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
Beyond Resolutions Achieving True Wellness
Welcome to. There is a Method to the Madness. My name is Rod 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.
Speaker 1:The purpose of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really works and, most importantly, why things work. We're going to have a good episode today. I'm going to talk about where maybe we should be going. Where are you going? 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 and own sales, and they have the reviews to back that up. So why don't you give them a shout at 386-451-2412 and figure out what your home is worth? So where are you going?
Speaker 1:This might be New Year's Day when you listen to this. That's when it is going to land and 2025, new Year's Day. You might be listening to a few days later or maybe you're listening way later, but you know what. It's New Year's Day for me and I wonder where you're going. Where did you go last night? What are your plans?
Speaker 1:So I bring all this up because it's New Year's and the last podcast I did was on New Year's resolutions and about how oftentimes they fail and maybe there is a new way to do New Year's. And I'm still kind of on that a little bit. I just saw a little fact that said that 50% of the people polled this year stated that their new year's resolution was going to be to exercise. I mean that's great. Why do we wait for the new year? But that is great. But as I already stated the other day and I'll restate it, so you know it's to exercise. That is a great thing. But who are our models? Who's exercising and what do they do weekend and week out, and not just on January 1st through January 14th or whatever it might be, when people often drop out. So I want to talk about that. Like, where are you going?
Speaker 1:It's an interesting question when people have come in for consultations through the years. You know it's funny it's people still think like there is like the miracle cure, the miracle exercise, the miracle food, the miracle diet. I mean it's hysterical actually, because if you really think about it, there's been so many of those through the years but for some reason, even people who seem like highly educated and intelligent and in the know and do their research, like still grab onto it, like there's something more to the story other than just day in, day out discipline and commitment, which is really what it comes down to. But when people come in and, um, you know, they talk to me about what they want to do. One of the questions they always ask me is what's the secret? They ask it in so many words, sometimes it's literally in those words, but what's the secret? And I always look at them and I say you know, go grab one of my file folders over there. You know, go in there and pull the thickest one out under the clients and you'll see that that's the secret, meaning the thickest file means that they've been doing it the longest, like that's the secret right there.
Speaker 1:Now I don't do that anymore because I don't really do a whole lot of consultations anymore because we're very full and so we don't take people, but kind of every once in a while now and, um, you know, we have a little bit of a different clientele coming in. Um, has it changed over the last few years? I mean, I don't know. I'd like to be hopeful and think so, but more people come in now, like not looking for the secrets like they used to as much and they know they need to strength train for their activities of daily living. And maybe that's because a lot of our newer clients are referred by physicians. Maybe I don't know, but in any event, you still get the point.
Speaker 1:The key that I've always told people, and I will continue to tell people, is there is no secret. What are you doing day in and day out? And the clients that are most successful have been doing it the longest, and I'm not arrogant to say that it's because they come to us for all those years. No, it's because they are committing to themselves for all those years. Whether you are coming to me or my gym for a week in and a week out, month in and month out, year in and year out, or another gym or the YMCA, or another personal trainer, or your yoga studio or your spin bike studio or your pool or whatever Like that's, the key is doing it day in and day out. And I was thinking earlier when I heard that statistic about the new year's resolutions and all that's bopping around and I'm going to do another talk on that coming up.
Speaker 1:I think it's next week and so it's been going through my mind when are you going to so many days when I was before I owned a gym. You know, like way back in my late teens, early twenties, before I had a personal training business and owned a gym. So oftentimes I mean almost every day, maybe not on Sundays because back in those days the gyms weren't open on Sundays I'm trying to think if this one gym was, it really is irrelevant, I guess, but I was going to the gym. That's where I went. I went most likely almost every day, except for Sundays. I did other things, of course. I went to work, I went to school, I went to a friend's house, but I went to the gym. That's important.
Speaker 1:And I was thinking about how, when I go to the gym, I had sort of an idea of what I was going to do that day. You know, in those days I was more than likely doing a different form of a split routine. So I was doing a lot of strength training but splitting up the muscle groups lot of strength training but splitting up the muscle groups. But I would go in knowing I'm going to have a sort of open-ended plan. But the key was I would go and I would spend some time there and I would execute my plan based on what was there, who was there and what equipment was being tied up. I would make quick adjustments. If maybe a workout partner didn't show up, or some of my usual friends who worked out with me if a workout partner didn't show up, weren't there, or if the gym was really crowded and I couldn't use certain pieces of equipment, I would make changes, but I wouldn't go home. I would do something. I would do a very effective workout.
Speaker 1:We don't have to have a perfect plan all the time. I know that sounds strange coming from somebody who writes plans, but the plans are meant to be a little bit loose. When I write plans, I write them based on the client's needs, the client's abilities and what they have access to, and those exercises are important and the sets and reps are important. All those things are important, but what is most important is that you show up and do what you can, and I promise you if you show up to the gym and when I say gym I mean whatever it is, wherever it is you go to get into a positive environment to exercise. If you show up, it is going to be a good day.
Speaker 1:Too many times people get wrapped up into exactly what they should do when they're there A little bit of the old paralysis of analysis going on, and because they think they don't know, they just don't go. Everybody I shouldn't say everybody, most everybody knows what they can do. There might be things that they're unsure about. Well then, yeah, don't do that, of course. But let's say you've been training with a trainer and you've been doing like eight exercises. Every time you go to the gym and you haven't been able to get there because you're traveling out of town and your friend tells you that there's a gym down the road that she uses and you can go use. And you're thinking to yourself well, I don't remember my whole workout, but do you remember like two exercises of it? Do you remember like maybe your dumbbell curls you were doing, or your shoulder raises or something like that? I mean, those are usually pretty simple exercises to remember. Go do that. That will be so much better than going somewhere else. Most likely.
Speaker 1:So, going back to before, I would have my gym thinking about how you know again a loose plan. I would drive to the gym or get to the gym I would say, hello, check in whatever. I would get to the gym I would say hello, check in whatever and start my workout. And I guarantee you, almost every workout my plan slightly changed, but almost every workout I got in a great workout and, of course, if I left there which I clearly did then I got in a great workout. So the fact that I decided to spend six of my seven days in a gym is the key. I'm not saying you have to work out every day Strength-wise, I will say I do think it's important for everybody to exercise every day and I don't think that's asking too much.
Speaker 1:I think we are built to move. We're made to move, so I do think it is a good thing to do every day. But I am saying that if you want to have success fitness wise in 2025, why don't you think about where you're going? Intentions don't mean much of anything. You're going. Intentions don't mean much of anything. Resolutions, as I've talked about, really don't turn into action very often. So why don't you think about where you're going?
Speaker 1:People can say all the time what their values are and what's most important to them, and all you have to do is go back and look at where they spent their time that previous week and you'll get a better idea of what their values are versus what they tell you they are. Oh, I value health, I value fitness, I value wellness. I want to be a good example for my children or my grandchildren, so I really value physical fitness. Oh, that's awesome, me too. How many days did you go to the gym last week? Um, well, I missed, okay. So how many days did you walk? Well, I did walk on Monday. So you get the point of this where we spend our time is really where our values are. We can say anything and it really doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:And I and I hear this a lot I hear people talk about the value of physical fitness and the value of eating right and the value of exercising, and then I talk to them about what they do, and there's always an excuse as to why they aren't committed enough. Like, that's the key is the consistency. I mean, there are some people that just when they, as it comes to my gym, they just don't miss Like. They don't like to miss Like. It is a commitment, it is a priority, and they don't feel good when they're not there and they get upset with themselves. They get mad at me when I go on vacation. What am I going to do? They get mad because they like to come and that is really a cool thing. Like there are people friends I have, that don't like to ever miss their master swim class or their group runs. They don't like to miss. And then there are people who will miss for whatever reason. Like something a little bit better comes up and look, I've been doing this 30 years.
Speaker 1:You can almost imagine some of the things I hear. I mean I won't even get into it, but there's been some of the craziest excuses. I mean what? What am I supposed to say? Right, I mean outside of the cancellation policy. You know, that's not even what I'm talking about here. I'm just talking about like that's not even really the important part. The important part is is somebody really committed to their own health and fitness? I mean, the only thing I can do is guide them and lead them. I can't like make them go to the gym or make them love it, like I love it. I can't do that. I can only do my part, which is, first off, do my own form of physical fitness and then, secondly, be there for somebody. But I can't make somebody like dread missing workouts, like not, you know that too many people, I think, dread working out, not. Not too many of my clients, I mean, I don't think that that's true. Some of them would rather not if they could get away with not, but they know they can't and that's OK. But how do you really really understand that it comes down to showing up no matter what, like if other things come up that are more important, well then there you go, I mean. But then don't be surprised when you don't have the level of fitness of somebody else, because it really does come down to that.
Speaker 1:And we have to also keep in mind, too, that fitness isn't just about appearance. Appearance is one aspect of fitness. I've talked about this before. Body composition is one fifth of the fitness wheel One fifth, not one whole, not one half one fifth. And body composition would be what you're thinking of when you think of appearance. So your leanness factor, your tonicity, yeah, that's important, but it's one fifth. There are some people, based on their genetics, based on their body type, that you wouldn't look at and go, oh, they are stunning figures of physical fitness. You may not say that, but they can run circles around people who might look more fit. So it is not just about the appearance. There are some people that are extremely physically fit, that just don't have the body type to show it, but they can do everything else. They've got a good cardiovascular system, they have good mobility, they're strong, they can crank out a bunch of pushups, so they have endurance. They can touch their toes, so they have flexibility. So fitness isn't just about how we look and know. We're in an era now where fitness not fitness because, gosh, how could I even say that's the opposite lack of fatness is as quick away or as close away as a shot.
Speaker 1:Right, a lot of people are getting these different fat loss drugs. Okay, some people really need it. Okay, I've spoken to some physicians about this subject and there are some patients they have that absolutely need it and without it they are not going to live very healthfully. So I get it. But then some people are simply taking it as a shortcut, a shortcut to losing some fat and they simply just don't want to put in the work. Look, I guess that sounds judgmental, but the bottom line is that's only going to work for some things. That is not going to increase your pushups, that is not going to increase your mobility, that is not going to make you run faster per se. I guess if you're lighter you will run faster, but I don't know any people that run that are doing this. I know people that don't exercise a lot that are doing this. So there is always going to be a little bit of a pushback anytime we do something like that when we don't have to do it. So I throw that in here because I want everybody to understand that just because more people might be losing weight over the last 24 months because of this, it doesn't mean that more people are getting more fit. They are not the same thing. They are part of the thing, but they are not the same thing. So doing that and missing the gym isn't improving your fitness. It might be helping you lose weight. It is not improving your fitness. So where are you going Now, tonight's New Year's Eve?
Speaker 1:What do a lot of people do? They go to the bars. You know younger generation goes to the bars. Hey, I've done that on New Year's Eve back when I was in college. Of course a lot of people do. That's where they're going. Are they planning exactly what they're going to do when they go there? I would guess probably not.
Speaker 1:So if you're getting my point, what I really want you to think about going into the new year is where are you going to spend your time? Right, you don't plan out every minute of your time when you go to a bar. You're going to a bar. What are you going to do at a bar? Well, you're probably going to drink, you're going to crouch, you're going to do those types of things. Maybe you're going there, you're going to drink club soda, whatever. I mean, that's not really the point, but the fact is you're going there and no, I'm not judging that, I'm just trying to say that you know when you go there. You don't know exactly what you're doing when you go, but you know you're going to have a good time.
Speaker 1:So what if you thought about that for your physical fitness, like, where are you going? That's why so many people don't really utilize their home gyms very much, because they know they want to get out of their environment and go somewhere else where other people are, even if it's just one other person your trainer and I think that is a good thing. Actually, you know, a lot of people are doing some of these different types, almost like AI workouts with some kind of thing on their monitors. I mean, I don't see it as working or sticking. I mean that's kind of like pushing in an old tape back in the day and doing a class in front of your TV. I mean I think people need to go somewhere, most likely to exercise. I mean most people I know do that, even to run. They meet their friends at a place where they can run together. It's just not a bad idea. So where are you going?
Speaker 1:If you really are committed to your fitness, wellness and health, ask yourself that Are you going somewhere every day to better that, or are you spending a lot of time elsewhere? Because where you spend your time is most likely where your true commitments to yourself, your true values are to yourself. And that's okay. Just don't blame anybody but you, Jerry Johnson, my great client, who passed on in 2024, god bless you, jerry. We miss you every single day.
Speaker 1:Used to say, everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die. Well, little side note, I think he's in heaven, but you know what he put in all of the work. He put in the work he hated to miss the gym. When I say some people hated to miss the gym and will give me a hard time when I'm going on vacation, he was one of them and I value that. So we have to understand that we're only going to get as far as our actions put us All right. So now let me thank Overhead Door of Daytona Beach, jeff and Zach Hawk, very committed to their own wellness program and very committed to having the best garage door company in Daytona Beach. If you have any needs in that area, give them a shout at 386-222-3165.
