STOP SAYING; “THAT CAN’T BE GOOD FOR YOU!”

Nothing in life is perfect.

Everything contains both good and bad elements, or elements of perfection and imperfection at differing ratios.

While some things are nearly completely perfect, like Dragon Ball-Z until the Buu saga…

Other things in life are almost completely imperfect.

Like that yellow Satan-vegetable, baby-corn for example… My god, what a way to ruin a stir-fry!

Everything occurs on a spectrum and the fitness industry is no different.

Now, ranting and raving about how bad the fitness industry is, is one of the most futile and useless things anyone can do. You may as well just bang your head against a wall.

Actually, banging your head against a wall limits the damage to only your head, it doesn’t affect people’s reputations or influence public perception, so it’s actually the more preferred option.

If you now want to bang your head against a wall, go for it, you have my blessing.

Ok, I’ll be serious for a second…

If you’re a coach and you’re spending more time ranting and attacking the industry than trying to fix its flaws and just do a decent job, then you’re a hack and should pipe down.

No seriously, pipe down!

Be part of the solution, not the problem.

Besides, rocket-scientists are the smartest people on earth, right?

Even they are still trying to work all the kinks out of the rocket-science industry… or so I hear anyway.

Now, before I get too high and mighty, I do have a bone to pick with the industry.

I don’t have as many issues with the fitness industry as what others do, and I certainly do not expect perfection from the industry… However, the spread of misinformation, judgement and labelling is something that really rustles my jimmies.

Creating segregation within the industry or straight up deceit in an attempt to get ahead and make a few dollars or gain a following only leads to these cult-like fitness centres that don’t do a whole lot except make some people very, very rich.

Their personal success comes at the detriment of the entire industry. One that overall does spread good information and helps to make people’s lives better.

Believe it or not, I think the fitness industry is great. It promotes health and is built on the foundational concept of self-improvement.

However, in some deep, dark corners of the fitness industry, extremes are more prevalent and things get a bit UN-healthier.

At JPS, we cater to a diverse range of clients and their goals. Some are gen pop, simply looking to increase their quality and quantity of life through exercise. Others though, have more extreme training goals, such as stepping on a bodybuilding stage or a powerlifting platform.

With these goals that are further from the norm, and quite frankly considered as weird to most of the general public, I hear far too often people commenting and saying things like “that can’t be healthy” or “no way would I want to look like that”!

Let’s stop right there.

That’s where I take issue with the fitness industry.

We are all adults, and hopefully we can start to act like adults.

Understanding that people can do pretty much whatever they want to do and it shouldn’t matter to you, if it’s not affecting you, is a sign of maturity.

If someone wants to push their mental and physical limits and diet for months on end to reach levels of body-fat that leaves them feeling like death (momentarily), then let them.

Is it hurting you?

No.

“I would never want to look like that” you say, well good, ‘coz trust me, it doesn’t happen by accident, so you won’t.

“It’s so unattractive, they look so thin!”

Good news for you then, you just became more attractive by comparison. SO SHHHH!

“But it’s not healthy to get that lean or to try and lift so much, it’s dangerous”

You know what, you’re right. Extremes are not where ‘health’ is found.

Dieting down to level’s of body-fat that leave men with castrate levels of testosterone and women without their menstrual cycle for potentially months, is not the most long-term health-promoting activity one could partake in. But that shouldn’t be an issue, as long as it’s an informed choice.

Is climbing Mt Everest the best idea for health?

Absolutely not! But if someone want’s to do it to test their metal and see what they can achieve, what does it actually matter to you?!

While health is paramount and should always be a concern for everyone to some degree (in my opinion), it doesn’t always have to be the primary goal or the ONLY concern.

Remember, life is trade-offs. Everything comes with an opportunity cost.

So who are we to judge if an athlete wants to trade away a very small portion of their health (for a finite amount of time) for the purpose of something that gives them feelings of self-achievement and accomplishment?

Seriously, people trade away their health for things far less noble than that and people are more accepting.

Burgers, Alcohol, Smoking… Even marathon running has its health-costs!

Now, I’m not being judgmental here. You can indulge in all of the above and more if you like, as long as you know the costs and aren’t hurting anyone else.

Let’s use a heroin-addict as an extreme example.

Is heroin the healthiest thing someone could put in his or her body?

Certainly not.

But if this person isn’t hurting you or anyone, and they chose to put heroin in their body, that’s their choice. Let them be, let people be free to make their own decisions. Sure, if you are directly affected by this persons actions, care about them significantly or are in a position where you hold a duty of care for their well being, advising them to seek help is both noble and acceptable.

A problem only arises, if someone is blatantly lying to our hypothetical heroin-user and telling them that it won’t harm them. As long as you are aware of the truth and the potential consequences of your actions, then that’s what really matters.

So if a prep-coach is telling you that bodybuilding prep is the best way to get you healthy, they are lying and that’s wrong.

But if you understand that a bodybuilding prep is potentially momentarily costly to your health but you weigh-up the pro’s and con’s a determine it is still worth the health cost to you, then that’s completely fine.

And that’s it. The only person it should matter to is you.

Therefore, if it’s not you competing or trying to push your body to the limit in some other physical endeavour, zip it.

It’s not affecting you.

If you want to do cross-fit and you don’t expect it to make you look like a bodybuilder, then that’s fine, do cross fit.

On the other hand, if you’re a cross-fit coach and you’re giving out false promises and lying to people, saying that cross-fit is the best way to get strong or shredded, I take issue with that.

I take issue with people using deception, not the actual choices people make if they are an informed consumer.

I’ll say it one more time…

Let people make their own choices, because it really doesn’t matter to you or your life at all. Seriously.

Let people do their own thing, keep your negative comments to yourself and #VOTEYES…

Let people be happy, it’s not hurting you.

What is ‘good’ for you is your choice.

Health is dynamic and takes on a different meaning for everyone. Whether someone chooses to be unhealthy is a matter for them to decide, not for you to judge and critique!