Your fitness may not be for everyone

I had a really great conversation today with my buddy Scott, who is also a fitness fanatic.  We have a lot in common, but what we do on a regular basis for workouts is not one of them.  Scott is a Crossfitter, and I'm a Beachbody guy.   There is nothing wrong with either, as a matter of fact I'll go so far as to say both a great.   I say that because Crossfit works for Scott; he's passionate about it, loves talking it up, loves doing it, and it's gotten him incredible results.   Beachbody has taken me down that same path.

The sad thing in the fitness world, and probably the world in general, is that people tend to think what they are doing is the best, and everything else sucks.   There are a LOT of fitness snobs in the world.   That's sad, because the truth is we can all come together and help each other.

Another aspect of that "My way is the best," syndrome is that we tend to ram that down our friends and families' throats.  We get fired up about it, and won't back off from it, and that can do more harm than good.  We can actually drive people away from getting healthier altogether because what we love, they may not have the slightest interest in.  The more we talk about it, the less interest they have in it, and eventually the less interest they have in us.

So here's what I say: I say have an open mind about introducing people to fitness.  As Scott said earlier today, take a softer approach and see if you can't actually help them.  If you can help them find something they enjoy, whether it be Crossfit, P90X, Zumba, running, whatever it is, even if it's not your thing, it's probably more than they were doing before.  That's a big improvement, and we all know that small improvements compound over time into great changes.

So if you are talking to someone about what workouts you do, and they seem like they are looking to make a change themselves, don't beat what you do over their head.  Tell your story, and if what you do is too extreme for them, or isn't something they'd dig, ask them what might be, or better yet, let them know you know some people that might be able to help them find the right workout and nutrition plan for them.   Maybe that's us as Team Beachbody Coaches, or Scott introducing them to Crossfit, or a Personal Trainer at a local gym.  

People always ask me, "What's the best program?"  The best one is the one that interests you enough to keep you coming back day after day, 5-6 days per week.  It's the one you think is fun, so that when the end comes, you feel good about yourself.  It's the one that you look forward to doing.   Which one is that?   Send us a message and we'll figure it out together.

My daily accountability: 25 minutes on the Lifecycle, followed by P90X Legs & Back.  I forgot how hard I can push on that one.  80 pull ups mixed in with hammering the legs left me gassed!