MOVE: October 4, 2013

Bridging the Gap from Potential to Kinetics……..

Sometimes the gap between what we know and what we do is a wide one.  We know that wearing a seatbelt is the single most effective thing we can do to prevent dying in a motor vehicle accident, but it’s still not a universal norm.  We know that balancing the stress-load that we place on our bodies (whether that be physical, mental, emotional or other) with the rest and recovery we need is critical to our quality of life in the future, but we still run ourselves ragged.  We know that bodies that are not strong, flexible and fit are far more likely to sustain injury, but we still find ways to put any number of (seemingly less important) things ahead of the personal reinvestments needed to keep ourselves functioning well.  

Of course, these are not the only examples, but they are some of the more common ones.  Yet, every once in a while, someone bucks the trend.  They take knowledge and turn it into power; or, if you prefer a twist on words that could make any physicist groan: they turn their “potential” into kinetics, they take action.  Any time I come across a person who’s made this jump I’m so excited for them.  Seeing the confidence they exhibit when they realize that reaching their goals is not only possible but worth the effort is inspiring.  Today I got the chance to see this play out…..one of my very favorite things to witness. 

There I was, chatting with a few folks who had just wrapped up a health assessment, answering questions and providing clarification on how best to make some improvements on the results when, nearing the end of the line, CJ sat down.  I knew it was going to be a fun conversation because CJ is one of a group of folks who has really committed to changing his health, something that he has put his energy into.  It started a couple of years back with a goal very similar to many, wanting to lose some body fat and get in better shape, which prompted him to experiment with some different diets.  It made a difference, but nothing earth-shattering.  Then, two years ago, he set a far more focused goal and started working toward it.  He realized of course that he would need to train more consistently than ever before and get even more focused on his nutrition if he was going to achieve the goal, but he decided it was worth it.  And, after a few months, it started to work; he was seeing improvements and things were getting better, but not quite to the level of the goal. 

Undeterred, he decided (late last year) that he would go all-in toward his goal.  That he would make the time, put in the effort and give himself every chance to succeed.  Although I was not there at that moment when he made the jump, I knew he had just based on the excitement he had about something that most others would consider a lot of effort, maybe too much.  At that moment CJ made the jump from trying different things (what we like to call “experimenting”) to having a specific plan and following it (action).  He started to work in a much more specific way, with much greater consistency; and as the results started to pile up, he started to realize that the plan was going to work, which only fueled his willingness to do the work, a virtuous cycle where things just continue to spiral upward. 

So there I was, about to chat with CJ……and an uncontrollable smile beamed across my face.  Not only had he reduced his body fat an additional 3%, putting him darn near the ideal for men his age, but he had improved his blood-profile on all fronts, increased muscle mass, improved his cardiorespiratory fitness and lost belly-fat……..oh, and he handily beat his personal best in an event he had recently completed.  Not too shabby I thought.  But the best part?  If you ask him, you get the same answer so many others who have traveled the same journey give you:  “It seems surprising……but it really wasn’t that hard……I just had to get organized…….anyone can do this”.

And he’s right……ANYONE who is willing to stop thinking in terms of potential and start taking action can do this.  Your health is YOUR health…..maybe today is the day you start to build a bridge. 

Have a great weekend, 

Mike E.