If you are reading this blog, you’re probably looking to get stronger, or healthier, or lose fat, or any of the above. You’re probably wondering what the fastest, least painful way to reach your goal is. Let me tell you the secret. It won’t cost you a penny, it’s completely legal and natural, and is guaranteed to work practically every time. Ladies and gentleman, the one shortcut to whatever it is you want is…
Stop looking for shortcuts and get to work.
Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that you cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets. That holds true for whatever it is you want to achieve, whether it is getting stronger, more skilled, wealthier or smarter.
Most of us would not expect to become experts in nuclear physics overnight; it takes years of intense study and research. In the same way, most of us can’t expect to master the one armed push up if we haven’t done anything more strenuous than sitting down for most of your adult life. That’s ok, you work from the beginning and you build up to it. Luckily, with some effort getting into shape can take a lot less time than getting a degree in nuclear physics.
The “quick” fix that isn’t
The urge to cut corners is tempting, but it’s a damn trap. You may have fallen into it before; I know I have. You try something you think will let you reach your goal effortlessly, and instead it turns out to be a crazy waste of time. Think of where you’d be if instead of pursuing that shortcut, you had used that time to knuckle down and put in some solid work.
Don’t knock yourself though. If you’ve become aware that that was a waste of time, you can chalk it down to experience and not do it again. You’re one of the lucky ones; there are still people who constantly switch from one fad to another. In some cases it’s literally a frying-pan-into-fire cycle. So if you’ve been down this path, take it as a lesson learnt and move on. However, remember that:
You need to be realistic
If you haven’t seen your feet for some time because your belly is in the way, you can’t decide to have six pack abs in three months. Or rather, you can, but reality is very unlikely to comply to your wishes.
Think in terms of small, achievable goals with measurable progress. Keep in mind that what you are doing will take time, but then again, we’re talking about improving your life here. Got anything better to do?
Now, even if you do have a good goal…
You still need to work smart
In the same way that working your ass off doesn’t guarantee you’re going to get filthy rich, working out several hours a day won’t necessarily get you closer to your goals. Your health, strength, and appearance depend on a number of factors, of which exercise is one.
Nutrition, rest, and other factors all come into play; understanding all these things will help you get to your goal. You don’t need a Ph.d in any of them, but it helps; at least you’ll know what’s going to help you work towards your target.
You don’t just need to do things, you need to do the right things. Otherwise you end up building a boat when what you wanted was a barn; nice, but not what you wanted. Finally…
More is not always better
Whether it’s work, exercise or what have you, remember that diminishing returns are a thing. A friend of mine once took on a crappy part time job, thinking that any extra income was a good thing to have. Thing is, that job paid peanuts for long hours which cut into the time she could have used doing other things and resting so she could do her full time job properly; the extra income certainly didn’t justify the misery.
Similarly, doing a few sets of push ups in a day is good. Doing ten times that amount in a day is not going to be ten times better – there’s only so much your body can gain from an exercise, and it’s going to take so much time and leave you so beaten that you’re going to miss out on training other parts of your body and, more importantly, do other things you enjoy. Having the perfect body is no fun if you have to spend 100% of your time and energy maintaining it.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint
Hopefully you’re going to live in your body for several more years, so try to treat it kindly even as you work on it. And remember you’re training to improve your life, so even as you progress, slowly and steadily, don’t rush ahead; if you’re not enjoying the journey, something is wrong.
Cover: Short cut road, by Nic McPhee (CC BY-SA 2.0)