Ten Lessons Learned from My Fitness Blog

Over the past two decades I’ve been interested in fitness, I’ve learned a lot.  However, I think I’ve learned more lessons from my fitness blog over the past two years than in my previous experiences.  Much of this knowledge comes from the research I do to write articles.  That being said, the questions that readers ask and experiences they share are truly eye opening.  Here are ten general fitness lessons.

1. One size doesn’t fit all

Not every workout routine or diet program works for everyone.  Just because I’ve had success with a variety of strategies doesn’t mean those same strategies will work for you.  The strategies or programs I recommend tend to work with others but there’s no absolute certainty that they work for everyone.  For example, I like intermittent fasting to lose weight but my wife just can’t fathom doing it.

2. Consistency and effort trumps selection of a routine

I’m convinced that consistently performing the worst routine and putting in a strong effort is more effective than inconsistently performing the best routine with a lackluster effort.  This is why it’s critical for you to choose a workout or diet that you either enjoy or that doesn’t adversely impact your life.

3. Accountability

The best way to put in a consistent effort is to hold yourself accountable.  This is a big challenge.  For me, writing a fitness blog motivates me to stay in shape.  Otherwise I might give in to temptation and binge on ice cream, cookies, and other sweets on a more regular basis.  While I do have my cheat days, I always make sure to stay within striking distance of being in good shape.  My wife on the other hand likes the Weight Watchers approach, not that she needs it.  It’s foolish to me but recording what she eats and staying within her allotted points works for her.  Plus she feels accountable because she’s forced to weigh in once per week.

4. I have too many goals but they’re somewhat congruent

I think a lot of people try to train for too many goals at once.  I’m certainly guilty.  I want to be healthy, get stronger, develop endurance, and maintain a lean, defined look.  On the surface it seems impossible to train for all of these at once.  However, if I do strength training, I’ll gradually get healthier and achieve a lean look.  If I do HIIT or circuit training, I’ll not only improve endurance but also get a lean, healthy look.  Even trying to gain muscle and lose fat can be congruent in a way.  Performing strength training helps you gain muscle and eating the right diet or performing cardio helps burn fat.  Obviously if you’re looking for large gains in size or aiming for a lot of fat loss, it’s probably more effective to focus on one, but it’s not necessarily impossible to do both slowly over the long term.

5. Getting in elite shape is really hard

I’ll admit that I’m in pretty good shape but trying to take things to the next level has proven challenging.  A lot of this stems from the fact that I have an office job, family, and don’t get as much sleep as I’d like…having a 2 ½ year old who has a tendency to wake up 1-2 times per night gets exhausting.  The other challenge is that I’m not as motivated as I used to be.  I can do what I’m doing to stay in shape but I’d really like to kick up my focus and effort for 2-3 months to get in elite shape.  It’s just not a priority for me at this stage in my life.  Maybe if I was single and 15 years younger, I’d think differently.

6. Appearance is subjective

I’m a fan of getting lean but there can be a point where you are too lean.  One of my past problems has been that I have to lose a lot of weight to get the abs I want, such as when I performed my six pack abs workout routine.  The problem is that I end up looking too small in clothes, especially my face and neck.  My wife actually prefers my current look with a little extra fat.  Even though I’m 10lbs heavier and have some stubborn fat in my lower abs after performing Visual Impact Muscle Building, she likes my overall appearance better, especially in clothes.  This ties back to my prior point about being in elite shape.  These days I’m not exactly prancing around with my shirt off to show off my abs.  In other words, no one really has the chance to see how defined I am.  In fact, most people think I look better with a little extra fat because they only see me in clothes.

7. Overcomplicating things just leads to confusion

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a workout or diet plan and been utterly confused by its complexity.  This involves everything from performing exercises I’ve never heard of to cycling foods based on glycemic load.  If you feel overwhelmed, then just try to boil things down to the basics.  Either that or spend a lot of time and effort educating yourself.

8. Cardio is useful…for some

I could probably write an entire post on this subject.  A good number of people in the fitness industry would say that as long as you’re performing strength training, then you just need a good diet to lose weight.  In other words, the calories burned from cardio aren’t enough to justify doing it.  Additionally, the cardiovascular benefits of weight training are enough to keep you healthy.

However, I think cardio can be invaluable in a weight loss routine.  First, let’s tackle the diet vs. cardio argument.  Most men probably don’t need cardio to lose weight because they can more easily reduce their diets.  However, take the example of a woman who wants to weigh 130lbs; she would probably need to eat around 1,300 calories per day to get there.  That’s extremely low.  Wouldn’t it be a little more lifestyle friendly to eat 1,600-1,800 calories and burn the other 300-500 with cardio?  Additionally, exercise has metabolic benefits while a calorie restrictive diet over the long term can lead to a slowing metabolism.  In Visual Impact Cardio, Rusty Moore also discusses how cardio is also effective for eliminating stubborn fat where a diet on its own may fall short.

As for cardiovascular benefits, I don’t think anything can fully replace a good HIIT workout.  It gets my heart racing a lot faster than strength training.  Plus, when I’ve eliminated cardio from my routine in the past, I always feel more lethargic and find myself getting winded when walking up steps.  Endurance is an important part of my routine and cardio can assist in achieving that goal.  Still, everyone has to decide for themselves whether cardio is worth the time and effort.

9. Most supplements are useless

I’m not going to spend much time on this.  Just be careful about what you put in your body and realize that companies spend a huge amount on advertising to convince you that their product is a miracle drug.  For more information, you can read my post on some of the supplements I’ve used: Best Supplements for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain.

10. Be happy

Finally, just get to a point where you’re happy with the way you look, healthy, and maybe even enjoy exercising or eating well.  You can only force yourself to do things for so long before your body rebels.  If you can convince yourself that you actually enjoy fitness, that will go a long toward achieving your goals.

There you have ten lessons learned from my fitness blog over the past two years.  I’m sure there will be many more lessons in the future.  Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this valuable education!