Journey, Not A Destination

[Darth Pooh]

It's not so much that I didn't think you would. It's more appreciation that you will. People get married to forums and tend not to frequent 'the outside.'

Eh... this place is full of contradictions (not just from forum members) and mis-information that gets rehashed on a regular basis... while I commend a ton of people on the forums, I feel there are lot more that just don't get it. That isn't to say I wouldn't visit here, I'd just prefer a reason to visit it less.

Thanks a ton man.

The irony in you thanking me...

It's a funny thing. I've been hanging around this forum so long and met a number of people I've become close with. Charging these few would simply not feel right to me.

In addition to this group, there are a number of people here I would never work with for one reason or another, on top of the above factor.

Hmmm, makes me wonder which one of those groups I fall into...

You pick the worse weekends, I swear. Or every weekend just sucks for me, lol. Friday and Saturday I will be in Hatfield. As of right now, Saturday night it looks like I'll be heading into the city and going to the Phils game on Sunday. That's up in the air yet though.

I apparently have been hacking your Blackberry to figure out which days to ask you, this way I can totally avoid meeting up.

At least you might catch a division clinching game, that's gotta be worth something.

 

[edco76]

Steve, since you dont seam to quite have enough on your plate right now I thought I would bounce one more thing off of you. Kind of a neglected market I have noticed on fitness boards and in real life. A lot of people have to take physical exams for their jobs. I have noticed despite knowing what bench marks they will be expected to achieve most of these people have no idea what they are capable of now and what steps they need to take to be able to achieve the level expected of them. I witnessed this first hand yesterday.

I had to do a "stand by" at a local track yesterday for the US Forestry Service to administer their PT. The exam consisted of a 2.5m walk in <45 minutes. The one catch was a weight vest. I'm not sure what it weighed but my partner said 40lb. Anyway, of the 4 guys doing it. 2 guys made it fairly easily (40 minutes or so) the third guy was beat after about 1m but an instructor came out to pace him the last 5 laps or so which got him there with about 45 seconds to spare. He was no more than 25 and LOOKED healthy enough. The really sad part was this big guy (6"4 250ish) He took a bench at about 1 mile, then got up then took a bench at about 1.5 and didnt get up. At first I felt bad for the guy but then I just kinda felt disgusted. In rural Alabama a federal gov. job is like hitting the damn lottery. I myself have submitted my resume to the forestry service a few times and never got a sniff. It just kinda pissed me off that a seemingly healthy (from appearances) guy in his mid 20s to 30s would let something like that go because he was unprepared for what seemed to me to be a fairly simple task. I don't mean to be a keyboard warrior but I hike up mountains with 40lb packs on. I was even able to do this 2 years ago when I was over weight and that was the only exercise I got. All he had to do was walk a couple of 18 minute miles in 75 degree fall weather on a flat track.

It just seems to me like people that have these exams could use a little help getting prepared.

 

[maleficent]

just goes to show you looks don't count for everything...

I'm sure these people were aware they had to take a fitness test -why didn't they prepare for it themselves

 

[Steve]

I apparently have been hacking your Blackberry to figure out which days to ask you, this way I can totally avoid meeting up.

At least you might catch a division clinching game, that's gotta be worth something.

Yea, it very well could be. How about that Mets game last night, did you happen to watch it?

 

[maleficent]

Cubbies won! There was much joy and celebrating in cubbieland...

Now if only they'd let the bars around wrigley field serve tasty adult beverages during the playoffs there'd be much more celebrating

 

[edco76]

just goes to show you looks don't count for everything...

I'm sure these people were aware they had to take a fitness test -why didn't they prepare for it themselves

Yeah, especially since the 2 guys that made it easy were 40+ by appearance. And one was a good 50lbs over weight.

I don't know if they don't prepare out of laziness or ignorance. I think the guy that quit was just lazy. He should have been able to gut it out. I see a lot of people that just have no idea what to do though. I see it here and on other sites. They either ask straight out or post their plans and the plans are all whack. Like "I have to do 50 push ups, so my plan is to do 20 crunches and run .5 mile every night, I will also eat 4 ripe but not quite mushy bananas everyday along with green tea and this Colon Blow I got at the drug store. Will that help me do push ups?"

 

[Steve]

Ed, that would bother me too, viewing it from your perspective. That should have been doable if he would've trained a bit. And that's not asking all that much at all. You're job requires some level of fitness, so we're going to test you a bit and you will be aware of when said test is going to happen.

The bigger thing here is this: This goes to show just how much people will push off their health and fitness. This guy wouldn't even work at it to maintain his job (or whatever the consequence is?). Granted, he could have been facing extraordinary hardships this past year, so it's not fair to totally judge.

But yea, that sucks.

 

[Steve]

Cubbies won! There was much joy and celebrating in cubbieland...

Now if only they'd let the bars around wrigley field serve tasty adult beverages during the playoffs there'd be much more celebrating

Wow, no alcohol around playoff time?

 

[maleficent]

last summer, when i did the 60+ mile breast cancer walk - I trained for the event -I came across a lot of people at the event who didn't even come close to making it thru the first day (which was 26 miles at a fairly easy 19 minute mile pace) because they didn't train - why didn't they train? well it was just walking - so therefore it shouldn't be hard.

If you're going to be required to do something as part of an event or a test -you train with that activity... while walking less than 3 miles most people should be able to do standing on their heads - if they live in a car culture -the most walking they do is to and from the car... and little else... and don't expect havint to walk xx amount to be any sort of challenge

 

[Steve]

Yeah, especially since the 2 guys that made it easy were 40+ by appearance. And one was a good 50lbs over weight.

I don't know if they don't prepare out of laziness or ignorance. I think the guy that quit was just lazy. He should have been able to gut it out. I see a lot of people that just have no idea what to do though. I see it here and on other sites. They either ask straight out or post their plans and the plans are all whack. Like "I have to do 50 push ups, so my plan is to do 20 crunches and run .5 mile every night, I will also eat 4 ripe but not quite mushy bananas everyday along with green tea and this Colon Blow I got at the drug store. Will that help me do push ups?"

People's minds are fucked. Their thoughts are so out of whack. It stems from a few things. The level of misinformation and mysticism in the health field now is ridiculous. To boot, people are downright lazy and don't think about long term consequences.

 

[maleficent]

Wow, no alcohol around playoff time?

Wrigleyville has probably 30 or so bars around the stadium - and the city in their infinite wisdom decided that the bars would be be allowed to serve alcohol after the 7th inning...

because people MIGHT cause trouble.. (like they couldn't cause trouble if they weren't drinking this stadium is in the middle of the city - while a few idiots will drink and drive (and hopefully drive their cars into lake michigan)- the majority of the people will stagger home or stagger onto the El...

 

[Darth Pooh]

Yea, it very well could be. How about that Mets game last night, did you happen to watch it?

I caught the 9th and 10th innings... which I guess which is all that mattered. When he had the triple with no outs in the 9th, I thought it was over. He went on to juice them... which pretty much sealed the deal in my mind. Explosive pitching to say the least...

 

[Curvie Girlie]

Marketing babe -i t's all about marketing

I'd have to agree on that one--cute bums need to be seen.

People's minds are fucked. Their thoughts are so out of whack. It stems from a few things. The level of misinformation and mysticism in the health field now is ridiculous. To boot, people are downright lazy and don't think about long term consequences.

Perhaps that and also they're looking for an easy way out--fruit of downright laziness. Course, it ain't very pretty to hang out with an OCD perfectionist either.....balance is the hardest thing.

Hi Steve!

 

[Steve]

Perhaps that and also they're looking for an easy way out--fruit of downright laziness.

I think the easy-way-out mentality is more fruit of the misinformation. Almost any facet of our media as it relates to fat loss and fitness likes you to believe it's easy. We get bombarded with this stuff so much that is programs our brains and thought patterns... and royally fucks our expectations.

Don't get me wrong.

People are lazy, in general too. Most people I know lack drive and ambition... they also have a severe sense of entitlement.

 

[MissJellyBelly]

I think the easy-way-out mentality is more fruit of the misinformation. Almost any facet of our media as it relates to fat loss and fitness likes you to believe it's easy. We get bombarded with this stuff so much that is programs our brains and thought patterns... and royally fucks our expectations.

Don't get me wrong.

People are lazy, in general too. Most people I know lack drive and ambition... they also have a severe sense of entitlement.

OMG! So true!! Well said.

I can attest to that. Used to think weight loss should come easy, and when it didn't, just got lazy and gave up. I gave up on me, it wasn't the diet. The drive and ambition is key, and that is what people really need. If you could make that in a bottle, you'd be rich!! hehe

It wasn't until I started going slow and steady and not giving up on myself that I really changed my lifestyle and got results.

Although of course, not as fast of a weight loss as I would have liked, I learned that slow and steady really does win the race.

Expectations only hinder my thoughts and actions.

Got Drive? lol

 

[Steve]

Haha, nice post.

It leaves me wondering what's most important. I mean, I have a ton of ideas about how to generate motivation, drive, ambition or whatever you want to call it. And what works for some definitely will not work for others.

That said, without education and understanding... no amount of motivation is going to lead to progress.

It's like a fly trying to get out of a closed glass window. He's determined. He's motivated. But no matter how many times he bangs his face off that glass, he's never getting out.

Education is the hand that comes in and opens that window up I believe.

That's why I think communities such as this really help a number of people.

 

[MissJellyBelly]

You're right about that.

I read everything I can get my hands on. Always trying to learn more.

I believe that most people know what they are suppose to do, they just don't want to believe it.

Someone once said this to me, and I've never forgot it. I actually felt insulted when they said it, but looking back now, it was so simply profound and true.

"If you want to lose weight, move more and eat less."

I remember thinking, duh!!! I didn't respect the simple message. I've now come to embrace it and am always running the thought through my mind.

 

[MissJellyBelly]

It's like a fly trying to get out of a closed glass window. He's determined. He's motivated. But no matter how many times he bangs his face off that glass, he's never getting out.

Brilliant analogy.

I've been that fly in the past. I refuse to accept buzzing against the glass and getting nowhere anymore.

 

[Steve]

Move more, eat less.

It is very profound.

I've said a number of times on here and in my life. As a trainer, I truly believe my primary job is to make sense of it all for people. Simplify that which seems impossible.

Build an understanding of the very, very simple basics. Let this stand as your foundation. Once they get back to thinking simply, as well as living by it... then they can start furthering their knowledge and plan into more complex territory.

People usually jump past this step though and the only thing I've seen come of it is frustration and distrust.

At the end of the day.... it turns out that the complexity is mostly built on lies and gimmicks and unfortunately the gullibility of the masses eat these things up.

 

[maleficent]

Move more, eat less.

Simple enough and do-able enough...

but for the person who needs to lose more than 20lbs or so - the head has to be in the right place to do that.. the person has to be ready to do it.. and no amount of education makes that person ready - I don't even know what turns that ready light on for people... it's really just digging down into one's self and finding that readiness...