Fitness is a great topic, there are a lot of experts, lots of people that think they are experts, and lots of people trying to figure out just how to get in shape, stay in shape, and reach their goals. Fitness isn’t just a goal it is also a destination and a way of life. What many people who attempt to get in shape don’t realize is that there is no magic pill, or specific exercise that will whip them into shape. Fitness is a change that takes place and must stay in place long term, or you will never maintain your goals.
Contrary to what many people seem to think it is easy to loose weight or even get in shape. Just eat less and workout a little bit every day. The hard part is maintaining the level of fitness you desire.
One thing that many people do not take into account is that a new fitness regime will through their life out of balance. You must spend time exercising, you have to change your schedule, you must eat differently, you have to sleep differently, you look at things differently, and you interact with people differently. Often times all of these changes are not recognized or acknowledged and this leads to problems. Often times these changes are made to quickly and the new lifestyle is too hard to sustain.
It is often said that id you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit but is it is also very easy to break artificial habits that are not cemented into your regime. It is also easy to break habits that take will power to maintain. Exercise hurts and takes some serious motivation, so it is not hard to cut it out of a busy schedule.
Recognizing that fitness is a new way of life and that you must strive for balance is important in achieving life long fitness. It also applies to many other areas of life. When you are doing one thing you cannot be doing another. If you are at work you cannot be at home, if you are watching TV you cannot be spending time with your family, if you are running 30 miles per week you will not be able to put on muscle mass. Striving for balance is difficult because we all want instant gratification and it takes a long time to develop proper balance.
Think about what happens if you are trying to balance a stick on your finger and you make a sudden movement. The stick falls, if you make numerous small fluid corrections you are much more likely to hit your target of balance. This also applies to all other areas of life including fitness.