You Can't Cliff Note Lasting Fitness

The other day on Sparkpeople.com I posted this status update: "You can't 'Cliff note' fitness. If you only learn what you should do without the why, you won't stick with it because you won't know why it's important."

I have had many people tell me that they don't want to read a book or get informed about how to make their own diet or exercise plan. "Just tell me what to do and I will do it", they say. They'd rather not be bothered with taking the time to learn the details.

While, to a large degree, this kind of attitude is what keeps us personal trainers employed, it's also what tends to keep well-meaning people from reaching or maintaining their goals. Look, if a person doesn't understand the mechanics behind why what they are doing is working, they won't feel compelled to keep it up once they have reached goal.

I give long pause to eating buttered popcorn because I am fully aware of the reasons why the combination of carbs, fat, and sodium is going to cause a scale hike that will take a couple of days of disciplined eating and water consumption to undo.

You can't go into denial about stuff you have full knowledge of. This is a powerful tool in the battle of maintaining your goals once you have reached them.

I know it can be boring. At the age of 19 I started this whole weight-lifting thing. Back then we didn't have women's fitness magazines that were designed to engage the mind of a female. We had Flex and Muscle and Fitness- both geared primarily towards men. I would force myself to read the details in the articles that talked about why what they were suggesting worked. I read books on fitness and proper eating, forcing myself to pay attention in the more boring parts. After a while, as I started to understand more of the terminology, it got a little more interesting. But trust me, some of this stuff is still about as fascinating as reading the prescription information that comes with your antibiotic.

However, twenty-eight years later this discipline has given me a no-excuses ownership of the shortcomings that have led me to struggle with weight gain. This has been extremely facilitative in initiating change. Without this information banging around in my head, and growing as I have continued to educate myself, I am sure my struggle with excess body fat would have been even greater.

As a trainer, I love it when my clients ask questions. The people with the curious minds who inform themselves are much more likely to stick with the program and get good results that last.

So educate yourself. Turn into a giant two-year-old by learning to ask "Why?". Ask your trainer why you are super-setting chest press with step-ups. Look up the reasoning behind the eating plan you are using. Read articles. Read books. Don't blindly follow; Educationally follow. If for no other reason than to enable yourself to be able to make your own exercise and eating plan if, God forbid, you can no longer afford to pay for assistance.