Time to get real: A short-cut route to health and fitness does not exist

time-to-get-real-a-short-cut-route-to-health-and-fitness-does-not-exist

In the world of health and fitness one common denominator that remains concrete in a cauldron of mixed opinions and confusing advice, is the fact that although there are many ways of achieving goals and overcoming challenges, the reality becomes clearly evident over time. If you put in sweet f@$k all you can guarantee your return will correlate to your efforts.

Something that really frustrates me are the gyms, infomercial fitness gadgets and trainers advocating that if you donate just two 20 minute sessions a week to training, your goals will be met. Bollix.

What is required takes much more than dragging yourself from your bed before work twice a week for 20 minutes. I am sorry if this is a deflating reality but I feel there is so much mis-information out there aimed at taking advantages of people’s general lack of knowledge on the subject. What is required when it comes to health and fitness regardless of your goals is a commitment to altering your lifestyle and moving the concept of looking after yourself up the list of priorities in your life.

I totally appreciate time can be tight for most people but the reality is that mentally we are not committing to what we want our bodies to do physically.

Something I strongly advise to people looking to get into fitness and health in any capacity is to choose a particular challenge that may remove them for the comfort zone they occupy for the majority of their days. These challenges can be many things. A 5k or 10k run, a marathon, a triathlon, a cycle event, a body building event, an Ironman. Every bodies challenge is different and everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.

By applying yourself to a challenge you therefore will have a programme to stick to that will focus the mind and body. This has a much more meaningful effect than going to a gym aimlessly twice a week in the false great hope of changing your life. Also, when these training and event goals are finally reached, the pay-off for the head is unquantifiable.

By picking a challenge that only 5-6 months ago you felt was either impossible or highly unlikely and overcoming that, it gives the mind such appetite for more and when the mind wants it the body just follows.

This in turn filters down towards your professional life and private life in a massively positive way.
You don’t have to go all out fitness and watch every last calorie you eat. Do what makes you happy. Have a few pints or a pizza but use these things as a reward rather than a necessity.

This blog is predominately for people who want to change their lifestyles and are unsure of the best route to take in order to do so. My advice is, take the scenic route. Enjoy the journey and take it in, the shit days and the good. Don’t look for the short cut bypass route to health and fitness. I am afraid it just does not work that way.

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Article by Niall Breslin
A retired professional rugby and inter county football player, a multi-platinum selling song writer and music producer, public speaker and documentary maker who comes from the midlands town of Mullingar in Co. Westmeath. Co-Founder of A Lust For Life.
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