Fitness is a tool.
- It can build confidence.
- It can reduce stress.
- It can increase resilience.
- It can create longevity.
As a tool, it can be wielded to build a wonderful life—rich in experiences and joy.
But it can also be misused, having the opposite effect. Fitness can restrict your existence to the confines of the gym and the inside of your tupperware containers.
It can rob you of holidays, birthdays, and vacations.
I’ve long feared being the coach that could “only” talk about fitness. I had this epiphany while training for my second bodybuilding show. I was on the stairmaster for cardio after a brutal workout, now racking up 2-2.5hr workout sessions each day. I was tired, hungry, and depleted.
I had a moment on that stairmaster.
I looked around the gym, seeing the same faces I always did, many of whom were in the same preparatory phase as I. It hit me like a semi-truck.
“This is all they have,” I thought to myself.
I didn’t mean this in a derogatory way. Rather, in the realization that I didn’t want my world to revolve around this in the same way they had chosen for themselves.
That moment changed how I viewed fitness. In fact, I haven’t had a specific “fitness-related” goal ever since. My goals are different now.
We are diverse and complex creatures. These days, I wield the tool of fitness to support the exploration of everything life has to offer.
- I build a confidence that allows me to take risks.
- I reduce stress in order to withstand the weight of these challenges.
- I practice resilience for when these risks don’t always work out.
- And I push for healthy longevity to have enough time here to make the most of this life.
Fitness is a tool that can help you discover who you are, or it can take from you those things that most support your humanity. Be careful which path you choose.
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