Impermanence

There is nothing we do in the gym that lasts.

Let us repeat.

There is NOTHING we do in the gym that lasts.

No muscular gains, no improved performance, no mood enhancement. Nothing.

The reason this idea is important is because we sit in an industry that can often promote “the magic pill”.

The fastest way to get strong yesterday..

The no-fuss, effort free 4 week cabbage diet for losing your ability to smile.. I mean all of your body fat.

And because of this, we often find that many people are playing a very short game.

An intense burst of really high activity.. to an extended period of nothingness.. rinse and repeat.

Or occasionally, it’s an extended period of nothingness.. followed by an extended period of nothingness.. to more of.. well, nothing.

There’s very little control between the yin and yang. The push and pull.

And when we recognise that all of the good that comes from training or our other “proactive health activities” are short lived - it encourages us to simply do them again.

As coaches, we’re primarily interested in rhythms, routines, the regularity of the behaviour, flow.

Where one good week is good.

and consecutive good weeks is building towards great.

As Brene Brown put it in her latest book, Strong Ground -

“Intentionality and consistency over wild intensity”.

Lifting weights, pedalling the bike, running up a hill, throwing the medicine ball, sprinting the sled, expanding the control of our hip..  All of it is a signal.

Sitting down for extended periods, frequent questionable postures, a low step count, dietary choices that drain us, overly stimulated and bypassing fundamental human needs.. also a signal.

Our body responds to the signal.

Choose a signal that has the ability to improve our physicality, mood, health.. state of being.. 

or choose a signal that dampens our vibrancy and literally speeds up the rate of the impending decline.

It’s your job to choose which signal your body is tuning itself to..

And if you’re worried that your glory days are past you, maybe your body has been responding to wrong frequency and it’s time to change the channel.