fat loss

The next time you’re at the grocery or bookstore, take a moment and pause in front of the Health and Fitness section of the magazine racks.

Despite the fact that Star Wars is once again in the public spotlight, you haven’t time traveled into the past. You’re in 2016, looking at headlines pulled almost verbatim from decades ago.

It’s not the fault of the magazines, though. They are only a reflection of the reader’s interests – and looking at those titles, our interest in “health and fitness” can be surmised as cliche at best and criminal at worst.

‘Fat loss’, ‘getting cut’, acquiring ‘six pack abs’, and other superficial, cosmetic improvements are gross misrepresentations of what health and fitness are all about.

Having been a trainer my whole adult life, I can tell you from experience and decades of observation that when we stop putting the cart before the horse, health and fitness become a lot more attainable and healthy.

When we stop worrying about the cosmetic changes that we think will make us feel better about ourselves, and simply commit to incremental health improvements, the cosmetic changes typically follow and the emotional benefits are immediately noticeable.

When you make a long term, dedicated effort to having a healthier lifestyle, a healthier body will follow. All your systems are going to improve; you’ll feel and be a better version of yourself, and as a result, will naturally trend towards your ideal body weight.

Weight loss shouldn’t be a central focal point for a training or dietary program, just as the weight gain wasn’t the central issue when a person begins getting unhealthy. Weight gain and being overweight is merely a symptom of a much bigger picture. I think we all understand this, but we also go out of our way to overlook it and over simplify concepts of health and weight loss. Give your body the basic love it deserves, and it will amaze you!