GETTING IN SHAPE: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?
7 Guaranteed Steps to Get and Stay in Shape, FOREVER
Victor Simz
https://vs762.com/
Copyright 2020 Victor Simz
All rights reserved
CONTENTS
Even the greatest oak, was once just a tiny acorn -- Anonymous
INTRODUCTION
A story is told of a man that went out to sow seed. As he scattered the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
But a few seed fell on good soil, where it produced a cropa hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Therere hundreds upon hundreds of books on fitness, workout routines and diet plans. Therere also thousands of videos on YouTube, blogs, vlogs, and other websites, all dedicated to helping people live fit and healthy lives.
With so much information and literature (and I mean, so much!), one would think most of the world would be fit by now. But its not!
Since 2016, global statistics tell a different story.
Roughly more than 1.9 billion adults (18 years and older) are overweight.
Over 650 million are described as obese.
Thats not all. 38 million children under the age of 5, and 340 million adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 were overweight or obese by 2019.
Were not dealing with something trifling here. This is a global pandemic thats affecting both the young and the old. Being out of shape and overweight (obese) comes with grievous health consequences like I need to tell you that.
But just in case it might have slipped your mind. If perhaps I dont sound sufficiently eloquent for you. Herere a few medical complications to help you fathom more accurately the gravity of the situation and ponder prudently the prodigious proportion of this precarious predicament.
Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorder, cancer (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon). These are only some of the risks that come with being overweight and out of shape.
Research also shows that people with the highest levels of cardiorespiratory fitness have the lowest risk of dying. But this too is common knowledge. In other words, if you're out of shape --have lower levels of aerobic ability-- you have a mortality risk greater than people who smoke, have coronary artery disease or diabetes. And if you smoke and are out of shape, well, lets not even get into that.
It thus goes without saying that getting in shape should be one, if not your top-most priority. Indeed, a long and healthy life is the best gift you can give yourself and your loved ones. And if youre a parent, youre duty bound to show you kids how to live fit and healthy. And as you may know, kids learn by imitation. That means whether you do or dont, make correct or wrong choices, youre still teaching. Thats what parenting means.
Getting in shape is simple, its not easy, but very very simple. You don't need some grueling workout routine, or punitive diet plan based on a superfood. You dont need some expensive fitness equipment stashed in your basement, a special App, or some high-tech gadget you can strap to your waist while you do chores. It doesn't matter if you think you are big-boned, an Endomorph, or simply store too much fat in your adipose tissue. Hey, we all have our stories.
The bottom-line is getting and staying in shape is 100% your responsibility and the formula is simple:
Move more, eat less
How complicated is that?
Yes, it is that simple. But already, your mind is conjuring up reasons why its not -- for you. You feel indignant, upset even maybe. Youre saying;
Its easy for you to say, you dont know what Im going through. You have no idea the challenges of my life.
Youre right. I dont. We all must paddle our own canoes. Yes, our battles may be different but were all fighting the same war. At the core, the fundamental reality behind the human condition is just the same, no matter who you are, where youre from, and what youre facing.
Jeff Goins summarizes it best:
Its true; wed all like to leave some kind of impact on this ball of dirt. But most of us, tragically, wont. Were afraid of the cost. Were worried we dont have what it takes. Were anxious about the road it takes to get good enough. Were terrified well fail to live up to our idea of greatness. So, we play it safe and abide by the rules. Before we even start, we sabotage our work and subvert our genius.
So, you think youre terrified at the thought of taking on the challenge and responsibility to take control of your own life? your own fitness? well guess what, we all are.
Everyones fitness journey starts somewhere. Mine started at the age of 19. I remember the day very well, because it turned out to be one of my most humiliating moments and Ill share with you why. Yours can start or re-start today. Remember, starting early is important but its also about how far you get. And as youll learn in this book, getting far begins with mastery of the basics. Which includes the seven steps Im about to share.
Its all about the basics. And thats what this book is all about. Youll probably not read anything youve never heard before. As they say, nothing you cant Google on your own if you had the time and patience. I doubt if youll get an epiphany or some emotional enlightenment reading this book. But trust me, visions and sentimentality will not help you get in shape. Neither will positive affirmations and prayer without discipline. As Bishop TD Jakes once put it;
prayer may be a great tool for developing spirituality but praying for weight loss just doesnt work.
So, what value will you get from reading this book? In one word, fundamentals . My goal in writing this book is simple, its to remind you of what you already know but may not be implementing. The small things that are easy to overlook but which make the biggest difference when it comes to getting and staying in shape.
What I share in this book are not ideas I was told or things Ive simply read about. Im not a qualified fitness instructor, and I should probably state that now as a disclaimer. But I have studied fitness for most of my life. And coupled with my military background, I do have practical personal knowledge of what it takes to be fit. I just dont talk fitness, I live it. Every. Single. Day.
So, yeah, you can say I do know a thing or two about fitness. And yes, I truly believe what I have to share can help you get and stay in shape forever.
Now you might be saying, sure, we all know the forever part is just a marketing strategy, well its not. Let me explain. You see, this book contains principles and insight that if followed will help you change (i.e., get in shape). But change is not an event, it is a process that must continue as a lifestyle through your habits. Youll repeat these habits regularly for the rest of your life (forever). And consequently, you will remain in shape forever. Thats the sacrifice you must be ready to pay. Thats the sacrifice everyone pays.
But if youre looking for a quick fix to a problem youve created over many years, some short-cut, or a trick you can try out over the weekend, this book is probably not for you. That being said, how helpful this book will be is largely dependent on which category you fall under in what I like to call the Fitness Archetypes. So, lets look at these before proceeding any further.