Solving The Fitness Equation
A few weeks ago, I was working on an excel document and was presented with a problem I didn’t know how to solve. I knew what the problem was, and I knew the solution I was trying to find, but I didn’t know the formula to get there. I’m by no means a math wiz, so I went searching for the solution. I typed a search phrase in to Google and over 100,000 pages returned. After browsing through a few, I realized that wasn’t what I was looking for. I typed in another search phrase and repeated the process. It took me about 10 different searches until I found the right formula, however, the worked didn’t stop there. Even after finding the right formula, I still had to identify which variables went where and what steps to follow to solve the equation. After messing up a few dozen times (that’s not an exaggeration), I finally found the answer to my problem. A little reflection made me realize the parallel between this process and most people’s journey with fitness.
So many people out there know they have a problem. They know the solution they’re trying to find, but they just don’t know the formula. Once they start searching for the solution, they typically find a formula they think will work. The problem is that all too often, the formula is designed to fix an algebra problem, and what they really need is a calculus formula. After trying multiple formulas and never actually being able to solve their problem, they end up giving up.
When it comes to health and fitness, half of the battle is finding the right formula that has an input for all the variables. Health and fitness are not as simple as Exercise x Diet = Results. When that doesn’t work, the next formula people attempt is Exercise² X Diet² = Results. They think just by doing it more aggressive they’ll get the results, but what about the variables: accountability, motivation, behavior change, sleep, stress, supplementation, good habits, bad habits? Even exercise needs to be more specific for our formula. For instance, we need to address frequency, weight training, cardio, interval training, metabolic, sets, reps, tempo etc.
The reason people fail to hit their goals and/or stick with a plan, is because they’re using the wrong formula. They’re not factoring in all the variables and because they’re equation isn’t adequate; they can’t solve the problem. People never seem to have the time, the money, or the motivation to start with the right formula, but they always seem to find a way to restart with the wrong one.
I get it, nobody wants to do calculus. It’s hard and time consuming. There’s a possibility you might enjoy it, but odds are it’ll be a slow painful process that you don’t want to go through. Maybe you could have done it with ease 20 years ago, but now it feels like you must relearn the entire process from scratch now. Even once you relearn what you’ve forgotten, you’ll still most likely mess up several times and have to go back a line or two and rework the problem. In the end though, they’ll be able to solve the equation and nothing will ever feel as good as that sense of accomplishment does.
