I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again and I’ll probably say it for years to come – If vanity is the main motivating factor that gets you into the gym and exercising regularly, then I see nothing wrong with that. However, in my experience, vanity alone will only take you so far with both your health and your physique.

Unfortunately, most of us are not wired to be motivated 24/7. And this is why I stress the importance to clients of setting other health and fitness goals that have absolutely nothing to do with their physical appearance. I mean if you look great on the outside but feel like crap on the inside, how long will it take until you start resenting your workouts and your diet? And then how long after that will you become frustrated, give up on those workouts and quit that diet altogether?

I believe that by being realistic with your expectations and timeline, along with working towards accomplishing both short-term and long-term goals, a person can set themselves up to succeed at almost anything they set their minds to achieve.

Is Society Becoming Too Soft?

As you can probably tell, I’m not all about building six-packs, bulging biceps and big butts. Yes, part of my job is to help many of my clients transform their physiques for the better. But another part of my job is to help them better their health, lengthen their lifespan, and improve their overall quality of life by following a healthy dietary nutritional plan and implementing an intelligent resistance training program into their daily routines.

With that being said, I will never and I mean NEVER promote a physique that is obese, too thin, and lacks strength/muscle, as the pinnacle of health. In my opinion, it quite honestly is ridiculous that this is even debatable.

Not only does carrying excess body fat put unnecessary strain on your heart and organs, but it can also lead to numerous other health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, stroke, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease and osteoarthritis.

Being underweight and/or lacking any muscle strength and definition (also known in the Fitness Industry as “Skinny Fat”) can also come along with its own risk of health problems such as heart disease, high cholesterol, a significant increase in type-2

diabetes (even more so than someone who is obese) and low bone density mass.

For anyone to suggest that he or she is healthy and fit despite being either grossly overweight, underweight and/or lacking any muscular strength and definition is ludicrous. Yes, they might be relatively strong if they weight train and have excellent cardiovascular endurance if they perform cardio regularly, but if their diet is not in check, then they are hardly healthy. And at the same time, if someone is eating relatively clean whole foods regularly, yet not exercising enough, then I would suggest their level of fitness is not nearly as high as they might think.

Don’t Shame, But Don’t Support

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I can emphasize with people who struggle with their weight and have difficulty remaining disciplined in their diet. And I would never shame someone for being overweight, underweight or lacking muscular strength and endurance.

At the same time, I refuse to support anyone who attempts to promote obesity and/or malnutrition as being “happy with oneself”. Sure, you can be happy with yourself, however by no means should you be encouraging others to follow the same path as you if that path includes a sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary decisions. This is simply dangerous and reckless behaviour and needs to stop being glorified online and on social media immediately.

Final Thoughts?

Go to the gym.

Exercise regularly.

Follow a clean and healthy diet at least 90% of the time.

Take care of your health.

Appreciate your body.

Enjoy your life

Repeat.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance