1) Consistency is Key, Not an Expensive Gym Membership
Ever heard of the saying "Slow and steady wins the race?" Nothing can be truer when trying to be a better version of yourself. People keep making excuses "Wala akong pambili ng gym membership eh", so they convince themselves that it's an excuse from living a healthy lifestyle because such revolves around having a premium pass to some Gold's Gym or Crossfit establishment. You have to be consistent because the key to your success lies with forming a habit and maintaining that habit.
You silly person, do not be duped by celebrity endorsed establishments created to milk you of your dating money. Gyms are convenient, but it doesn't mean that they are the end-all-be-all of being a better you.
There are so many ways to elevate your heartrate *wink wink* Any form of exercise is better than no exercise at all(i.e., pushups, shadow boxing, body squats... which are btw, merely repackaged and sold to you in what you now know as "Insanity" woopdidoo) Think of it as an everyday installment to which you deposit a tolerable amount of time and sweat which would translate to a smaller waistline and better overall health.
2) True Fitness is Truly A Lifestyle Change
"Habit" can truly be your best friend or your worst enemy. Think of the things you do everyday that contribute to the detriment of your fitness goals; The automated way you sit your butt on that oh so soft sofa and turn on your TV which would lead to a lethargic state; The mandatory tub of popcorn for your everyday telenobelas; Them fizzy sugar loaded energy drinks you religiously gulp to get an extra boost of energy; The extra whipped cream you top your daily overpriced coffee from that popular coffee shop. These are the everyday things that mold your preferences and your waistline.
Staying healthy is an everyday thing. Abs today are gone tomorrow if they are not made into a daily habit. Whatever minor changes you enforce can determine whether you'd be wearing a shirt during Laboracay, or not.
3) Nutrition and Workout Go Hand In Hand
Ever tried building a house with crappy materials? I'm pretty sure that whatever "house" you come up with will turn out crappy as well. At this point I hope you realize that I am talking about nutrition as your "materials", and working out as the "labor" you put into building your house. If not, kawawa ka naman, bro. Anyway, it's so evident in most commercial gyms you see people toiling to achieve their dream physique, however, their appearances do not reflect the effort they put in.
The reason for this is that "they" (hopefully, this excludes you) view the gym or whatever form of fitness they're into as a form of a "quick fix" method for the nutritional choices they make everyday. "Yeah imma have that overhyped cronut even though I'm not hungry coz I need to show that I eat what's trendy. I'll just do some bicep curls to turn the calories into muscles."
First of all, a cronut containing about 500 calories can't be curled out that easily. Second, science does not work that way. Third, bulking is an impractical way to get fit. Fourth, cronuts aren't even that tasty. (Sorry Foodies, I just had to put it out there.)
Think about it. The average gym rat spends about an hour in a gym, three times a week. How many times do you eat in a day? On statistics alone, it's a losing battle.
4) Abs Are Made In the Kitchen
Congratulations! You'll be happy to know that you have "Abs". Yes, that sought after midsection popularized by numerous motion pictures. Have a sucky plot? Get a ripped guy to take off his shirt. Viola, Twilight. Now the sucky news, it's probably hidden. Don't worry, not everyone wants abs on their special someone. It's all a matter of preference, mah boy.
If however, you do want them seen, keep in mind that 90% of the success will come from the kitchen, not from those silly sit ups. The 10% of it will come from actual stabilization exercises to get 'em really popping.
Personally, my logical approach to that is: "If you're not willing to change what you eat, don't bother with DIRECT abdominal training." Meaning, hit the your core in every exercise, but don't waste your time convincing yourself that a thousand sit ups would help you get shredded. I'd rather use my energy to either get more mass, or do more cardio. That's just my take on things, don't bust my balls about it.
5) A Majority of the Supplement Industry Is Just Milking You
"I've got nipples, can you milk me, Greg?" That's a line from the Meet the Fockers movie, where Robert De Niro asks Ben Stiller when the latter said he once milked a cat because it had nipples. Well, the truth is, men can also be milked... by the supplement industry.
Supplements help a lot, that's one thing I can't deny. Here's the thing though, the quality of a supplement does not necessarily reflect the cost. People associate price with quality, which in a way makes sense. However, you have to realize that the reason for the higher cost comes from the marketing and advertising of whatever it is you're drinking.
Whether it be a pre-workout or post workout supplement, be wary of the fact that most of the significant difference lies in naming the product as "Microfiltered Hyrdrolized Super -filtered Monowhatchamacalit Drink" Go ask yourself, what the hell do these things even mean? Heck, I can't even pronounce half the words.
Just realize that you're shelling out extra pesos for that placebo effect created by the creative packaging and confusing mumbo-jumbo used by most of these supplement companies. They are notoriously unregulated. So when looking to get supplements, do some real research and when in doubt, keep it simple.
6) There's More Than One Way to Skin A Cat
I'm not talking about that viral video of how cute furry animals are horrendously being skinned alive. Those people behind that thing deserve to be skinned alive themselves... but that's a whole other topic. What I'm talking about is that you shouldn't listen to those fitness gurus who tell you: "Yeah man, my workouts are the best! You should stop doing that gay yoga thing! Calisthenics are for women! Man, I'm telling you, unlike you, I'll be hardcore, brooo. You should drink this! Don't drink that! What, are you serious? You cray cray!"
... I have unintentionally enraged myself thinking about the arrogant people I've had the displeasure of hearing speak. There are two reasons why such statements enrage me;
First, before a person has a right to tell you what you should be doing, he should first consider your goals and circumstances. Not everyone wants to look like a bouncer.
Second, there is no such thing as "the BEST way", even the legendary Bruce Lee believed that to transcend to a whole new level, he had to take the best parts of every discipline and blend them all together.
7) Always Leave Your Ego Out the Door
When I used to go to Gold's Gym, there was this fellow Xaverian who I don't personally know who worked out there. He would get six 45 pound plates, load them to the bar, look around if people are watching(And we are, out of annoyance) and deadlift with bad form, drop em like a hot potato at every rep. Kalokohan. He was an accident waiting to happen. I really wish an accident happened though.
The point of this story of this... I have a lot of patience, but sometimes, some people just make me want to see them hurt themselves. I kid, I kid! The point is this: Always start with the basics and grow stronger a few pounds at a time. Slow and steady remember? Although I admire the confidence a person has regarding his capabilities, that just doesn't apply to protecting your joints and tendons from snapping into two.
8) Rationalizing Will Lead You Nowhere
"Oh look, 'organic' chips! Totally good for my waistline!"
"Fat-free desserts! Perfect, I get to stay on my diet."
"Sugar-free Ice cream? Great, I'll eat a pint!"
What do these lines have in common? They're all a form of rationalization. You convince yourself that it's totally okay to binge on these things because of some particular words on the labels such as "organic","fat free", "sugar-free".
Now, it's totally okay to indulge. Indulge away, my friend. But what's bothering about your indulgence is that when you go home, you tell yourself and everyone around you how your diet is, and how it's killing you and the lack of development is just hereditary. That's just ridiculous. No amount of reasoning in your brain will convert those unnecessary calories into vital nutrition. Neither will your brain activity of convincing yourself that it was the right choice to eat so much organic bacon burn enough calories to actually make it come true.
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