Don't Wait

Even the most motivated self-starters can tend toward procrastination if the conditions are ripe. If you try hard enough, you can find reasons not to do the things that you know need to get done, such as cleaning out your garage, mowing the grass, or getting the brakes replaced on your car. It is also easy to put off getting started on an exercise regimen. You might say to yourself, "I'm really busy and have a lot on my plate right now. When things calm down, I'll begin exercising." This is flawed thinking, because tomorrow is not guaranteed. I don't want to sound morbid, but each day brings us closer to our eventual end and there is nothing worse than regret. Each one of us is given a death sentence the day we are born, and we never know when that day will come. Proper exercise is something that will add value to your life, and there is no better time to start than right now.

Habits, both good and bad, become self-perpetuating. Every day that you wait to start exercising makes it that much easier to simply kick the can down the road. Nick Saban has won seven national championships and is widely considered to be the greatest college football coach of all time. He believes that, "We have to compete within ourselves relative to the determination it takes to be successful." Saban also talks at length about how we have the power to control our own destiny, and I believe that goes hand in hand with maintaining a sense of urgency. That doesn't mean that every situation should reach critical mass, but it means that we should not take life for granted and always assume things will just work out on their own. We need to be participants, not spectators. Beginning the Total Results exercise program is one of the best ways to control your own destiny and enable yourself to be an active participant in all the things that life has to offer.

Every day that you wait to exercise increases your risk for osteoporosis, sarcopenia, lower back pain, and other diseases of modern civilization, thus putting your functional independence in jeopardy. There seems to be a common characteristic between heart disease, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and certain types of cancer: muscle loss that occurs with improper aging. Dr. Doug McGuff has talked at length about the concept of physiological headroom, which is the difference between the most you can physically do and the least that you can physically do. When there is no difference between the two, death is the result. If you do what you need to do in order to maintain your health (through strength training and lifestyle choices), you can actually increase your physiological headroom. I have seen it happen many times. If you are over the age of 70, do not think that it is too late for you to start strength training. Clients in this demographic have made some of the most impressive gains in strength and functionality over the years. Just one or two 20 minute sessions per week is all that it takes.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can start today. The sooner you begin, the sooner you can reap the benefits of the work you put in. Invest in yourself and your future, and move forward rather than backward. Don't wait.