Better Now Than Never

One of the foremost problems amongst the recipients of the IronOnline newsletter is finding the time to work out with the demands of life balanced precariously on their shoulders. A writer from Down Under who finds the info, discussions and reviews we share "living inspiration" genuinely exclaims he has no time to train between parenting, work and study. "How do others fit workouts into their schedules?" he asks. I hear the same pleas from long-absent members of the gym and those reluctant to join because they are world-consumed. They are bound in a predicament, which must be undone quickly if they are to survive... to aspire.

Easy for you to say, Draper, you live in a gym and eat barbell soup. Still, I am an absolute observer who between sets considers what it must be like to be an over-extended, iron-starved and denied musclehead. The thought causes me to ache. Let's work on this together as if standing on a dangerous ledge and contemplating a way down other than jumping.

Something's got to give. Without compromising family, studies and work, there must be adequate room for you and your health: body, mind and spirit. Think. We have no room or time for clich�s today. What good are your plans, hopes and dreams without your health? How effective are you in attaining them without energy, endurance and internal confidence? Troubled with a sense of neglect and guilt how heavily are you stifled in your day-to-day free spirit communication? Doesn't the family you serve and love deserve more? Shouldn't they be included in the commendable, life-preserving designs you envision? You are a very good person about to take small steps in relief of a long plunge downward. Start by persuading your family (your best friends) to join you. Teamwork, sharing, encouragement and all that neat stuff make the going sweet.

Times are tough and there's no better time for you to get tough than now. Be prepared. You may not conquer the beast before you but you sure as heck will not let him gain ground in your territory. A day will come soon enough when the needs and good intentions set in motion today will direct you to more favorable conditions in which you can act more aggressively. You must trust the old mystery of life that positive plans and positive actions beget positive effects. Immediately three critical areas of focus that define your pursuit come to my metal head: Commitment, Diet and Exercise. They need to be addressed as our first solid step forward. Let's take them one at a time.

Commitment is one of those words that has been overused and has lost its impact, yet it is the leader of the trio. Put it this way: How important to you is your health and fitness, your getting in shape, your building a lean, strong and muscular body? Review the benefits of exercise and its companions —the expression, the discipline, the heart, the lungs, the muscle tone, the reward of a workout well done—you know the endless list we go over from time to time simply because it's fascinating, delightful and supportive. You need to remind yourself of their inestimable importance to place them high on your chart without feeling selfish, foolish or obsessed. Fact is, we are responsible to work out and eat right. Put them near the top where they belong. Incidentally, you'll notice that commitment didn't take any time out of your busy daily schedule. One down.

Number two of the "big three" is diet, a nasty word in the vocabulary of modern man. You've heard more than once that what you eat and when accounts for half the fitness and muscle-building challenge. The best part of this concept of smart eating is it doesn't consume any more of your time than lousy eating. All it requires is the nutritional ABCs and the establishment of a few cool habits. Below Laree will link you with several simple info pages to help you along.

At this point of our quest we are interested in clearing a field upon which to proceed. Some of us get to overtrain in a gym that has thirty pieces of Cybex, Hammer and BodyMasters and twenty tons of barbells and dumbbells. Some us go out to the garage of iron or down into the basement of steel. Some of us need to invent and improvise starting now. We must lean hard against the matter before us to discover that it is round and once it starts rolling it builds up inspiring momentum. Ignore the matter and over us it rolls with the gravity of time.

Consider my brief shower of words before they evaporate. That one cannot Blast It today does not mean one will not in the future. Stay prepared and do your mighty best to do what you can these days. Don't deteriorate day by day till you're one of... er... them. Next week I'll propose some tangible training methods that will bail us out when under the pinch. This week work on your commitment and menu with a smile and high hopes.

A tip of the wings to ya, Bombers.

Draper

Laree here, adding the nutrition links as instructed....

Getting started on a clean-up-your-diet project is fairly straightforward. Most people can make simple changes that will make a huge difference in their mental, physical and emotional health—I've no doubt that many of you reading this today could report clearer thinking coupled with more energy as soon as this weekend by merely drinking a glass of water three times a day between meals and stopping cold-turkey the dessert eating or the Snickers bar that you eat mid-afternoon. (That these changes are simple doesn't make them easy if the habit's strong, this I know as well as anyone although I admit that I'm not always convinced that Dave does!)

If you haven't already isolated your problem food areas, here are a few links to get you in the ... mood...

Click here for Dave's guide to nutrition basics.

Here's a link to the nutrition contents page where you'll find links to more specific information such as fat loss dieting, weight gain programs, essential fatty acids (EFAs), food supplements and more:
Click here.

Here's the IOL Group Diet Archive, made up mostly of low-carb dieting information (mostly pro with a little con), for those ready to make a greater leap:
Click here.

BETTER NOW THAN NEVER