And with good reason at THAT time. I loved it too!

My mindset shift clicked 2-years after retiring due to injury. Now 7-years since I last played a league game, I can do WHATEVER I WANT, WHENEVER I WANT for my health and there is ZERO pressure or deadlines due to games coming up or performance levels I / my team wants. It took 2-years before that really set in.

-If I want to run today (because I enjoy a nice trail run)... I CAN, but I don't "have to"

-If I want to change up my recovery today from sauna to just a nice hike in a the woods... I CAN, but I don't "have to"

-If I want to sprint up a hill, just because I can... I CAN! but I don't "have to"

Get it? There's a VERY big difference in how RELAXED, yet ENERGIZED you get when you know you're doing something because YOU simply want to and it feels GOOD!!

I'm now 43yrs old. I'm a father, husband and grandfather. I love tennis with friends, hockey in the winter, golf with friends, spending time in the woods hiking, running or just learning about nature, playing and performing music with my Dad as a hobby... THESE are all the reasons WHY I CHOOSE what I CHOOSE to do for my health. I JUST need to be fit and healthy enough that THESE THINGS continue to be enjoyable, fun and I can do them with the utmost confidence in my body. THAT'S it!!!

-I don't have to chase other 20 something year olds around a field...

-I don't have to take / give hard tackles to win a ball

-I don't have to be sore for a few days after an intense game and need to prioritize recovery full on

-I don't have to be able to play 90min a game (jogging, sprinting and walking over that time)

-My approach to sports is different - I always want to do the best I can on a given day, but the exercise, love of the game and being with my friends/teammates is more important than anything. I want to play my sports and come home to say "that was fun! I'm glad I took the time to play today"

To Each Their Own

I fully believe in "to each their own". I also believe MANY, MANY folks are missing out on LIFE because of their own mindset or because they continue to try to FORCE their PAST SELVES into their current day lives, decades later.

Time changes us. We put our bodies through a lot!! For better or worse.

Our physiology changes, naturally with time; Meaning our bodies NEEDS change over time.

Life changes us (experiences, responsibilities, how we view life and the world...).

Our outlook on life, our daily routines, wants and don't wants change.

ALLOW yourself to experience the freedom in your health, of approaching it from the standpoint of, "What if...?".

"What if I LET myself be healthy for what I need NOW... TODAY... to live my healthiest, happiest and most comfortable quality of life?"

... And then, go get it. Just that. No more. No less.

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If you want to chat more about how you can start making your health NOT be a stressor, but a POSITIVE aspect of each day, that you LOOK FORWARD to rather than dread or roll your eyes at;

Connect with 'Coach D' to book a FREE 10-min discovery call. Let's start the conversation!