Fitness: Is The “Spartan” Approach Now The Norm?

Much in today’s fitness industry is centered around extremes. I’ve been in the business for many years and have seen a lot of changes, but the most dangerous is the “I want it all, right now” attitude. I understand why we think that way, as our work-life balance seems to be becoming an unattainable myth.

That doesn’t make the obvious any less a reality. Our bodies are programmed to stay in balance, not be stressed through anxiety, lack of sleep, glutted on refined food, long work hours and then, back-breaking intense, ultra-competitive conditioning programs to whip us back into a semblance of shape we haven’t experienced in thirty or so years.

Infomercials and internet marketing have assaulted us for so long that it’s easy to lose focus and slip into the “herd” mentality when everyone else seems to be doing the same. Instead of thinking, we blindly follow. Instead of purposeful decisions and actions, we forget the complex interactions that affect bodily balance.

Here are a three vital aspects of balance we need to keep in mind as they apply to our health:

Practice balanced fitness. Speed is relative. Our body is not designed to go full throttle, all the time. The modern elite workout culture is about pushing physical limits, with everyone becoming a “ripped” Spartan running towards battle with spear and clenched teeth.

The 12 minute workout and “at work” Abdomenizers seem to suggest we can squeeze our daily quota of exercise in between greasy bites of junk food, because as we all know, you just need to do more to rid yourself of caloric sins, right?

This type of attitude reflects our current fascination with both elite athletes, warriors and military forces. But high volume exercise performed with extreme speed may be synonymous with overexertion and duress, with adrenal fatigue and thyroid stress, or even rhabdomyolysis — a dangerous condition that can lead to kidney failure.

All of this reflects a sea change of fitness in a society charging towards obesity, while making up for it with a weird type of physical atonement. But more is not always better. Trust me, you can run a few miles a day or do a shorter 30-45 minute intense workout and still get the results you want if you eat a proper, whole food based diet.

I understand that everyone is in awe of watching women lift weights that bring tears to the eyes of men, or running half a mile with a 35 pound kettlebell in each hand so that your coach can say you “crushed it.” It’s not enough to look good and feel good anymore, now we have to be prepared to impress with feats of strength approaching a religiosity that’s as passionate as it is pervasive.

Every new “extreme” is an improvement and amplification of our stature in fitness circles. You’re either in or out, drenched in a puddle of sweat and lying on the floor shaking it off, or skulking away ashamed you have enough energy left to talk, never mind walk. It takes work to maintain good health today, but it takes crazy to maintain elite status. What I’m saying is that we don’t have to fight for fitness as if our life depends on it every second of the day.

Practice balanced nutrition. Have you heard about the latest diet promising to drop 8-10 pounds of stomach fat in record time? That’s not how the body works; especially in light of refined diet foods promising much but delivering little in nutrition. The body loves balance, so making sure you have proper nutrient intake is crucial while you reduce calories. The best way to do so is to eat whole, unprocessed foods and perhaps supplement those with whole food green powders. Try to stay away from foods and drinks that give excess energy or even supplements to speed weight loss.

Practice stress management. While the body has an amazing capacity to endure under stress, in the end, excess will come back to bite you. I’m not talking about small dose stresses that helps us perform under pressure. I’m speaking of emergency mode where mind and body pay the piper.

Achieving balance is not just about rest, but about staying healthy through re-distributing demands to stave off excess bodily stress. Adjust demands on the body by spending more time with your family, getting adequate sunshine, fresh air, sleep and proper foods to prevent your physical body from rapid deterioration. Other stress-reducing behaviors include downtime, walks, deep breathing, reading or listening to relaxing music to calm body and mind.

Conclusion

Don’t buy into the fast and furious lifestyle. If there is danger outside and you blindly run down the street, chances are you’ll get caught up in whatever is happening. In the same way, don’t recklessly practice the health flavor of the day. Remember, someone is always making a buck off your in-attention, your desire for fast results, though these might not always be healthy in the long run. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it – the long run. You can drop weight fast with man-made diet foods, but not always safely. You can sprint and lift like a lumberjack all day long, but how long will you keep it up? In the end, it’s more about perseverance than speed, more about methodical consistency with a compounding effect, than racing headlong into results.

Life is about balance, a concept that requires constant attention. Even those that attain it don’t always recognize it or are at ease with it because it doesn’t excite, thrill or do anything, it simply let’s them be healthy. Use the time to sit, think and plan for the challenges that lay ahead, recognizing that life is difficult, but knowing that all challenges can be met without a Kamikaze approach.

Our definition of fulfillment and results should not be about feeling as if we’re going to die. While it’s romantic to pretend we’re a bunch of Spartans who run all day and then battle the enemy at night, in the end, our goal is to maintain good health.