Strength Training Starts from the Inside

“Strength is seen on the outside, but built on the inside” -Chalene Johnson

How many times have you tried to lose weight with cardio, or gain muscle through strength training? How many times have you started, but then “life gets in the way” and you make a CHOICE not to go to the gym? I have to tell you a secret that I have never told anyone… I was the same way! The first time I started P90X, I was driven for about 6 weeks, then I started to miss a workout, and then two workouts. By the time I was completing my 90 days, I was missing more workouts than I was completing! My results were still good, but I was disappointed because I knew deep down that I could have done better. I then decided to move on to the Insanity workout, and again I started strong, but started to fall off the tracks again. I finally had to take some time and reflect on why I was not finishing the programs? Why was it that I was losing interest? About that time, I picked up a book called “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. This book was recommended a few years ago, but I blew it off and added it to my “list of books to read someday”. Well, I finally decided it was time to read this book, not really knowing what it was about.

The difference between success and failure

Let me tell you, this book changed everything for me, not just with my health. For those that can relate, I am naturally a Perfect Melancholy  personality, which means I tend to be skeptical by nature. I consider myself to be a perfectionist, which really is just an excuse for procrastination. As you can imagine, these traits do not go well when trying to achieve a goal, such as health, fitness, or in business. However, it is through this book that I learned about the Slight Edge. At a high level, the concept is that success is not some single heroic event. We all know you can not workout for a few days and expect to lose 30 pounds or walk out of the gym with the physique of Michelangelo’s David. Rather success is a series of seemingly insignificant decisions repeated daily over time. It is the small daily decisions that either put you on the path to success, or the path to failure. You are either moving up the path of success, or down the path of failure, there is no standing still allowed on this path! The problem is it is easy to do, and easy not to do. Skipping your workout today wont kill you… but that decision compounded over years will.

So what is it going to be?! In ALL things you either make a DAILY choice to take action… or not. Like it or not, both are a choice, both are easy, but only one will move you ever so slightly towards your goals, towards your dreams…