Fitness Lessons learned over the years...

One of our boys was getting a haircut yesterday at Sport Clips. I love Sport Clips. I wish the price wasn’t so high for a simple haircut, but I love the fact that ESPN is on all 20 of the TVs in the shop. There’s a TV within sight of anywhere, so when conversation reaches an awkward moment with your stylist, you can zone out on ESPN and whatever Stephen A. Smith is ranting about. Anyway, a commercial comes on for P90X, of which I am a HUGE fan. Trust me, it works. Oddly enough, immediately after that, another exercise infomercial comes on touting another celebrity- this one being an MMA champion, explaining the benefits of his program vs. all others. The hair stylist struck up a conversation with me about other workout routines she had seen, and which one she thought worked the best.

Let me let you in on a little tip:

Male or female, ALL WORKOUT PROGRAMS WORK!

Each one says it will help you lose weight the fastest. They’re right. As long as you do them, and follow a balanced, more wholesome diet, you will see results. Whether Tony Horton, Tito Ortiz, John Cena, Kathy Ireland, Chuck Norris, or any other celebrities recommend a routine, every single one of them will work if you follow the steps.

Also, certain diet pills promise to make you shed the pounds without having to modify your diet, which usually means eating the same fast food and freezer dinners while popping a magic pill. You may see results, but will it initiate real change, which is crucial to weight loss and results? How about 90 days of changed eating habits vs. popping a pill and eating goop?

I will say that, since college, I did not exercise, did not eat well, ate too much, and generally lived a rather sedentary lifestyle. In college, I had a size 34 waist, which was loose at times, could run a 7 minute mile, and ate salads, fruits, and vegetables for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was my spoil meal, where I ate all the carbs, fat, and protein I could handle. Hey, there’s a diet option! Oh yeah, and I ran 6 miles in the afternoon after class. I can say now, after today, that you can eat under 1500 calories a day, and eat all the fiber, protein, fats (with some left over), and carbs (with some left over), along with all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, AND BE FULL AND HAPPY!

I don’t mean to sound like I know it all. This is just what works for me, which if I had a good marketing team and some $$ to invest, I could make a fortune off of TV marketing that plan, or I could write a book (See? Everything works!) When I feel like I know a lot, I just run down to my local GNC and get schooled on nutrition and supplements. I know a lot of what to do to get skinny, I just don’t really always like to do it. Change happens when you work to make it happen.

Now I’m all in on this fitness challenge with my wife. Megan can tell you that when I get an idea in my head and a determination to make a change, at least physically- it’s hard to stop. Maybe I’ll post “after” pictures.

Greg