On Becoming "Buff" and "Sculpted":
One fitness pro's musings on the real-life
demands of maintaining a highly fit appearance
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Fair
or not, there is a double standard when it comes time to the physical
appearance (and thus exercise habits) required of fitness leaders. On
one hand, we as consumers have expressed the desire for common sense to
prevail, and "real" bodies to be used as role models. Sounds good
intellectually, but in actual practice, we've not come too far in changing
our perceptions en masse. It still remains that a fitness professional
with extremely impressive credentials (a degree in fitness, years of
practice, a high level of advancement in her career, etc.) yet "just" an
"average," "normal" physique will often be perceived as less credible.
On the other hand, a person with relatively little formal education and
training in the area of fitness (be honest now, when was the last time you
surfed the net to try and locate the education credentials of the latest
sexy infomercial hunk?), yet who sports an enviably lean and sculpted
physique will almost certainly command more attention from an audience.
Unfair? You bet. But such is the case of the industry.
Fundamentally, I find nothing wrong with being inspired by those who have
achieved an extremely high level of fitness. I personally maintain a
tough and time-consuming workout schedule. Why hide it? I love to
train, love "discovering" new twists on old movements. I use the time spent
in the gym and on the trails to help innovate new programs for my students
and clients, so in the end, everyone benefits from this involvement.
Furthermore, it only stands to reason that the fitness professional is
likely to workout to a much greater extent than her clients and students;
after all, most professionals in any field--fitness or otherwise--will by
definition be more heavily involved with their given activity.
Approached from this level of common sense, a person can feel inspired
without feeling compelled to achieve the same caliber of achievement
themselves. I love watching Jackie Chan movies, yet I can't say I've ever
had the urge to exit my yoga classroom by executing a dive roll out the
window. That said, it seems many people look to the extremely chiseled
bodies on display in magazines and fitness videos as their quintessential
"goal" physique. As if to play right into that thinking, there are
plenty of fitness "experts" only too willing to lead audiences to think that
a highly toned appearance can be accessed with minimal effort and time
investment ("And for just 3 easy payments of $19.95!"). If people
actually realized just how much time and effort is required to achieve the
eye-catchingly lean shapes favored by magazine covers, I dare say they'd
rightfully place that body right up there with back-flipping off the roof;
sure, it can be done, but on your schedule? With your inherited body
type? For the amount of effort required? Er, probably not.
While
I may prefer to take the honest, upfront approach, there are those who don't
share this ethic. I once overheard a fitness professional claim that
she only works out 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Curious, I turned my
head to glance at this person, and I nearly fell over. She was, by anyone's
standards, extremely fit: very little body fat, chiseled shoulders, a highly
sculpted upper back and arms, a defined, "ripped" abdomen, and well-carved
leg muscles. On top of that, she appeared to be at least 40, so we're not
talking about the metabolism of a college athlete. I shook my head and
forgot about it....until a few years later, when I came across a published
"typical" day-in-the-life schedule for this person. There, I found my
explanation. The itinerary did, indeed, list an official "30 minute workout"
first thing in the morning.....BUT....it also listed a 1-hour walk she
typically takes at lunchtime, plus a post-dinner hike she takes with her
husband and kids, plus an incessant use of every spare moment in her day
(i.e. washing the dishes, talking on the phone) to insert extra leg lifts or
arm extensions. When all was tallied, her average day of exercise actually
amounted to about 3 hours! She simply didn't call 2-1/2 hours of it
"exercise," and voila! Fitness magic for a mere half hour.
The
bottom line is, sure, be inspired by the great levels of fitness achievable
through hard work and high discipline, in the same vein one might admire a
virtuoso guitarist or an Olympian athlete. Just don't berate yourself
if you don't "measure up" to that level of fitness, in the same way you
wouldn't berate yourself for not being able to play guitar like Leo Kottke
or flip effortlessly onto a balance beam like Svetlana Boguinskaia. -ep
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