There Is A Method to the Madness
This is a podcast where I will be discussing all aspects of physical fitness. I am an exercise physiologist and personal trainer and owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs for the last 25 years. My passion is health and fitness and I am excited to share my views, some stories, interviews and much more with you.
There Is A Method to the Madness
From Past Glories to Present Gains
Welcome to. There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rob Maxwell. I'm an exercise physiologist and personal trainer. I'm the owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs and I've been in business since 1994. The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. Hence the name. The Method to the Madness Today is Christmas.
Speaker 1:Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Holidays to everything that you may celebrate. I'm going to get into the greatest gift you can give yourself. I'm recording this on Christmas. You're going to listen to it on the next day at the earliest, so this is going to be fun. Before I get to that, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilden of the Gilden Group at Realty Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales and they have the reviews to back that up. So why don't you give them a shout and figure out how much your home is worth? 386-451-2412.
Speaker 1:All right, so what is the greatest gift you can give yourself? Have you heard that expression that says comparison is the thief of joy? There is a lot of truth to that, and the worst person I believe at least in fitness, probably in other areas of your life, but I try to stick to fitness and wellness on this podcast. The worst sin you can do regarding this is to compare yourself to your former self. Let me give you some examples as to why this can be harmful to your current level of fitness and trying to move forward. Because isn't that what this really is all about? We're trying to get better. We want to be more fit, we want to be healthier, we want to be more well so we can enjoy our days, be more productive and do all those great things, like if you're a dad or a mom or a grandfather or a grandmother and you want to play Santa Claus for your kids or your grandkids and you can't because your knees hurt or your arm hurts or you don't move very well, or you don't get up the stairs, you can't get in the attic, you know whatever All these things that could go wrong because we're just not taking care of ourselves as well as we could, right. So isn't that what it's all about? We want to get better in our lives. Better from what? Better from where we are today. So, again, let me give you some examples.
Speaker 1:So I did this, we did this 5k yesterday. I think they called it the stress jingle 5k, something like that Stress buster 5k on Christmas Eve, which was kind of unique for me because it's during the week, so it felt kind of weird because typically we'll go out and do these types of things on a weekend. But anyway, like 800, high 800, almost 900 people did it, so that's really a cool thing. They did a nice job over there in Lake Helen and afterwards I was cooling down and talking to one of my friends as we're walking down, cooling down and, uh, you know, talking about I don't even know how we get on it talking about maybe, genetics and five K's and what it takes to run a good race, and we were complimenting people's toughness and different you know positive attributes and and, uh, I was talking about it's amazing how, like what, almost 20 years ago now she's just turned 59. I was running my best five K's in the 19 minute range, you know, high 19s, and, um, I wasn't saying it like unhappy, where I am by any means, I was just kind of like talking about conversation. And he said, well, don't you think, if you like really zeroed in all that you could get back to that? And I said no, no, not there, not there. You know maybe a little bit better from where I am, of course, but no, not there, that's, that's a long ways off. So that's one of the things that kind of prompted this.
Speaker 1:And then we've had clients through the years and recently even say that they wanted to get into outfits that they had for maybe years past to celebrate I don't mean like last year or, you know, even two years ago, but they're talking more about like outfits from years ago when they were younger versions of themselves, and how that becomes a prime goal and the disappointment can set in if they're not really there. You know, um, and then getting back to the running example, the 5k example, like how the potential disappointment could set in if I was constantly comparing myself to my former runner self. You know how that could really, I would imagine, make you quit doing it If that became the only objective that mattered, or if getting into a particular outfit was the only reason. And that's not the case with these people. It's just examples of how these types of things come up, but I could imagine, like if somebody was trying to get into an outfit like they wore 20 years ago for a high school or college reunion and for some reason they wanted to wear it again, you know, out of proof to themselves, and they couldn't, for whatever reason. And it doesn't always mean you gain weight, you know. It could just mean your body symmetry has changed. And if they can't, then, you know, would that make them quit?
Speaker 1:And if you quit, aren't you quit as in not doing your best physically anymore, like not working out anymore, not having your wellness routines anymore, not having your healthy eating styles anymore? You just basically say, well, if I can't do this, if I can't do what I used to do, I might as well just quit and not try anymore. You know? I mean, isn't that the thief of joy comparison? You're comparing yourself to your former self. I mean, how many times have I heard back in the day, I could do this? You know, maybe somebody is talking about their golf game. You know, back in the day they can wind up like a top and hit the ball 300 yards, and now they can't. You know, back in the day they could hit a softball to the fence or over the fence, and now they can't. You know, back in the day, fill in the blank, and now they can't.
Speaker 1:So really, the biggest disservice we do to ourself with comparison and I believe, even though I do it, we all do it, I'm just aware I do it and try not to do it. I believe all comparison can really be problematic, but comparison to your former self and viewing yourself in the negative light is probably the most, because it is so irrational, it is so like not fair, it is so silly. I mean, just add it how many years you want to. It Like even a year. You are different. So here's an amazing little fact on that Every 28 days so here's an amazing little fact on that Every 28 days, you have replaced your skin. Every 28 days. I had to like double check that one because I'm you know, I remember learning that anatomy in different biology classes. But 28 days process is complete. I mean, think about that. Look down at your arm, your arm, your leg, whatever. Look at that and go no, that's not changing. You know right, if you're to just look, you're gonna go. That's not changing, that's so stagnant. But every 28 days you're replacing your skin. So think about that.
Speaker 1:What happens in a year with your body? Another thing that goes in hand in that is the myth of symmetry. So many people get so conflicted when they're at the gym. You look in the mirror and they go man, look like my right shoulder, it's bigger than my left shoulder. It's not supposed to be that way. My right calf is bigger than my left calf, or. You know, this side doesn't have that little bump. You know that side doesn't stick out like that.
Speaker 1:It's a myth of symmetry. It really is a myth, you know, even like your eye level, I've heard people go man, look at my forehead, this is a little higher. We're not made to be perfectly symmetrical, we're just not. And our body is going to change. We want healthy changes and healthy changes absolutely can happen if we have healthy lifestyles. But things are going to change. Clothes are going to fit us different through the years. They're just going to right. I mean, that's a good thing, isn't it? I mean I think everybody can relate to this, like the person who tries to wear something that is so not right for them anymore, whether it be like really badly out of style or they just won't age gracefully.
Speaker 1:And I hope nobody gets offended by that, because so many people get offended by so many things today, but it's just true. Many people get offended by so many things today, but it's just true, and if you don't want to admit it for yourself, I mean admit it for your kids or your grandkids like that outfit may not be made for you anymore. It just may not. And there are things you could wear that flatter you so much better and this is true for both men and women Like it's really I hate to use the word, but got to use it it's really kind of pathetic to hold on or try to hold on to a certain appearance that just isn't you. You know, and there are some people you know that just don't do that and they want to still look beautiful or handsome. And you know what they do, because they're just going with who they are and, as I've said before, they're putting their best foot forward. So they're dressing very nice for them. Like their clothes fit perfect for them.
Speaker 1:I have a hard time believing that any of us really outside of like t-shirts and sweatshirts are going to fit perfectly in clothes that we wore 20 years ago, for whatever reason, and it's not supposed to. We're not supposed to compare ourselves to our former selves. If you want to say I'm more fit now than I've ever been, great. But you know what? There could be potentially a downside to that, because what about 10 years from now, if you're not as fit then as you are today? So I just think we have to be really, really careful with those comparisons and instead just tell ourselves I'm continuing to try to move the ball forward every day and if you're maintaining it, you're really moving it forward.
Speaker 1:You know, getting back to the 5K which kind of sparked this conversation I had which led to this podcast, I mean yeah, there's decline. I mean, shoot, I'm probably seven, eight minutes slower than I used to be 20 years ago in a 5K. Sometimes I think that's a little hard to stomach, but then, you know, when I really think about it, I'm like man, I'm grateful. You know, put on a number, some people aren't running anymore, some people don't have the most active lifestyles because they let themselves go and then arthritis and injuries crept in, you know, or they got injured playing sports which didn't have a lot of, they didn't have a lot of control on that. So, like, I'm grateful to do it and it's fun to be as competitive as I can be for myself.
Speaker 1:Now, compare myself to a recent 5k, sure, compare myself to even a couple of years ago just is kind of silly. Like we're changing. We have to remember our skin is replacing itself every 28 days. We have to compare ourselves to who we are today and yesterday and try to get a little bit better, and those that are able to accept that tend to keep up with the consistency that's the most important thing is to be consistent with our program. Going back and trying to figure out where we once were can just really set us off in a bad direction. Can just really set us off in a bad direction. It's just not necessary.
Speaker 1:Focus on how you feel today and if you don't feel great, change it. If there's something you don't feel great about today, change it. If you feel like you're heavier than you want to be because you just don't like your appearance, change it. If your blood pressure is high and you're fasting glucose and all those numbers that your primary care physician gives you and tells you that these things are slightly up and elevated, you can change that elevated. You can change that.
Speaker 1:If there are joints hurting you your knees, your elbows, your ankles and you haven't been as active as you know you should be, or maybe your activity level is not where it should be, change it. If you're happy with all those things. Keep doing tomorrow what you did today. I mean, it's really that simple Evaluate where you are now and figure out what you have to do now. Keep the memories, the memories. Keep the photos, the photos. Keep your PRs, personal records, your personal records.
Speaker 1:I know many runners who have learned not to play that game and they'll say they have a PR and they'll have a master's PR, which is basically 40 to 55, I think, years of age, and then they'll have a grandmaster's PR which is over than that, then they'll have a senior's PR. I mean, maybe that's the route to go. I would say, just, you know, focus on getting a little better every day from where you are today, but definitely stop comparing yourself to those former days. And if you say something like back in the day, well you know what you might be kind of getting off a little bit in the wrong direction. So that might be your little telltale sign it's time to stop. All right, so now let me thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, our second sponsor, jeff and Zach Hawk. Great clients, great friends, great servicemen in the garage door industry. Best product, best service. If you need help with your garage door, give them a shout at 386-222-3165.
