Confession of a personal trainer

It might surprise you to hear that I don't LOVE exercise

I don't even love vegetables... the shame of it.

ME! a personal trainer, well ex-personal trainer now. It's laughable. 

I have never once, not for a single day tracked my calories, my macro nutrients or recorded my workouts. 

I've never even put a meal in Tupperware and carried it around with me. 

It's cool if you do, data is extremely useful. 

I just can't get myself to care enough. 

I think we have a certain amount of bandwidth and we're best off pointing it towards what matters most to us and for me that will never be winning at the gym or counting my food. 

I turn down body building clients all the time. 

It's just not me. 

I do eat a healthy diet though and I do exercise regularly and neither require willpower of any sort.

In fact I refuse to waste willpower on it. 

I have 'so that's' and 'because's' 

Because's are amazing. 

Studies show that if you walk up to someone in a queue and ask if you can go in front of them they will almost always say no. 

Add a because though, even a rubbish one like... 'because I'm in a hurry' and they will almost always let you. 

Humans are meaning seekers. Give us a meaning and we'll do just about anything. 

Why do I exercise and eat healthily? 

Vanity. I like to look athletic. 

Strength and energy. I like to feel good and I hate to feel weak and tired. 

Absence of pain, I hate the pain caused by weakness.

Confidence - strong posture, frequent demonstrations of strength and fitness is a massive confidence builder. Evolution will tell you - it makes you much harder to kill. 

Ok so it comes down to energy, strength, confidence and a feeling of health. 

Those are great but you can go further, what do they allow me to do? 

More adventure
To Impact more people
To have more fun
To Live longer
To do more of the things I love.

WHAT matters
HOW matters 

But nowhere near as much as why. 

He who has a strong enough why can endure almost any how I think the saying goes. 

Ed Ley

Ps what's your because? 

What life can you have because you eat your greens?