Fitness For The Long Haul

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." ~ William James

By A.F. James MacArthur Ph.A.L.

Gyms from coast to coast are jam packed with new members right now. But strangely by summertime most will have fallen off. Old school gym rats like myself has seen this same routine, year after year, for decades!

Losing weight and or exercising more still ranks higher on the list of New Year's resolutions than anything else. Americans are obsessed with the idea of getting in shape. Yet judging by the rate of obesity increasing each year, we're evidently not very good at it.

Why is it so many fail? Repeatedly.

Part of the problem is most of us really don't know what the heck we're doing, or even why we're doing it. More on that later.

We want big results and we want them now. When we don't get that kind of instant gratification, eventually we lose interest and before you know it, half the year has passed and you realize you really haven't stuck to goal of "exercising more" or getting in shape.

We view fitness as an end result of "working out" then the rest of our lives are completely incongruous with healthy living.

We're a nation that loves excess. We eat too much (of the wrong foods), drink and party too much, smoke too much, work too much (mostly sitting on our butts), watch TV and even cruise on the internet too much. After doing all sorts of things that destroy health, we convince ourselves that somehow a little exercise, or even a lot, will fix everything and make it all okay.

Instead of making healthy living and exercise part of a more balanced lifestyle, we view it as a task, something to be checked off daily to-do lists. That sounds like work. Don't we spend enough time doing that already?

Perhaps it's time we rethink the whole way we see exercise and getting in shape. More than just something we do, it should actually be part of who we are.

A more balanced, healthy approach to living needs to become an essential and interwoven part of our existence. It is only then do we stand a realistic chance of success.

In the coming weeks and months I'll use this space to share with you my best ideas and concepts on how to live more dynamically and achieve better overall fitness. This will be an ongoing journey of discovery. I hope you'll join me.
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Physical culturist and former multisport athlete, James MacArthur, has trained for, competed in, practiced and even failed at more sports and physical endeavours than a crossfitter on crack! And has the x-rays to prove it. Currently no longer involved in competition, a lifelong fan of being fit, MacArthur guides, instructs and motivates select few individuals seeking to make the most of their natural talent and abilities.