If you’re not 100% overjoyed with the body you’re wearing right now, what’s holding you back?
Why are you not enjoying the lean, strong body that screams fitness from 100 yards? Is it the wrong diet, the wrong equipment, a less than perfect exercise plan or something deeper?
While there are some people who are quite content with their fitness level (or lack there of), most of us want "this thing" below my neck to change—to be more of this or less of that. We’d like to push, pull or twist it into a more pleasing shape.
Unfortunately, most go about it backwards. We struggle mightily working “on it” and rarely even consider that we could be working “in it.”
Because our bodies appear to be relatively solid objects, it seems as if we can and should act “on it.” Thus, we’re ever looking for the right pill, tool, technique or trick that will shape it in line with our desire.
Further reinforcing this belief are the masterful marketers seeking to benefit from this erroneous belief by convincing you that you’re just one perfect sequence, special machine, magic potion or powder away from total bliss and a stunning body. Hey, we’ve all been there, hoping, "this is the thing that’s finally going to make me fit."
What's missing from the vast array of strategies and technical solutions is any reference to your interior—to that which you most often refer to as "you."
A commitment to your interior, to working from the inside-out is not
just a nice idea, it is an essential element for any successful
approach to a better body and life and can result in real, lasting and nearly effortless Transformation.
I'm not suggesting that eating better won't help you look better. It
will. Exercise (better yet Training) is needed too. You can (and many
do) even make a stunning Transformation without creating the necessary
interior strength to sustain the new you. In this case, you've not
truly Transformed, rather only changed. Not only was it harder than it
needed to be (had you done inside out work) but it doesn't last.
To be clear, I'm not suggesting you sit on a meditation cushion and
get fit. I’m an advocate for integration of mind-body during training
but however you choose to engage, it's vital that you invest in
strengthening your interior space—your self, your mind, your emotions,
your views, the part of you that you call “you.”
Start Easy
Get familiar with the inner space—come to know
what's going on inside. When you can see what's driving your actions;
gradually, almost magically you will begin to gain freedom from being
pushed, pulled and dragged you around. You begin to choose freely.
You might take up a daily practice of journaling—morning or night.
Perhaps you would consider meditation or integrate it with your
training with a practice like FIT. In my book, Strength for Life you’ll find a series of simply daily awareness practices that can change your life.
You don't gain freedom from resistance—from hiding or trying to
overpower your inner world. Nor through silently admonishing yourself.
Harsh self-talk may get you moving for a short while but it's sure to
wear you down and backfire for this critical inner dialogue can not
inspire you to greatness.
If you've struggled to Transform or to hold on to your best, if you
seek motivation or just a renewed energy and hope, try something
different. Make a commitment to your interior, nurture a refuge of
strength, hope, possibility and release your full potential.
How to Train Your Mind and Body Strong
A proven way to
integrate your mind and body that both accesses your interior space
while providing for optimally effective training can be found in my proprietary FIT practice. FIT—Focus Intensity Training—integrates
aspects of yoga and martial arts in a hyper-effective strength training
practice that is also a form of active mediation for a strong, clear focused mind and a stronger, leaner body, faster. By
integrating the benefits of strength training with the depth and joy of
yoga, FIT is the new-new thing in working out. And you can only find it
in Strength for Life.
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