It's not the exercises, it's the environment. It's not the program, it's the motivation.
To look like these photos takes an environment, and a motivation most people people don't realize.
It is not 30 minutes three times a week. It is not going to a trainer and saying I have four days this week, two days next week, and a schedule that varies so I can't commit to anything long term.
This is the most important thought for your to carry through this entire article. Healthy living means proper portion sizes of food, living active (not needing the gym), hydrating, and getting proper rest. Healthy living is not the body on the magazine cover.
When you see a published fitness model like Crissy Zachanowich, know she is an athlete. Like a pro football player, hockey player, or any other top level athlete. Like all athletics, not everything about the competition part of the sport is perfectly healthy. Contact sports cause concussions, extreme sports have life threatening crashes, and so on. The girls you see on the covers of magazines have long term goals like any athlete, and a coach or trainer to get them to those goals. They do sacrifice calories close to a show, and cut carbohydrates down to a bare minimum. Not what a non-athlete mom, or business person should do.
The same way you don't run around tackling people in hallways, you don't need to mirror these athletes diets or training patterns. Their body is the result of a total commitment to a sport.
Crissy's day is planned by her and her trainer, and nothing she does is off course, right down to taking her Cellucor C4 pre workout 30 minutes before the gym, Alpha Amino's during her workout, and her Cor-Performance post workout. It's planned, it's perfected. Everything comes down to a show day. March 29 she takes the stage for Manitoba amateur bodybuilding provincial qualifier championships. The day after, she will have a photo shoot with Pink Elephant. Those pictures will be the ones you see in magazines. They take dozens of shots in different looks. Pictures from that day can appear in magazines months later.
What I see in this world is a lack of respect for what fitness competitors do. Some of it is brought on by the industry. We want people to be healthy. Health and life long wellness can be achieved in short bursts of exercise to boost metabolism (3 x 30 minutes a week). The problem is when those short workouts are sold, it's always fitness models demonstrating the workout.
PLEASE NOTE: You will never see the articles say this is this models workout. You will see it say tone up your butt, or get leaner with this quick at home workout. That's true. If you did the workout in six weeks you'd be leaner. However, the impression given is that you will look like the person demonstrating. That's not the case. That model works out two times a day, watches every thing that they eat, and monitors every minute of rest.
Photos like this are no accident. It's the work of an athlete, committed to a sport. The same as other athletes dream of Super Bowls or Stanley Cups and work to that. These athletes dream of photo shoots and pro cards.
I don't want people to feel bad looking at these pictures. I don't want people to think this should be them. The same way I don't think people feel they should throw a football like Tom Brady, or shoot a puck like Sidney Crosby, people should not feel like their body should look like a fitness model. Be inspired, or admire it, but don't compare yourself unless you decide to fully commit to the sport. The athletes I train inspire me everyday. I take aspects of their training and do it daily.
Instead of committing to an aesthetics sport, keep reading (I realize this is a long article). Commit to the fun portions of your favorite sport. I'm in the middle of doing that right now.
I'm training, and having fun!
I have a radio show with TSN 1290, it's all about MMA and high performance training. That is where I made my mark in the fitness world. I have taken the things I learned from my love for sport, and broken it down to make work outs fun. Plain and simple, people idolize athletes. My thought was to battle the obesity epidemic, I would show fans how to build more of an appreciation for sport by showing them what it takes to get fit.
In fact, I started blogging about it on TSN.CA.
The other thing I firmly believe in life is that you can never stop learning. Could I put together a program for my own training? Absolutely I could. I've trained some of the top pro's in the business. The only problem is, I wouldn't change my my knowledge base. I would know what I know at the end of this, and nothing more.
Education is the coolest thing out there. Growing in wisdom and stature is my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. I love going to bed smarter than when I woke up.
This philosophy lead to the creation of One Fit City
There are trainers in my city that are absolutely fantastic. There are doctors, dentists, psychologists, physiotherapists, athletic therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and registered dietitians who spent years in school to become masters of their crafts. I want people to go to experts in their field when they need help, not a jack of all trades. Use the experts in your city to chase down health, and make a difference in your life.
I asked one of the best trainers in Winnipeg to help my training for TSN. My goal is to train to the highest level I can. Jeff Fisher, and his gym Elite Performance are helping me do that. He's taking care of my nutrition with his program E-Fuel, and if during this I get an injury, Elite has me covered there as well. All under one high performance motivated roof. They have experts to cover all those bases, and make sure everyone with them is motivated to achieve their goals.
All you need to remember from this article is a very simple statement.
Everyone needs support, everyone needs motivation. Find yours and always remember that you need to select your goals wisely. Sit down with an expert, tell them your goal. When they tell you what it will take to get there, decide if you are willing to commit.
Live healthy to avoid an early visit to the hospital, be fit enough to make memories. That's success.
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