Challenges

       Along with New Year's resolutions of attaining healthy minds and bodies from individuals, this is also the time of year group trainers and gyms lay down the gauntlet of the 30-60 (fill in your number here) day "challenges". So for the next "x" amount of days you are tasked with the goal of losing more pounds and inches then your cohorts. There is so much wrong with this mentality that it truly is hard to find a place to start. 

Let's start with the premise and it's misguided direction. It's been said that  "money easily gained is money easily lost". Same goes for just about anything in any order. Fat and inches easily lost through misguided means, will be just as easily be found and it usually it comes back with a vengeance, and friends. So for let's say 30 days you will starve yourself and work really hard. You will dedicate every waking minute to achieving the winning numbers. Well if you can do this now what was stoping you before? What will you do on day 31??? What will motivate you to wake up at 5 and get to the gym first thing? How will you find the false hyped discipline to avoid those "bad" empty carb drenched calories? What ever will be your goal once you hit the elusive magic pounds goal, where do you go from there?

I'll tell you where you go from winning the challenge. The thing is I don't even need to tell you where you go. You know. You've probably done this damn challenge a half dozen times and every time you finish you say the same thing. Not this time, this time I will keep the weight off. I'll stay slim, I won't blow back up like a puffer fish. And low and behold where are you 3 months later, wondering when the next challenge will start. Cause that will be the one that takes, the one that holds all that weight off, the one that keeps you skinny.

"Working out should be fun, it should invigorate you and cause you to love the soreness that follows."

Listen it's not entirely your fault. You pay your money and you hope that your trainer knows what they are doing. But you also aren't getting off scott free here either. You are both to blame for this. Your trainer should take the time to honestly assess what they do to their clients, and realize that challenges create unsustainable habits that lead to disappointment and failure. But maybe they realize this just fine and bank on your apathy and reliance on them for return business. Who knows? And You, who are reading this on that handy little tool of a computer are also at fault. That fancy Facebooking, movie playing, music downloading  tech device also hooks up to this amazing thing called the internet. And that my friends is a game changer. The internet contains millions of places to find advice on health and fitness and achieving a look. Use these as a place to check and counter balance what you hear and read. I'll give you a hint too, look to the places and people not trying to sell you something or make a living off advice. Listen to the info, read it and then check it and heres an idea, apply common sense to it. If your challenge director tells you that fasted cardio and 800 calories a day for 30 days will get you the winning body. Take a step into the future. Does fasted cardio and 800 calories a day sound like a plan for the next 335 days? Or does it sound like a plan to rack up a hefty ER bill? An eating disorder and probably a huge disdain for working out.

Working out should be fun, it should invigorate you and cause you to love the soreness that follows. Listen to the people like Rich Piana who say work your ass off and eat lots. Or former Mrs Olympia Figure competitor Erin Stern who says eat as much as possible without putting on fat to be healthy and achieve a look. And I'm not saying that calorie depravation isn't a useful tool, but it's a tool that has to be used properly not abused. Look up these people and so many more on Facebook and Youtube and Instagram and read and listen, these people can give you ideas to help you in the long haul, not the sprint that is the challenge. Figure out what these professionals are doing and how some of them like Monica Brant have achieved an amazing look and health for 20 plus years. Big clue it wasn't challenges for 30 days a pop.

At the end of the day It's your health, it's your body take control of it and realize it has to last you the rest of your life. And that's exactly how long you should be working on your health and your look. Take care and train hard.

- Ty