Fit For Life: Be a Pro…

Fit For Life: Be a Pro…

Why be mediocre? Why be average? I say: swing for the fence in life. Rise and conquer! Be a professional. Do your best at everything, and success should follow. I was out sledding with my nephew last weekend, and we were at a place that attracts a lot of people. Different ages, sizes, races, and religions, and I started to notice how some people were dressed for the frigid cold and wet weather we were experiencing. Some kids were wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms, sneakers, and a hooded sweatshirt. As for us, we both had snow pants, weather appropriate boots, and were dressed in layers. As the day went on, I noticed how uncomfortable, cranky, and cold the others were, but not us, we were having a blast! I was telling a friend about the situation, and she replied, “you guys had more fun, because you were dressed like professionals”.  It was then I started thinking: whatever it is you do, you will do it better and enjoy it more if you take the time to prepare, and be a professional about it. This holds true with everything from sledding, to work, to exercise, to a day at the beach, and taking care of your health. 

A pro at work.

Lets use work as a first example: When you express passion, enthusiasm, and take the time to prepare, you will like your job better, perform it more efficiently, and probably make more money than someone who is careless, unmotivated, and unprepared to tackle the tasks at hand. You will always be considered just another worker, and probably always be overlooked for advancement, thus making your profession laborious, boring, and unsatisfying. You won’t have all that much pride in what you do, and will end up hating your job, which will make life a miserable existence. I don’t care what you do, weather you work at a drive thru, or are a CEO of a corporation, when you approach things and act like a pro, good things will come your way.

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A pro at fun.

Another good example would be a day at the beach. You know that if you take the time to pack a lunch, bring sunscreen, a chair, book, and a dry/clean change of clothes, you are guaranteed to enjoy your day better than someone that doesn’t plan, but just grabs a towel to sit on. Then you have a day of sitting in sand, getting a painful sunburn, eating fried clams, hotdogs and chips from the snack bar, then driving home in a wet bathing suit. Sound appealing to you?  Not to me.  But it does sound like a failure to prepare. 

A pro at fitness.

So what can we learn that we can apply to exercising and your health? If you schedule your workouts, eat properly, get plenty of rest and wear the right gear, you will not only enjoy the concept of taking care of yourself, but the results will show! Much more than someone that wears the wrong gear, never shops for food and always eats on the go, and has no commitment to getting to the gym on a regular basis. These are the fly by nighters. They do it half ass, complain about how hard it is, and never get the outcome they envisioned for themselves. These people fall in the amateur category. They constantly start something and never follow through. They workout, but do not eat properly, or they eat a few good meals, and then fall off the wagon at night. This happens because of their mindset. 

My advice is simple - you will never be good at anything, unless you exert some effort, time and desire to be better. You can’t put things low on your priority list, and expect to excel at them. When people join my Fit Body Bootcamp, I allow them unlimited access to my session schedule, give a solid nutrition plan, weigh and measure them, and hold them accountable. I basically supply all the tools they need to succeed. The ones that have the right mindset put time into preparing their meals, show up regularly, and work hard. They not only get results, but they are actually happy to be here. You can hear it on their Facebook posts on my page.  Reading their positive notes and how they feel about their improving bodies by working with me, makes my day, too.  I’ve also noticed that the more people get into better shape, the nicer workout clothes and sneakers they start wearing. Why? Because the results are addictive. The more you achieve, the better you feel, and it makes you want to look better, both inside and out. In other words, they have stepped out of the amateur ranks, and show up looking and acting like – professionals!

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one!"