W E L L B E I N G
My personal definition of health is as follows: an individual can be deemed healthy if s/he is capable of living his/her life according to his/her own truths and principles; as well, one must view his/her life as one with meaning and purpose while optimally integrating the elements of mind, body, and spirit. That is my definition and it may be a far cry from your definition of health.
WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT? Most people in the general population are solely after improving the way they look. Simply put, people want to look better naked. It does not matter what else is going on in life, they simply want to feel great about what they see when they look into a mirror. The issue at hand here is whether or not people know what it really takes to create the body they desire.
WHAT IT REALLY TAKES When I ask audiences that I speak to what they believe the number one contributing factor to successful body transformation is – I typically get one of two responses: (1) Discipline or (2) Consistency. These are great answers, but they only scratch the surface of what it really takes to make a real body transformation permanent and successful. Most feel that in order to create that new body, they have to have a great training routine that they religiously stick to week in and week out. Though this is true, training is only one piece of the puzzle. Along with the training routine, someone requires proper hydration, the correct, customized nutrition and supplementation, adequate rest and recovery, proper stress reduction techniques, and perhaps above all of that – living a lifestyle that is actually conducive to building muscle and losing fat.
HOW MUCH LOVE DO YOU HAVE? by Brandon Alleman
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hat is the definition of health? Webster’s defines health as, “the condition of being sound in body, mind or spirit; especially: freedom from physical disease or pain.” Technically, health, wellness, fitness, etc. are all relative terms and depend solely on an individual’s perception. What is healthy to me may not be healthy to you. Further, health and fitness are not the same by any means. If you are healthy with no health issues or pain of any kind but cannot get up off of the sofa without grabbing your own head to lift it off the pillow – you are not fit. By the same token, if you can dead lift 600 pounds, run a sub-5-minute mile, and perform 50 consecutive wide grip chin ups, but you have cancer – you are fit, but not healthy. 20
Creating a new body is not something you can focus on for a few training sessions in a week, or for a few meals per day. Creating a new body is literally a 24/7 commitment. Why? Because everything you think, say, and do, impacts how your body is going to look. There is literally no aspect of your life that does not have an effect on what you see in the mirror. Therefore, yes – mindset and discipline are important, but we are still on the surface of what it really takes to make real, lasting body transformations.
DISCIPLINE IS OUTDATED Looking below the surface, you will find that there actually is no such thing as discipline. Rather, there is only Love. It all boils down to what you truly love. Either you are in love with your Self and the new body that you desire, or you love cupcakes, donuts, lattes, late-night TV, etc. more. That’s it. It is really not that complicated. What you love is what you are going to be truly willing to work for. In my experience, most people love lots of things that are outside of themselves. They struggle with making decisions for themselves because of that. As an example, how many mothers do you know who have completely lost themselves in their role as mother? Every decision they make is based on the wants and 337M A GA ZIN E.C O M
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