Living Fit is often, if not almost always referred to as a constant battle with ourselves. Pushing it in the gym, food restriction and, “no pain-no gain” approach.
A fit person is usually described as a gym addict, with chiseled abs, a bag full of prepared food, and supplement boxes. The guy/girl that never drinks, almost never goes out and tracks every single bite.
For many years I was that person. Always judging by the look of the person, always chasing aesthetics. Always thought that I was fit, and the aches and pains, are not due to poor food choices and bad movement patterns.
Well, as you may already figure, I did not go far. I did not only stopped losing fats, no matter how little to non I was eating, but I also started to lose the sort of strength I had (I thought that strength is based on how much you can lift, regardless of the form).
At that moment I was desperate to lose the last bits of fats, so I obviously started to take supplements. L-Carnitine, Yohimbine, CLA, fat loss formulas, and whatnot. Due to the low food intake, I had no energy, so I had to get it somehow. Hello, my dear friend – caffeine. 3 to 5 coffees per day were something normal, plus a pre-workout, of course.
Many side effects occurred, such as lack of sleep (major fat loss, recovery, and energy restriction), anxiety, muscle loss, back pain, hips pain, shoulder pain, and the one that really made me think to myself “WTF” - shakiness.
I would get super angry at anything, that I would start to shake. And I could not control it. I would fight with my teachers, I would fight with my family, and finally, I would get angry at myself that I can`t perform the exercises I wanted to. So angry, that I would start to shake and feel my heartbeat go faster, even though I was resting between the sets.
I did not feel Fit at all, and I did not look Fit either. I knew I did something wrong (well most of it). But there was no one to ask, no one who truly wanted to help. There were so many people like me, who were pushing it even further, and for their fortune, it did not blowback at them yet.
This is how I started to look deeper. Tried to understand how that so complicated machine called - body, works. And how we can make it better. And that was when the light bulb went off for me.
I have come to realize that we are so extraordinary and different, that is impossible to be changed by the same supplements, diets, and ways of training.
It is impossible to look the same and to perform the same. The only thing that can help us, is the focus and the understanding of what we are doing.
Focus on being better. Genuinely better with our own bodies. Being better at movement. Being better with food relationships. Being aware of what our body needs to perform at its best.
Once I started to pay more attention to those fundamental, but often neglected points, had I started to feel better.
I stopped with all those supplements. Reduced coffee intake. Started to listen to my body and to feed it appropriately. Started to focus on the way I move.
Can I squat with my body weight properly, can I move my upper body through space with proper mechanics? Can I run more than 10 minutes without being out of breath? I did not care how much I lift, but rather how I move. And on top of that my relationships got better. Felt calmer, was able to listen to others and especially my family. And to my huge surprise, I started to look better. Fats started to melt down, I build quality muscle mass, posture improved, and therefore physique too.
It is funny how when we chase aesthetics, often our health suffers, but when we chase health, aesthetics just come as a side effect. Cool, right?
This is the formula of Fitlife.
This is what I practiced and preached for the past 3 years. And I can’t stop it because it is a part of me. It is a part of every human being. It is so basic and simple and yet so effective that seems impossible. It simply means quality life.
It means no food restrictions, no strict diets, no colorful powders, no “go hard or go home” approach, aches, or pains. It means healthy and strong people. It means Fit people, wanting to constantly improve their quality of life.
Ask yourself something:
Would you rather look good for few years and suffer till the rest of your life, or constantly trying to improve your health and quality of life, and be Fit all life?