Help Change The World by Voting for me to be Mr. Health and Fitness 2024! Read to the End to see How!
When you think about someone who is "Fit" what do you Imagine?
Do you think about someone who is "Built Like A Mountain"?
Do they have Biceps larger than your Head?
Are their Abs able to Clean Clothes? (Hence the Phrase "Washboard Abs")
Can they Push Gigantic Trucks, or Lift Enormous Weights?
When most people think about Fitness, these are the types of bodies they Imagine.
But are these kinds of individuals truly "Fit"?
Perhaps more important, are they "Healthy"?
Is this what we should all Desire?
Is there a different way we should approach this, especially from a Leadership Perspective?
Well, let's look more deeply into this.
I want to start with this though - people who can do things like Lift Extreme Weights, Push Trucks, and have that "Model"-like body has accomplished something Impressive.
I would never take that away from them.
However, I want to dive more deeply into the topic to find something that I believe is perhaps more Interesting.
To do this, let's look at the definitions of these words.
Fitness - Noun
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The condition of being physically fit and healthy
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The quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task
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An organism's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment
So, being Fit requires a person to have a physicality (of some sort) to fulfill a role or task, be healthy, and survive within their environment.
If it doesn't meet all of these requirements, then there is something left to be Desired.
What about Health?
Health - Noun
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That state of being free from illness or injury
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A person's Mental or Physical Condition
Health requires being free from Illness and Injury, as well as having good Mental and Physical Condition.
Though it is not stated in the definition, I would also add that a person should have good Emotional and Spiritual Condition to "truly" be Healthy.
When I say Spiritual, I mean that they should have a sense of Belonging, Purpose, and Goals they are Striving toward.
So, is there anything with the Societal Norms around "Fitness" today that does not match these Definitions?
Well, let's look at it.
When you are built like a mountain, have washboard abs, or arms bigger than people's heads... how does that occur?
If you take the "fastest" route to attain those Results, it requires Steroids (yes, I'm aware it isn't the "only" route, I'll address that later).
The use of Steroids is not something that I would consider "Healthy".
Especially when used long-term, they cause many different problems from a Physiological Perspective.
When you introduce Steroids, they replicate certain types of biological functions that the body naturally produces and supercharges the amount your body gets.
When this happens, your body will actually feel the influx and shut down production of the natural processes to attempt to compensate.
With enough time, the body seems to permanently shut down those processes, even if you stop taking steroids, which ends up becoming a Stressor over time.
If you have followed my work, you know I always say that All Stress Adds.
This Stressor of a certain part of the body shutting down will become a part of your baseline stressors which at the end of the day makes you less Resilient overall.
Of course, steroids aren't the only way to achieve those types of Results, but there is still a high price to pay.
For those who go toward a more Natural Path, you usually can't hit the "extreme" Results you see in some magazines, but you can still get relatively close.
However, in getting them what you usually don't see are "highly" stringent eating routines, and forms of yo-yo dieting taken to an extreme to eliminate fat.
These types of dieting can get great looks in the short term but are extremely stressful for the body and require a lot of Recovery to fix the Stress Damage produced...
Except, to maintain those looks, you can't physically get enough Recovery to fix all the Damage caused.
Over time, that damage adds up until the body simply can't sustain it anymore, and that leads to horrible health problems later in life.
Some people never recover once the damage is done.
But other problems happen with these types of results as well.
Generally, in getting to those levels, you create Muscle Imbalances where certain muscles are significantly bigger than other muscles around and more than joints can sustain.
This is also a Gigantic Stressor that only occurs when muscles get to extreme levels.
It leads to more likelihood of injury to occur, and in many cases those injuries are catastrophic.
Then there is the Mental angle to consider.
Many people who seek that kind of body are doing it for appearances only - to "Look" a certain part.
But in the process, they also end up finding there is never "enough".
The Goal is simply to get more and more "Swole".
It is chasing a Goal that is always out of reach because there isn't really a finish line to begin with.
It creates a really Toxic Mental Environment to always reach for something that isn't there and never gaining it.
Eventually, you start to see yourself as less and less because you never "get there", and this can lead to all forms of other stressors.
I would also think it wise to consider the Spiritual Factor in this.
What is the Goal of getting that large, and what Purpose does it have for you?
This ends up being a trick question because, for most people, the Purpose of getting to that is to be more Desirable, Accepted, and Praised...
Except because the Goal is always moving "further" from where you are, you never feel like you deserve the praise!
"I'm only Desirable if I become "more" Swole."
"I'll only be Accepted when I get "More" Gains."
"I'll only "Earn" that Praise when I get "Further"."
It pushes many individuals to seek out the gym more often and neglect other aspects of their lives that are equally (if not more) important to overall Health.
Plus, what Survival function do these Goals achieve?
I have seen ripped guys that could carry tons of weight and became helpless in regular-day scenarios.
We can then go to the Leadership Perspective with this.
What role does that have in being more Capable of Creating a Better World, Team, and Environment?
With all of the Stressors you obtain in getting those kinds of looks, it generally becomes detrimental to being a Leader.
Resilience is often hailed as a trademark of strong Leaders, but extreme Stresssors, and not properly Recovering from them, diminish Resilience.
Another aspect to consider is that these types of Results are not something you could hope a large group of people could attain.
Most people cannot make the sacrifices required to attain those Results, and as Leaders, if we flaunt those Results, it can create a barrier between ourselves and others.
This can lead to Resentment, Hostility, and worse over time.
We also must consider the largest problem in Business right now, Group Burnout.
Getting to those levels of being "fit" does not aid anyone in the fight against Burnout.
If your levels of Stressors are low, "perhaps" you can pursue extreme Results, but most people have Astronomical Levels of Stress, which is why 80% of people are in Burnout.
Attempting to get even a fraction of those types of Results "while" in Burnout will only make your Burnout worse.
So at the end of the day, even though these types of Results are Incredible in many ways, I would also say they are not particularly "Fit" or "Healthy".
That is why I think we should have a different Goal.
One that aligns with "all" of the aspects of the definition of Fitness and Health.
The Results you get must make you both Fit "and" Healthy in the Long Term.
These same Results must make you more Fit to Lead and Change the World around you Positively.
Results should make you Less Likely to get Injured, Not More.
You should be able to use what you Gain in Real World Situations that could happen.
Perhaps most importantly, getting the Results should help you become a better Human - Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, and Spiritually.
"That" is what Health and Fitness should be about!
Are we becoming better "Humans" in the Process?
We can't Ignore our bodies because we would get equally large Problems, and we see those problems playing out across First-World Countries.
But "Extremes" are not the Answer to True Health and Fitness.
Either "Extreme" is "Extremely" Detrimental.
So we need to find that spot where we become Better Humans overall.
We should be Fit to Lead and Create Positive Change in the World!
Shouldn't that be what it is all about?
Want to Change The World?
I am on a mission to show that when "We" work together, We "Can" Change The World!
There is currently a competition for Mr. Health and Fitness 2024 with a prize of $20,000.
Which is How "You" Help Change The World!
At a minimum, my Goal is to accomplish:
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10,000 m2 of Habitats Protected for Critically Endangered Species
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56,000 Plastic Bottles Removed from Our Oceans
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500,000 m2 of Coral Reef Restoration
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1,000,000 Miles of Car Emissions Removed
However, I can "only" do this with "Your" Help!
Together, we can accomplish Incredible things in the World, and I want to show Everyone the Power of that!
I humbly ask you to join me, and Vote to Make the World Better!
This is what you can do:
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Vote For Me Daily for Free! A New Vote can be made every 24 Hours!
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Share The Message, Get Others To Help!
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Send me an email directly so I can say Thank You! Cody@TheLeadership.Guide
If you are even considering helping, I truly appreciate you, and I know you have so much Potential to Change the World!