DT Active Life 050617 for web-REVISED

6 Essentials
to Fitness
In our struggle to improve and advance, we tend to
over-complicate all facets of health, nutrition, fitness, and
sport-specific training. The motivation is admirable, and the effort is
celebrated, but are we really improving, or are we merely spinning
our wheels? More importantly, what should we actually be focusing
on with regard to improving our health and fitness?
by Duncan Callahan
As I’ve tried to answer these questions
over the past few years, I’ve taken
a close look at peers of mine who maintain
or improve their fitness consistently.
What are they doing in order to continually
improve? Why does it seem like their
set-backs don’t actually set them back?
Is it mental? Is it genetic? What is the difference
between those who remain fit and
healthy, and those who gain weight, struggle
with their health, and end up tired or
injured? My observations have led me to
the following conclusions.
Those successful in maintaining
1 or improving their health and fitness are
in it for the long haul. They acknowledge
that their immediate goals are of secondary
importance to their long term plans.
Pushing through injury, causing pain, and
exalting deprivation will lead to nothing
but injury, burn-out, and bitterness. Instead,
successful individuals build consistent
daily actions which add up over time
to lead them to their desired outcome.
n THE TAKEAWAY: Focus on the
long term and don’t beat yourself up if
you miss a day.
Successful individuals work with
2 their physiology, instead of warring
against it. They understand what their
weaknesses are, and attempt to improve
in those areas. However, they do not dwell
on those weaknesses. Instead, these individuals
focus on incremental improvement
in their weak areas, while not short-changing
working on their strengths. It is a balanced
approach.
n THE TAKEAWAY: Work with your
body and stop warring against it.
The most successful athletes view
3 food as fuel, instead of using exercise
as an excuse to eat more. The better the
fuel, the better they feel. Eat clean and
the body will respond to the demands you
place upon it. So, what does it mean to
eat clean? That’s a tough question, but in
general I’ve observed the most successful
individuals tend to focus on simply eating
real food - large quantities of non-starchy
vegetables, high quality fruit, healthy fats,
and quality meat.
n THE TAKEAWAY: Avoid processed
food and embrace a low sugar diet.
Whether we look at the weekend
4 warrior or the elite athlete, those who
are truly successful over the long haul
respect the need to take time off – daily,
weekly, monthly, and yearly. They view
daily sleep as vital to health and important
for recovery from training. Taking one day
off per week is crucial for physical adaptations,
and these individuals make sure
to adhere to this. The most successful
also make sure to have one week of lower
workload per month, which is important for
long-term improvement. What about yearly?
I’ve observed that the most successful
take up to 2 months off from structured
training per year. They’re still active, but
not in a regimented training plan.
n THE TAKEAWAY: Respect the
need to recover and rest – your body
will thank you.
I’ve witnessed so many people
5 make the mistake of falling behind on
their fitness goals during the work week,
only to try and make up for it on the weekend
with a century ride, a long run, or a
very hard effort in the gym. Although this
may be better than nothing, it’s also a
recipe for injury and frustration. The successful
athletes and individuals I know
make sure to set a minimum amount to do
each day, and then they prioritize getting
it done. These successful individuals get
their training and fitness activities done
when they can, but nearly all of them get it
done first thing in the morning.
n THE TAKEAWAY: Establish a
minimum that you can get done each
day and prioritize getting it done early.
Perhaps the most important characteristic
of individuals successful in
6
maintaining and improving fitness is their
ability to limit stress and eliminate the nonessential
aspects of their life. These people
have the ability to finish work, turn their
over-thinking brain off, and focus on what
else they need to do that day. They don’t
dwell on what didn’t get accomplished.
They don’t dwell on their email inbox. Instead,
they simply acknowledge that they
have more work to do, and it can wait until
they get back to work. This characteristic
is indeed a powerful one. In addition,
these people don’t waste time on social
media, fantasy sports, or unnecessary
technology. They focus.
n THE TAKEAWAY: Reduce stress
by acknowledging that you have limits
to how much you can accomplish in
a day, and don’t waste time on things
that add little value to your life.
Want to be successful in maintaining
or improving your health and
fitness? Pick one or more of the above
bullet-points and implement it into your
life. Focus on the things you can control
and don’t worry about what others think.
Shift your mind-set to the long term and
your body (and your mind) will thank
you. Here’s to successfully maintaining
and improving our health and fitness.
Thanks for reading. –DC
DACKS & TOGA activelife | 17