The One Secret to Fitness Success

Copyright 2006 John Perry I was reading an article the other day that referred to honesty as the one true secret to happiness. Is there one true secret to anything? I was asking myself this question while preparing an outline for one of my live events. I have often spoken on this topic during one segment of my seminars. I decided to take a step back and really ponder the one true success principle with exercise and fitness. I have visions of Billy Crystal and "Curly" riding though the open prairie in the movie City Slickers. This is when "Curly" tells Billy Crystal the one secret to life. I am reminded of the great Earl Nightingale, who spoke of the secret to success - "You become what you think about." Everyday, I see thousand of books on the one and only way or one secret to everything from great sex to making a million dollars. Wouldn't it be great if there was a single secret to happiness in life, to money problems, to relationships and to health and fitness? Does it exist?... I think so. I can at least speak for the health and fitness secret. I am going to give you the answer, at least in my eyes, by attacking it from both ends. For a lot of people, being healthy and fit is a common goal and yet a puzzling mystery, in terms of how to accomplish it. There are varying opinions, thousand of books, websites, etc.; how does one decide which are the best? Believe it or not, I do not think there is a single exercise or single routine that is the only way to get fit or the only way to get healthy. I do think there are certain principles that apply to a perfect routine. I also think there is a secret principle, and if followed many of the other benefits and by-products of fitness tend to fall in line. It is simply this: Move as the body is designed to move. At first glance you may think that a 3-year-old could figure that out. Actually, most 3-year-olds do a better job of it than most adults. Moving as we are designed happens naturally for them. Somewhere between this ripe age and adulthood we develop some bad habits. Hobbies, sports, exercise routines, work-related tasks; all lead to poor postures, inflexibility, weak muscles, joint pain, body compensations; which all lead to poor movement patterns. And we wonder why we are a country that is overweight with orthopedic and other health-related issues. A lot of this stems from how we learn to exercise; beginning with an improper warm-up/flexibility routine, to how we exercise and with the type of equipment we use. This usually only exacerbates the already poor mechanical problems that exist from our daily work and home habits. But, hey, it is not our fault; we are only doing what we have learned. It is not our fault we messed up a perfectly functioning movement system. Right? Then, we combat the problem with pain relieving drugs, creams, and "corrective" exercise routines and equipment. This is not our fault! We are only doing what we are told! How do you know if your routine allows you to move correctly and like you are designed? Ask yourself these questions first: Am I at my ideal weight? Do I look and feel the way I want to look and feel. Do I have joint pain and /or muscle pain? Do I take medicine or apply creams on a regular basis for orthopedic-related problems? Do any of the exercises in my routine make me uncomfortable or cause discomfort when performing them? Are any of the exercises I perform far from resembling how I move or work on a daily basis? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you probably need to work on your movement mechanics; both with exercise and your daily habits. Begin by exercising on your feet and in multiple planes of motion (3, to be exact). Next, allow the muscles to go through a range of motion that is sufficient for proper lengthening while under tension. Then, the muscles need to unload to release that built- up energy. All this will help to produce more normal mechanics. The planes of motion are sagittal, frontal, and transverse, (straight ahead, side to side and rotational). Every movement has parts of all 3 involved at all times; one plane may just be more dominant, depending on the particular movement. Coupled with all 3 planes, movement must be performed through the available range of motion to allow for proper loading and unloading of the muscles and joints. Then you will have a winning recipe for proper movement. Throw in balance, speed and resistance changes and you have a great fitness formula. The body will respond much better because it understands what you are trying to do. The body is working with muscle synergies (groups of muscles working together) rather than isolated individual muscles (as with certain machines and routines). This is how the brain recognizes normal movement; in terms of synergies. This is what we abandon over time and why we develop the movement problems we do. You are actually giving the brain the information it needs to allow you to be successful. It is a two-way street. If you give the brain good information, because you are moving properly (and in a way that makes sense to the brain), it will, in turn send back helpful information to make you move better. Literally scratching each other's back. Why would you sabotage you own system by confusing your own brain? Which brings me to the other end of the "one secret" answer. Your brain does not care what you feed it. It will react and respond based on the information it receives. If fed positive thoughts, new learning experiences and proper movement patters it will respond, in turn, with ways to make you successful; in terms of positive thinking, more knowledge and better fitness levels. If you feed your brain garbage, such as negative thoughts, passive experiences and improper movement choices, it will give you the same in return. It is like a garden. Whatever you plant... that is what you shall receive. I guess Earl Nightingale had it right. You do become what you think about. I would like to add a little to that. You become what you feed your brain. Feed it proper movement patterns, positive thoughts and new learning experiences. You will become what you focus on... what you give your brain to focus on. And that my friend... is the secret. "Life's strict rule is this: You get more of what you focus on. Ignoring this, we abandon our healthiest, concentrative energies and court emotional upheaval." Marsha Sinetar