Whether you started on Jan. 1 or not,
fitness is a journey, not destination
Misconceptions about personal fitness flood us daily. I know. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years. In a life path that has taken me from the gym to the office and from the boardroom to the ballroom, I have learned that fitness is not a destination, it’s a journey.
Most of us approach fitness full-bore and hold unfounded – and unhealthy – workout outcome expectations. That, combined with the poisonous messages of “no pain, no gain,” or “you need to lose ‘X’ pounds a week” fuels the fires of frustration which ultimately encourage us to accept failure as our patience dwindles as quickly as our energy.
I am a master personal trainer who sees things differently.
No, not that kind of personal trainer. I am educated, very soft spoken, rarely wear spandex and have a fully formed neck. I have helped people see results that are not achieved by how commanding I am or how much I make them sweat during a session. Results are gained by creating and sending constant and consistent signals to the body to enable you to achieve your goals.
Through this column, I will seek to give you the CliffsNotes of my life’s work so that you may find your premium level of effectiveness, regardless of your fitness goals. Notice I didn’t say “achieve” your fitness goals. That’s because the closer we get to those goals, the more our expectations change. We need to keep one eye on the fitness journey – the road – and the other on our past state of being – the rearview mirror – to really understand how far we have traveled, and to create realistic expectations for what lies ahead.
This involves taking active ownership of your body. In order to set goals for where you wish to be, you must know where you are, so you can effectively plan the route that will get you there. Many people fail because they only see what they dream about being, and do not understand what their fitness level really is. If you pick up a weight, join a class, or engage in an activity without understanding your present level of fitness, you are more likely to fail. You need to understand where you are to know if your goals are even realistic. I am not saying that you can’t get what you want, but in order to get there, you may have to do things you don’t want to do. There are no quick fixes. It takes time and resources. Regardless of what the fitness industry preaches, radical changes are not always possible, and in many cases are not even healthy.
But you can be happy, healthy, pain-free and energetic, without looking like you just walked off the cover of Men’s Health or Shape.
At Advanced Training Techniques, we define fitness as the body’s ability to return to a normal state after abnormal stress is applied. That’s easier than it sounds. If you bench press 250 pounds, you’re “fit” for muscular strength, right? But if you still can’t make it up a flight of stairs without nearly passing out, you are cardio/respiratory “unfit.” True fitness applies to all aspects of the body, not just one or two. And it isn’t achieved just by being thin or looking good.
So I invite you to join us here for the next several weeks as we dispel the myths of fitness and define what it really takes to gain active ownership of your body’s wellness potential. If you would like to come along for the ride, we will be happy to show you how.
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Brent Steepe, a personal trainer since 1992, is CEO of Advanced Training Techniques Inc. in St. Clair Shores. Brent, a former bodybuilder and powerlifter, worked at a number of gyms before founding Advanced Training in 2006. He earned a bachelor of science in Exercise Science at Michigan State University, and holds a number of certifications in personal training, senior fitness, sports nutrition, and from the American Red Cross. An avid recreational enthusiast, Brent is vice president of the American Ultimate Disc League. For more information, visit www.traininyourhome.com, email Brent at bsteepe@traininyourhome.com or find him on Facebook or Twitter.
