Fit for Life: Are You Battle-Ready?
Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor
Fit for Life: Are You Battle-Ready?
We stopped for a quick water break about an hour in, and he said, "Wow, we did a pretty good job creating our lifestyles." I asked, "What do you mean?" He said that the ability to make your own schedule and come for these rides anytime you want is pretty commendable. I said, "Thank you; that was the intention all along."
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I am truly grateful that my business runs smoothly without me there, and I no longer need to be chained to the daily routines required to run efficiently. I now have a great team that supports all the daily tasks necessary to operate at an extremely high level.
BUT, MAKE NO MISTAKE. I still work every day, sometimes for 12-14 hours straight. I just get to dictate the "when" I work, not how much I work. I am still very necessary to the growth and vision we are going in, as well as the alignment and leadership of the organization.
Occasionally, a member sees me in the gym and says, "I never see you. Don't you work anymore?" This makes me laugh because if they only knew what goes on behind the scenes, they would be blown away.
In the beginning, the schedule I now enjoy wasn't possible for me. He mentioned that a few years in, you were still doing everything. Then you went through Covid, so you deserve to live as you currently do. True statement. In the beginning, I did everything from coaching to cleaning, and there was no FREE time.
Why am I telling you all this?
It's because sometimes we get discouraged when we are not where we want to be, and we don't realize it takes much time to get there. Many of us get frustrated when we don't see instant results, so we throw our hands up and quit.
We overestimate what we can do in a week, yet underestimate what we can accomplish in a year!!
I have been grinding for 10 years in this brick-and-mortar, and I'll tell you with conviction that it wasn't easy to get where I am now. It's not going to be any easier to get to where I want to go either; it's just going to be different.
I have made a lot of mistakes along the way and have had some tough years. However, that is the only way to build experience, resiliency, growth, and knowledge. Now, I have a stepping stone to the next level and the expertise to be more efficient in getting there.
I will still need to work, but now that our foundation is built, it's a matter of maintaining momentum rather than creating momentum.
Compare this to your health and fitness. If you are just starting your journey, you can't compare yourself to someone who has been living a healthy lifestyle and exercising for years.
They have already gone through all the trials and errors of dieting, working out, etc., and you are just starting your journey. You still need to go through the mental anguish of being disciplined, saying no to foods you want to but shouldn't eat, and working out when you are tired or don't feel like it.
In contrast, the person who's in shape and reached their goal already did all that, and now they are reaping the benefits of all their hard work. That person must keep the momentum rolling, as they aren't climbing the hill.
Now, don't think for a minute that you can stop once you reach your fitness goals. No, No, No. There is a thing called maintenance, and if you aren't constantly doing the right things to maintain your health, it will diminish faster than it took you to achieve it. Just like a business, if you don't maintain it, it will regress until it disintegrates.
Personally, I like to maintain around 11% body fat. So, to maintain this, I still need to stay hydrated, eat clean, work out daily, and get enough sleep.
The same formula as someone just starting their journey, but they are still climbing the hill, so it seems more difficult for them because they are looking up the hill at what they need to accomplish, which gets overwhelming for some.
I have been working out for over 30 years, so maintaining my current state is more manageable now than it was trying to get here.
However, if I wanted to ever compete in bodybuilding, there would be a big hill in front of me all over again, as I would need to take my training and nutrition to a different level. Trust me, it wouldn't be easy for me to do this.
I always compare life's journeys to a giant 2000 set of stairs. If you look up from the bottom, it gets intimidating and overwhelming. If you just look at the step in front of you and keep taking steps until you reach the top, it never is as difficult as you anticipated. When you reach the top, you can look down and say, "Look how far I have come."
The point I am trying to make is #1. It takes time, effort, and energy to accomplish good things. #2. Don't get discouraged when things don't go as fast as anticipated. #3. Sometimes, we need to stop, glance back, and see how far we have come. #4. After glancing back, we need to refocus and keep our momentum moving forward, or we can diminish our results.
I leave you with this: No matter how hard things are or how long they take, quitting will never make them easier or faster, so never quit or give up on your vision. Keep taking one step at a time; eventually, you will reach the top.
Life is a series of battles. You need to be either battle-ready or battle-tested to survive and thrive!
Coach Matt