It’s the same old, same old…

Have you heard the one about the Catholic priest and the Rabbi where they get into a bit of a fender bender? Well, the two of them calmly discuss the details of the accident and the Rabbi says, “You know what? I think that, despite our religious differences, God wanted us to meet.”

“What a glorious thought. I do agree that the Lord works in mysterious ways,” replied the Priest. 

“You know,” said the Rabbi, “I just happen to have a very nice bottle of wine in the car and I propose that we have a toast to this meeting--perhaps the start of a wonderful relationship.”

The Priest agrees and the Rabbi pulls out the bottle of wine and two glasses. He pours the Priest a drink and hands it to him adding, “This is one of my very favourite bottles--go ahead and taste this!”

The Priest obliges and downs the wine--his eyes light up and he says, “My that is truly exquisite--but aren’t you going to have any?”

The Rabbi replies to the Priest, “Of course, but I think that I’ll wait until after the police arrive…”

There are a lot of things in the world of health and fitness and most notably are the different fads and trends that come and go. One thing that I urge people to do is to look for and listen to people that spit out the same drivel week in and week out. Year in and year out. It sounds boring as all hell but think about it: If someone is successful and has been saying the same thing forever… 

They must be on to something. 

There is something that you will, if you stick around, notice about me: I’m horribly repetitive. Whether it’s stories, exercise methods, recipes or [bad] jokes.

While hearing the same story or the same incredibly funny joke week in and week out isn’t exactly the point here, the type of repetitive behaviour that I’m talking about is a good thing. The health and fitness industry is a horrible machine that will chew up and spit out trendy nutritional information and wacky exercise gadgets faster than Han Solo made the Kessel run. And the biggest pitfall to any trainer (or their loyal clients) out there is buying into these trends and then jumping on to the next one. 

So if you were to ask me what the keys to living better and being in better overall shape; having a better health profile (physically and mentally); all that wonderful crap was--I’m going to tell you the same thing that I heard and adopted some 15-20 years ago. That’s not to say that I’m still doing the same routines and the same moves, but I’m following the exact same advice and the exact same mentality. 

I work out because I want to keep doing the things that I love to do, well into the twilight of my age. I play competitive soccer at the age of 40--against 20-25 year old punks (and with 20-25 year old punks--shout out to V3FC). I love hiking in the mountains, trekking with my dogs and cycling on trails with my wife. I want to keep doing all of these things and more--so I have to keep my body prepared to do that stuff. My reason for working out has always been the same. 

My three rules for health and fitness have been stolen, shamelessly, and I make no bones about it--I’m happy to say that these three words were plagiarized from Tony Sawyer Horton himself: variety, consistency and intensity (in ten cities). The three word motto stuck with me because it was what I was taught and it was what really summed up my own belief and understanding. 

The variety in your life/on your plate/in your gym is the key to keeping you from going crazy and only ever getting to wear those comfy self-hugging jackets in rooms with pillows on the wall. Without losing the idea of movement mastery (another story for another visit to Blogtopia), spicing up your life with some change is always a good idea. Look, I love to play soccer and I hate going for a run (figure that out!)--so I add in cardio to my routine that gets me breathing and moving in different ways, whether it’s HIIT training, regular intervals or even something a little more engaging. 

Consistency is the second word in the trio of terror and it does not have anything to do with the lumps in Gillian’s mashed potatoes. Being consistent and keeping up with a routine is paramount in creating good habits. ‘Nuff said, really. Well, maybe not: stick to your guns and don’t jump on every fad or trend that comes to town. 

Intensity (in ten cities) is the last of the Jedi-like mentality that I’ll talk about today. Being in the room, while it is an achievement in and of itself, doesn’t always cut it. Simply lifting the dumbbell and alternating to the next arm and back again--that ain’t it. Here’s a secret that even my wife doesn’t know: every time I do dumbbell curls I look in the mirror and a couple of the reps have be saying (in my head), “...another suitor for the Princess…”

If you know, you know. If you don’t, you haven’t watched the animated Disney version of Aladdin lately, and shame on you. It’s a scene where there are two old men watching yet another prince of some type wander to the palance to court the lovely Princess. Boring. Repetitive. Dull. Nothing special at all. 

The solution is simple: make each rep and each movement more like Aladdi--err, Prince Ali of Alibabba. Focused, goal-oriented, and intense. 

That’s it. That’s all. You want to live better and be better and be healthier? Then wish for my freedom. And follow the three rules of variety, consistency and intensity. 

To end this week’s entry into the Bloggerdome, I’ll tell you a great joke: A Rabbi and a Priest get into a car accident… 

-v