Real Life Fitness-Are You In?
April 12th, 2011 
PhitZone Life—it happens!
Sometimes we need to change direction.
We all get busy. It happens to all of us.
For those that don’t know, I’m not a full-time fitness professional. I am a design engineer by trade, and happen to have a passion for fitness.
Sometimes, my work life, and my family life prevent me from getting a good workout in every day. Other times, it’s just a bad case of the lazies.
I’ve recently been working 50+ hours per week. Add on top of that my commitments in my personal life, and I’m a busy guy.
Surely you know what I’m talking about. Who isn’t stretched thin on their time these days?
Probably like you, I have to make a real effort to strap on my exercise gear—to cinch up my crosstrainers—and get my tail into the gym.
Once I’m there, it’s on!
New directions
My recent schedule has guided me to cultivate a new outlook. I don’t want to call it a workout plan. It may go there eventually, but that’s not my intention right now.
With your help, I want to develop a movement. Not just at PhitZone, but in our culture as a whole—One of real life fitness.
- Knowledge. Making the best decisions that we can in any given situation is my goal. On top of that, no kicking ourselves because of those choices.
- Nutrition. Each and every one of us knows that we have to fuel our bodies with the best foods that we can. Is it realistic to expect that each and every meal is going to fit that description though? Of course not! That’s when we tap into that knowledge, and use what’s at hand.
- Exercise. Getting into the gym three to five days a week is recommended. To be honest, that usually doesn’t work for me. Sad part is, I work out at home and still can’t get that done. I can however find new and innovative ways of exercising when I can. Maybe it’s a lunch. Perhaps it’s a choice to bike to work vs. driving. Maybe it’s using a bodyweight workout that can be done at home in thirty minutes.
- Motivation. A few months ago I wrote a small ebook on motivation. I never made it available, until now. If you would like a copy, let me know if the comments below, and I’ll send it to you free of charge. Bottom line, lack of support is a killer in the fitness world. You have to stay motivated, and having a community to lean on is a huge help. We are that resource.
Who knows where this leads. All I know is that this is the norm. We need to work together to find solutions.
Too many people give up on their fitness goals. Perhaps we need to take a good hard look at those goals, and then find a realistic way to get to where we really want to be.
Get on board!
I want people. Are you a fitness professional? I want you. Are you an average Joe/Sue? I want you.
If you have a passion for being fit, whether you’re there already, or are just getting started, I want you.
Write for an article-tell us your story. How can we help you? How can we at PhitZone help you? Give us ideas. Send us a message with your thoughts/ideas. Leave comments. Tell your friends and family.
Are you in?
Photo: Pawel Kryj
Posted in 
Tags: You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
16 Responses to “Real Life Fitness-Are You In?”
Leave a Reply
Is working out six days a week not realistic with your schedule? Does the thought of eating tofu or boiled chicken breast make you gag?
PhitZone can help. We call it Real Life Fitness. We are your voice in this crazy fitness world.
Sign up for our updates below, and I’ll send you some stuff that definitely doesn’t suck.
Stay Informed
April 12, 2011 at 9:58 am
Oh hell ya! You know I’m in. Todd, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. All of the other sites on the internet are run by buff people. I like the “Average Joe’s Gym” approach.
April 12, 2011 at 10:00 am
@Tim, right on. “Average Joe’s Gym” reference FTW! Now I have to watch ‘Dodgeball’ tonight. LOL
April 12, 2011 at 10:48 am
Guys, I love this idea. An active community of real people working towards real goals. Brilliant! How about a seminar?
April 12, 2011 at 10:53 am
@Anne, it’s like you’re reading our minds. haha We are already working on a couple of strategic partnerships that would allow us to bring you “webinars”. There are some other things that are percolating as well. Keep the ideas coming though. We want to hear them!
April 12, 2011 at 11:44 am
Hmph, I actually thought you did this for a living. I’m a crappy friend. You’re very, very passionate and I commend you!
April 12, 2011 at 12:12 pm
No ma’am. I draw pretty pictures of airplanes… at least the inner workings of airplanes… okay, I layout the tubes that move water and air in said planes.
Thank you for the commending!
April 13, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I’m with you Todd and friends!
I’m feeling like a lot of the “10s” I grew up with are getting out of shape and becoming “5s”. That sorta thrusts me from like a “6″ to an “8 or 9″, and a nerdy accountant just can’t handle that kind of attention and pressure.
-Matt
Matt´s last [type] ..Does Wealth Kill Health
April 14, 2011 at 9:23 am
You’re spot on about time. I try to get my workouts at lunch, but lately that’s presenting a serious challenge. Love the idea.
Greg´s last [type] ..Planting & Growing Asparagus In A Raised Bed
April 14, 2011 at 1:10 pm
@Matt, I doubt that you are a nerd, or unable to handle the attention.
That is pretty funny though about the hottest in high school being average now, and some of the average are now pretty hot.
@Greg, Making time for workouts is probably one of the more difficult things that I deal with. You know, right along with eating the right things, and getting enough sleep. LOL
April 15, 2011 at 11:04 pm
I find making daily exercise a habit is essential to maintaining weight and fitness. Until recently, I had been jogging everyday for over ten years on a bum knee that has been acting up due to a bad step and overcast weather that always affects surgically repaired joints. I have been a bit busy also, but the pain has been the driving force in my recent slow down. Habits are hard to break, so if you make exercise a daily habit, chances are you’ll be fit and healthy the rest of your life.
Having a dog helped me make the transition to daily running – jogging. Dogs love to run and once you establish the pattern with them they will remind you they’re ready to do their run. I always run 1st thing in the morning and the dog, eventually dogs, would wake me up to get let them out and then get on the road.
Dick Sorenson´s last [type] ..GOPolitical Suicide And The REAL Big Short
April 16, 2011 at 5:01 am
[…] recently touched on something new — Real Life Fitness. We want to hear your opinions on the subject. In order to bring you what you need, we need to hear […]
April 17, 2011 at 8:33 am
Todd,
Thanks for the positive vibe!
The book on motivation sounds cool.
Rick Kaselj of http://ExercisesForInjuries.com
.
Rick Kaselj´s last [type] ..What to do About Shoulder Pain
April 19, 2011 at 8:45 am
@Dick, sorry to hear about the knee. You’re spot on that making exercise a habit is key to setting yourself up for success in the future.
@Rick, I’ll send you a copy. Watch for it in your email.
April 20, 2011 at 12:43 pm
I love what you said about being one thing by trade and another thing by passion. We do what drives us, and you and I are both passionate about fitness and wellness. You mentioned writing, and I would LOVE to guest blog for you sometimes. Just say the word
Bethany – Fit2B Mama´s last [type] ..Four fitness tips for newborn Fit2B Mamas
April 28, 2011 at 7:02 pm
If you have kids, they are a great excuse to get some exercise in. You can go biking with them, or if they’re too young you can plop them down on a bike seat and take them with you for extra weight on uphills.
Also, I like to take my kids to the park so I can have an excuse to use the playground, haha. I love playgrounds—they’re perfect for getting a great workout.
I usually do a fantastic push/pull circuit that goes like this:
Pullups, dips, pushups, body rows. Then I’ll either add step ups, jump ups to a high platform, or ab work like hanging leg lifts. Then repeat the circuit another 1 or 2 times. My arms always look like the muscles are going to burst after that!
BUM´s last [type] ..The Great Fitness Product Giveaway!
May 4, 2011 at 7:07 am
@Bethany, you have an open invite to guest post for us. I’ll email you later today with details.
@BUM, It’s funny, so many people use having kids as their excuse not to exercise. I agree with you, it’s the perfect excuse *to* exercise.
I tend to use push/pull when I layout my workouts as well.