Given how strong of a believer I am in the idea that one can never completely “arrive,” I find myself skirting my responsibilities as a growth-minded human more often than I would care to admit. Sometimes it’s easy to assume that as a coach, fitness person, student, and whatever else, I’ve got this whole lifestyle pretty much figured out. But this isn’t true, for me or anyone, and I know it’s not. The trick is to act on that knowledge.
We’re only a few days into the Whole Life Challenge, and I’m already realizing that this is the check-in that I’ve needed for some time now. Again, it generally isn’t a matter of knowledge. Most people know, at least to some degree, that eating a Snickers three times a day isn’t the best dietary choice. Everyone knows, at some level, that it’s important to be physically active. But look at the condition of the average American. Clearly there’s a hole in the average person’s game.
There are quite a few pieces to this puzzle, but one of the more powerful combinations is accountability and structure. This is why people who ordinarily have trouble resisting sugar-laden snack foods or turning down a slice of below-average pizza can muster the willpower to do something absurd like consume nothing but water, cayenne pepper, lemon, and maple syrup for weeks. It’s not magic, it’s accountability and structure -- it's a system.
The greatest change happens when we give ourselves accountability and structure, and apply it to small and sustainable changes (i.e. not a cayenne and lemon water diet). This is where habits change, where lifestyle direction changes. These changes all tend to be things that we know are good: eat less sugar, move more, sleep better, hydrate, pause and reflect. The key is giving ourselves a check-in: a time when our actions are governed by structure and accountability, not just by how much we feel like doing what we know we’re supposed to do. This can take on many different forms. Perhaps it’s the Whole Life Challenge, or perhaps it’s some other structured lifestyle-improvement program. But whatever it is, you can’t make it up as you go, and you can’t do it without some level of skin in the game.
If it seems like I’m trying to sell you on the Whole Life Challenge, well, yes, I suppose I am. I’m trying to sell you on it in the same way that I’d try to sell you on going to the local Chevrolet dealership if they were giving away free Corvettes to the next hundred people to walk in the door. There’s quite a bit for you to gain in this situation.
We all need a check-in now and again. Your willpower alone isn’t enough, and it's okay to give your willpower some help --you can always do better. Do the Whole Life Challenge, or do something else; but do something.
- Preston Sprimont
Handstand push-ups - 2x max reps (rest approx 3 mins between sets)
4 min AMRAP
10 deadlifts (115/80)
10 thrusters (115/80)
10 burpees over bar
Rest 2 mins
4 min AMRAP
10 hang power cleans (115/80)
10 push press (115/80)
10 burpees over bar
Posted on 01/24/2017 at 12:00 AM
