Why Today is the Wrong Day to Start Your Fitness Program

Jack LaLanne is the original fitness guru—enthusiastic, motivating and authentic. This is simply the way he is—it’s not some persona created for TV.

Today, you can hardly turn on the TV without getting a dose of some over caffeinated, ponytail slinging, tattoo sporting fitness guru screaming at you to get moving, NOW!

Well, today I’m going to tell you why those who implore you to get moving now, to start getting fit today are wrong.

And I’m not just talking about the way they say it—but the fact that this over hyped, urgent approach to fitness is counterproductive to the desired result. For most it will actually set you back—quite possibly the #1 hidden reason for fitness failures.

From Stress to Stress
If you’ll follow along with me, I’d like to make this experiential. Here’s what I need you to do:

Step 1:
First, get down and do as many push ups as possible. When you’re done and you can do no more, not even one, come back and read on.

Ready? Go…

Step 2:
Now, with a minimal break, get down again and do as many pushups as you possibly can.

Go!

Now, if you’re human and you followed directions you only completed a few pushups on the second round, right?

Why is that? Simple. You were already exhausted—your body drained of the vital muscle energy ATP. This is precisely how most people dive into their fitness programs—from an already depleted state.

Overstressed, undernourished, short on sleep and recovery we get this idea about getting in shape—we may even be very eager to. And we go from stress to stress.

Exercise is stress—a positive stress but stress none the less. Your body doesn’t care of it’s beneficial stress or not. It’s all stress.

You can not successfully coax a stressed, drained, exhausted body and mind to health, wellness and strength. This is like going from poverty to abundant wealth without the lottery. At some point you’ve got to stop the bleeding and get yourself ready, prepared.

Your essential first move is to “reboot” your body and mind.

This is precisely what I show you how to do in Chapter 5 of Strength for Life with the 12-day Basecamp. It’s a simple, 12 day reboot for your body and mind. In it I provide a few simple rules to live by and a easy to follow non-structured guide to getting your energy levels back to high and preparing you for the journey ahead.

However you choose to live your best life you now know that getting to fit is a 2-step process. Reboot and revive yourself first then go for the gold.

May you enjoy strength on your journey.

Comments

[Jason S]

Shawn,

Thanks for writing this book. I've been struggling for years to be healthy and fit. I think this may be the key!

Thanks.

Jason