You don’t have to kill yourself every time you go to the gym. Any serious athlete knows that rest, recovery, and modifying intensity, based on goals, performance, and ability are absolutely crucial to optimal performance.
But there is a tendency in the fitness industry to promote exercises as if it is an all-out war on the body.
I like to call it the militarisation of fitness — boot camps, Marine-inspired workouts, six- pack workouts and intense body-building routines. This trend is a symptom of a much larger disease. We live in a culture obsessed with aggression, and that has found its way into our workouts too.
But this aggression in workouts affects your health, mental harmony, happiness, the sustainability of your programme and your ability to reach your goals. You needn’t reduce motivation or enthusiasm — but you need to get real and rational.
So, what’s the other option? Learn about your body and what nourishes, strengthens, and heals it. This is a lifelong process of adventure, exploration, and privilege, not a burdensome obligation that you out-source to achieve the desired results in a few weeks.
Some people love dancing and that is their way to a fit body. Others pursue martial arts. Then there are the yogis, who use movement as a way to fitness. Your gym routine too should be like this.
Whatever you do, you should practise with depth and breadth. Exhaustion, pain and discomfort to the body and mind are not the path to health and fitness.
Know your limits
To reach your fitness goals, you will need to realise your limits and learn to recognise discomfort as a signal that the body must not be pushed.
Find the middle ground. Learn to interpret your body’s language, sensations and signals, so you know when to push and when to back off and recover. The better you get at listening to your body, the easier it is to train hard, reach your goals, and avoid injury and/or boredom.
This way you allow your health, strength, and goals to evolve in a natural and a holistic way so that you can have new adventures and movement experiences well up to your 90s.
All health and fitness goals require sustained motivation. Fitness is as much of an adventure and a journey as the destination, and you’ll enjoy the adventure way more if you make it your own instead of following someone else’s path. Be a peaceful warrior and listen to your body.
You belong to the ‘exercise is war’ group if you believe any of the following:
No pain, no gain.
I have to starve and suffer to get in shape
Working out is not fun, but it’s an obligation.
I am only as good as my last workout.
I feel like a loser when I miss a workout.
