Categories
Exercise Health Personal Development Ramblings

It's a journey, not a destination!

This is a minor rant, so be warned! 🙂

I’ve had enough of people looking at health & fitness the wrong way.

Fitness (and that dreaded hanger-on “Diet” and his ugly sister “Weight Loss”) are not one-off things you ‘do’!

  • Right now your fitness level is your fitness level. It can be better and it can be worse – it’s not fixed
  • Your diet is your diet – whatever you eat today is your diet. if you eat differently tomorrow that becomes your diet – it’s not fixed
  • Weight Loss is the result of taking other courses of action (such as increasing your exercise and changing your diet)

Many people see fitness/diet/weight loss as a one-off, thinking “once it’s done I’ll be awesome”, and then they can stop. I’m the bearer of a wake-up call to let people know that all of these are part of a journey, not a destination! Here’s the simplest way I can put this: Focus on becoming fitter. Do this through:

  1. More exercise and
  2. Eating better (note I did not say eat less…there’s a difference)

Focus on the act of becoming fitter! With this, you will need to change your diet; weight loss will happen.

Cycling does something great for me, and when I miss out, I feel bad (not for missing the cycling, BUT for missing out on the benefits – It relieves stress and makes me clearer in my thoughts and more resilient when things go wrong). It’s winter time here and getting out on the bike is hard(er) to do. I know I need the exercise in my week to keep me balanced! Make Fitness your focus through exercise and changing your diet and your journey will be more successful (I know, because this is what I have done!) 🙂

What are your thoughts on Fitness, Diet and Weight Loss?

12 replies on “It's a journey, not a destination!”

Or get a job where you don’t sit on your bum all day long and have to use real muscle and you can skip the exercise bit!

Oh, and have people around you that support you in your efforts. =8)

Hi Andrew,

A topic close to my heart (no pun intended) 😉

“What are your thoughts on Fitness, Diet and Weight Loss?”

For me – and I speak strictly from a perspective of what works for me, with a deep respect for the different paths others walk – it’s a part of my core daily routine, and treated with the same importance as personal hygiene, grooming, eating, etc.

I don’t ‘think’ about doing exercise, just like I don’t ‘think’ about taking a shower. It just gets done everyday. This leads to the amazing benefits of youthful looks ;), explosive and sustained energy, positive attitude etc. This in turn leads to better eating choices and the inevitable optimal weight. It’s like a huge positive spiral of goodness.

I do remember the days when exercise *wasn’t* treated as a daily mandatory – the days when the “will I – won’t I” mental tug of war would drain me.

On the cusp of 50 I can safely say, I’ve never felt better, run harder, biked longer, been more flexible or happier in my life than I am now. Not to brag, but to become a strong example for my family and living reminder to myself of the magnificent gift we have in life and to make the very best of it. This for me, includes driving a lean, mean, well tuned machine. 😉

Whatever works for *you* I say! 🙂

Best, Robin 🙂

Hi Andrew,

I think we get mixed up with the meaning of the word diet. Diet (noun) is what we eat every day; something we all do. ‘To diet’ (verb) is one thing I have never done in my life. Eating sensibly and of course, growing my own vegetables helps obviates the need to diet.
As with exercise, I started playing field hockey at boarding school in 1941 at the age of 12. My last competitive game was in 2005 at the age of 74 when I retired from work and moved South away from synthetic pitches. Now I will brag, I never missed a Winter season and played most Summer seasons; and just in passing, never received a yellow card. (No doubt deserved a few).

As Club Trainer for Gordon Hockey Club I remember well, the groans coming coming from players, such as ‘If that old b………. can do it, I can!’

I ask Robin, Andrew and John ‘do you think genes have anything to do with their attitude towards
exercise and diet’?

Regards, Allan

I agree 100%. I have been on and off at the gym for many years. Going back 10 years I wanted to be huge and muscly. So I went all the time, I saw not that greater result. Knowing what I know now about nutrition I reckon that I would have achieved quite a muslcy physique, however, also knowing what I know now… well… my goals have changed.

There is a driving force behind my exercise, that is mainly that I want to be there for my kids. I have seen far too many ‘blokes’ at BBQ’s holding their beer (on their guts) talking away and now mucking around with their kids. I really would hate to turn out like that. So every other day I hit the gym…

Going to the gym works for me… I tried running and walking, but they just bore me. I like the group feeling of the gym and the instant hit I get from lifting a heavy weight or getting to a point that my arms or legs can not do anymore.

There is something to be said about having kids as motivation.

@Robin – I like your mentality behind not thinking about exercise. It is one that many should take on. But I guess we’d all have to take our heads out of magazines and TV to understand that Diets of the Stars are not really what we should be hanging out for.

Like Robin, my fitness regime has been a tug of war, unlike Robin I’m post 50.

What I’ve had to come to grips with is, despite all my best efforts to fight off the inevitable change in the body, physical fitness equates to mental fitness.

Keeping fit kept me sane, however staying fit keeps me mentally tougher than most people half my age.

In this life, mental toughness is not an option.

Cheers
Catherine

I have to say, I haven’t felt fit for years – and now my body is reminding me daily of it. I’m so glad to have met you Andrew (and Robin and Catherine) because as part of the wider community in my life (of which you have become increasingly important to me in the past year) you are inspiring me to succeed, improve, be better at everything I do. For that I thank you.

Andrew, see you out on the bike very soon – lets pick that day for our weekly ride! I say Wednesday mornings.

Cheers,
Tony

Hello.
If I don’t exercise, I go spare. Seriously. I could walk 2 hours some days and feel like I haven’t done enough. It feels so good.
I love to walk in warm sunshine in winter. I often walk around the oval when my boy’s doing soccer training.
I used to do yoga but found it put my back out. Pilates strengthens everything.
I’m not at my fittest, there are many summers when I’d swim laps for an hour straight in a 50m pool under the open sky.
I’m not at my thinnest, that was when I was most stressed.
But I’m content and that’s what matters to me.
I’m growing my own mung beans again, they’re cool.
Don’t panic it’s organic. Far out brussel sprout.
Frances x

@Robin Dickinson
Hi Robin – YES, it should be a part of who you are and not something ‘extra’ you do! It’s amazing how many people forget that they used to run around all day every day without so much as caring they were getting ‘exercise’ – then they get old(er) and think it’s something different 🙂 Thanks for your comments!

@Allan Dickinson
Allan, thanks VERY much for your comments on this and sharing your background with us – I think even if it’s not in the genes, it certainly helps if it’s ‘in the family’! You’ve obviously made it part of your everyday life and we can see that shine through both in Robin’s comments AND your continued ability to coach/play Hockey!

Did you have such a guiding influence from your parents, or were you the first to ‘just do it’ and do it every day?

@Tony Hollingsworth
I’m glad to hear it Tony – You’re too good a man to waste, and from your tweets over this weekend it’s clear to see you’re getting SO MUCH MORE out of the bike than you could have imagined. Wednesday sounds good – will be in touch! (btw if anyone else on here wants to tee up a cycle one day, let me know!) 🙂

Leave a Reply to Catherine White Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *