The RCVman has been invited to give a motivational speech to the employees at the Paladin Data Systems group next month. The offer stemming from his pioneering efforts with the successful and eponymous Real Course Video series of training products, his completion of 13 Ironman events and his on-going and relentless search for the perfect combination of health and fitness, training and racing, exercise protocols. Seems there is a demand for this type of research. Perhaps in the same way that people are always looking for a quick fix, the latest techniques or any way to get what they want with the least possible effort in the quickest amount of time.
Sorry gang, fitness, optimum health (and doing an Ironman) doesn't work that way. Wasboard abs in thirty days and asking somebody how they lost forty pounds in forty days is a scam that PT Barnum, WC Fields and Don Draper created to transfer your money into their pockets.
What way, then, does it work? And how do we obtain it? Quoting the venerable Bertram Cooper from (the glorious) Mad Men, "People buy things to obtain their aspirations".
Another way to phrase this might be, "What will motivate me to accomplish my fitness, health or race objectives?"
You don't need to buy anything. You simply need to buy into an idea. A good idea. One with lasting value and proven results. Then, and here is where it gets interesting, you need motivation to keep the momentum heading in the right direction. There are several ways to accomplish this, as outlined in this article. I especially appreciate number 18, Keep it Fun. As in play. Motivation is very personal. What fills your sails is what counts. What do you want? REALLY want, not just wish. I REALLY want to get faster, but still wish I had a 1952 blond Fender Telecaster. Big difference.
The challenge du jour, in the view of the RCVman, is to constantly remind each other that healthy lifestyle choices* will eventually lead to the road pictured above.
You can look at it as Men at Work, or as Children at Play. Make it Fun.
18. Make it fun – Work is most enjoyable when it doesn’t feel like work at all. Let people have fun and the positive environment will lead to better results.
*Diet, exercise, stress management are three good ones.
3 comments:
Eighteen is too far down that list. Check out Brain Rule #1: Exercise
http://www.brainrules.net/
(No relation)
FW,
I was hoping somebody would say that. IMHO it could be numero uno. That being said, I wonder if studies indicate the TYPE of exercise for IQ improvements; Is HIT better for quick recall of specific fact, as compared to LSD for better, say, grant writing or conflict resolution? Lastly, as far as intelligence goes, I guess I am learning something, because I still do it (exercise) every day.
Those questions remain to be investigated. The point of Rule #1 is that aerobic activity improves not only the body's ability to take in oxygen and remove waste, it also is related to brain cell growth. Yes, the latest research shows that brain cell growth continue and perhaps even accelerates with exercise. The old notion that brain cell growth ceased upon reaching adulthood is wrong wrong wrong. The rest of the book Brain Rules explains more. That's why it's a book.
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