Think you’re “Fit”? Here’s my philosophy on what it takes to truly get there… and it’s far more than big muscles and 8% Body Fat.
So my last video was about what to do before you decide hormone therapy isn’t working. And from that video, I got a YouTube comment from someone called MM, which stated, come on now, Sam, you’re not exactly the poster child for fitness. Now, I’m not exactly sure how that comment related to the video, but conceptually, it was definitely interesting. Now, normally, I reply with some scathing remark explaining in detail why I thought the person writing the comment was a professional grade douchebag and where they could stick their rude assed comment.
And to be truthfully honest. That’s exactly what I started to do. But then I stopped and I thought to myself, this would make a great video because there’s so much more to fitness than just the physical aspect, because fitness, at least for me, encompasses the body, mind and soul. And in order to truly be fit, you have to work on mastering all three. So the purpose of this video isn’t to convince MM that I’m the poster child for fitness.
It’s for all of us to stop and rethink what fitness means and have an open discussion about the parameters that create the very definition of the word itself. So let’s start off with the obvious. The body. Being extremely fit as far as most people are concerned means having washboard abs and eight percent body fat. But that’s just superficial. The real litmus test for fitness is happening inside of your body. What are your glucose levels, your cholesterol, your liver function, your blood pressure, heart rate variability?
How’s your immune system? And I’d venture to say that a vast majority of the fitness gurus on YouTube won’t ever show you their labs and for good reason because they get to those super physiological levels they’ve achieved to get to the look that MM and so many others associate with being incredibly fit. They’re doing all kinds of shit that’s detrimental to their overall health and longevity. It’s a facade, smoke and mirrors. It’s deception, not all of them, but most of them.
Some are just genetically gifted. But regardless, for most of us out here, trying to emulate these people is nothing short of an unachievable goal brought on by a reckless and unhealthy lifestyle. But let me clarify. There’s nothing wrong with using performance enhancing drugs. We should all be able to make our own decisions about our own bodies.
It’s when they do it and openly deny what they’re doing. That’s when it crosses the line into unethical behavior. Does that mean you shouldn’t strive to be your best? Of course not. Eat well, train hard and sleep often, but at the same time form a reasonable level of expectation when it comes to your dreams and aspirations of one day looking like a Greek God. Be the best you you can be and celebrate your own personal successes as you achieve various milestones along your journey.
Next, let’s talk about the mind, because it’s potentially the most important part of this trio. It’s significant because the mind can directly affect the body. And one of the factors we want to be concerned with our cortisol levels. Now, as most people know, cortisol is our stress hormone. And when it’s elevated, our bodies are switched into fight or flight mode, which means valuable resources are being wasted and our bodies cease to function optimally. In fact, if your cortisol levels remain elevated for long periods of time, it can drastically decrease the number of days you’re fortunate enough to live on this planet.
So what is it we worry about? What raises our cortisol levels? Number one, in my opinion, is money. Talking to the men out there. It’s our responsibility to take care of our families. And if we can’t do that properly, it’s extremely stressful. It’s embarrassing, it’s emasculating. It raises cortisol levels and causes anxiety and stress. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to be rich. It simply means you can’t let yourself get into a situation where you spend more than you make – no exceptions.
You need to spend more than change your life and make more. Number two is the relationship with your significant other. If that’s less than desirable, it’s going to cause stress. Work on your relationship every day, treat your partner as your equal, talk to each other, respect each other, trust each other, and strive to make both of you collectively far stronger than either one of you could have been independently. And if you can’t do this, then it’s time to get a different partner.
Life is far, too. Too short to spend in a state of distrust and depression. Life is far too short to constantly hear what a piece of shit you are day after day, unless, of course, you are a piece of shit. And then you’ll probably want to change that pretty quickly. Number three is having a relationship with your children. You do not want to be the person that everyone in your family wishes would hurry up and die so they can get their inheritance.
Do not allow yourself to become nothing but a source of capital. Spend time with your family and take an interest in what makes them happy or sad. Be the inspiration that raises the bar for everyone that relies upon you for their survival. And lastly, there’s the soul and the most important part of this without getting religious is self-confidence. If you don’t like yourself, you can’t expect others to like you either. You have to possess an inner peace. You have to wholeheartedly believe you’re a good person.
Now, nobody’s perfect and we all make mistakes. But when you do fix the problem quickly and don’t repeat the behavior that caused it, speak your mind. Nobody’s going to like everything you say, but they’ll respect it if you consistently tell the truth. And that’s just being true to yourself. Never compromise on your principles, even if it’s not in your best interest to do so. Stand Your Ground. And don’t worry if others disagree and find your passion.
I can’t imagine waking up in the morning and not having a hundred different ideas spinning around in my head, new ways to improve my life, my relationship, my business. And I can’t wait to wake up and process them all from the time I open my eyes. I’m looking forward to making my life just a little bit better than it was yesterday. And wake up early. I get up around 4:00 a.m. every day and that way I get to spend at least two hours with absolutely no interruptions.
I can focus on structuring my entire day without an email, text message or phone call to distract me. Nobody wealthy wakes up at eight a.m.. Nobody, and of course, the list could go on. But my point in all of this, the conversation I’d have with MM if we met for a beer some day, is that true? Fitness means so much more than esthetics. And while I’m clearly not the poster child for all things fit, I am humbled and thankful every day for the blessings I’ve been given.
And I’m proud of most of the decisions I’ve made. I’m confident in who I am, who I’ve chosen to stand by my side and in my ability to ensure nobody that relies on me will ever need something that I can’t provide. So there you go. That’s what being fit means to me. And for the record, without sounding like a complete asshole, I feel like I’m making life my bitch and MM, I sincerely hope you’re doing the same.
So for the rest of you, always remember you are never too old to live like a Viking = until next time. Peace out.
