PERSPECTIVE: WHY YOU ARE MORE FORTUNATE THAN YOU THINK!

In this day and age, the vast majority of us tend to fall into the trap of complaining. Often at times, even the most smallest, most ridiculous things. Or, we quickly find reasons as to why we can’t do things and cement in our minds that what we desire is impossible and cannot be achieved.

My name is Frank, and I’ve been in the coaching game for a number of years. I’m passionate about helping others change and hate seeing my clients and others fall short of achieving their goals due to a lack of perspective and often at times, some BS excuses and complaints.

In this article, I hope to show you all how fortunate and privileged you really are and change the way you look at your fitness, so hopefully you can impart some positive change.

If you have said any of the following in the past year, read on!

–       It’s too cold

–       It’s too early

–       I’m too tired

–       It’s too far

–       I’m starving

I will be the first to put my hand up and say that I have said almost all of those things in the past few months. Yes, it is ok to whinge and complain at times, but if you are continually making excuses and conjuring up countless reasons why you choose to neglect your health, then it’s time to change and think a little deeper…

Whilst this applies to almost everything we do in life, let’s keep this health and fitness related.

In a country like this, you can see how it’s easy to be overweight or obese.

Food is everywhere.

Machines do most of the work; and

Our social life revolves around food.

Is this necessarily a bad thing?

Definitely not. But we must not forget how easy it is to get healthy, fit and achieve our goals. We have everything we need to get in the best shape of our lives both physically and mentally and there is a plethora of information online and a gym on every damn corner these days.

If you are reading this on your brand spanking new iphone 6 or macbook pro (apple bias), chances are you do not live in a third world country.

You don’t need to hunt, scrimmage or beg for your next meal.

You aren’t walking 20km to the nearest clean water.

You don’t need to  sweep dog shit for $2; and

You aren’t working out with makeshift gym equipment.

 

So, on those mornings when you think you cannot get out of bed because its ‘too cold’, are you really that poorly done by?

 

In times when you feel it’s all too hard to prioritise your health and fitness, think about the people who don’t even have food on their table, clean water or clean bed to sleep in.

You overate, drank too many wines and got a measly 6 hours sleep, life is tough, right?

Those poor bastards living in some of the worlds most dilapidated cities probably got a hand full of rice, a cup of water if they were lucky and slept on whatever they could find that wasn’t a rock.

When you can’t be bothered to go and exercise, think about the people who can’t exercise. Who either don’t have access to world class facilities because they don’t have any or cannot afford it or those who are physically debilitated and cannot move.

I dare say the less fortunate would do almost anything to be able to jump up and move a little. And when you think you MUST eat, or you deserve a treat because you had a hard day…there’s about a billion people out there that would be grateful for far less than that.

Obviously everybody can put their specific situation in context, but my point is, be grateful that you can actually do the things that a lot of people cannot. Being able to walk, run, lift weights and do it all again the next day is a privilege of its own. Having good quality food at a fingertip or around the corner is also something that should not be taken for granted.

 

So why do we tend to choose the easier option, and neglect our bodies?

In my opinion, sitting on our arse and eating copious amounts of food is borderline self-abuse. And we are damn lucky to be able to be in a position to abuse ourselves in this manner in  the first place.

Too many of us are getting way too out of shape, becoming excessively lazy, and too quick to point the finger at everything and everyone else, but ourselves..

The day your doctor says you have a serious disease or illness, it may be too late.

Not that eating well and exercising can guarantee prevention, but it definitely won’t hurt.

You’re body should be looked after as much as your family and loved ones. If you cannot care for yourself, then who can you care for?

But it seems like being healthy is not so important and netflix, ubereats and a copious amounts of beer take precedent to what matters most.

I know you’re busy, I get it.

But so is the next person.

Everybody is busy in the 21st century and you will never be afforded the luxury of ‘spare time’.

So instead of wishing and hoping for some form of miracle, you simply need to re-prioritise your fitness and health.

It doesn’t mean you have to go balls to the wall, exercise daily and pick your own organic, GMO free food out of the ground. But you do have a choice.

Everyday we are presented with the ability to decide our future, and I implore you to start exerting effort towards making improvements, daily.

To spare you the detail of what ‘science’ says or what may be ‘optimal’, if you find your health and well being slowly declining, make just one of the following small changes to your daily decision making process:

• Walk more.
• Ride a bike to work instead of drive
• Prepare your  lunches for the week
• Eat more unprocessed, wholesome foods
• Try a new form of exercise, anything!
• Drive on a Saturday night. Be active on a Sunday (HUGE mental gains!)
•  Learn to cook new things, that don’t involve a stupendous amount of calories or processed sh**

Two questions I have for you are…

1. Why the hell can’t you get up 20 minutes earlier to walk a few extra kilometers to work?

And

2. Why the eff are you having pizzas and burgers for lunch on a weekday?!

In times where you are struggling for motivation or think that this whole damn fitness thing is too hard, think of the less fortunate, keep in mind those who are battling dire illness or disability, and ask yourself: am I really so incapable of making change to improve my health?

If you are capable of being a healthier, then you owe it to yourself to do so.

We’ve heard it all before, but without health, you have nothing.

So do something, anything.