{"id":140836,"date":"2010-01-05T11:56:37","date_gmt":"2010-01-05T16:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/?p=10039"},"modified":"2010-01-05T11:56:37","modified_gmt":"2010-01-05T16:56:37","slug":"it%e2%80%99s-a-journey-not-a-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/140836","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a Journey, Not a Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"steppingstoneBy now, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve been privy to the teeming hordes descending on cardio machines and health food stores across the country. Tofu is completely sold out; there\u2019s a line out the door for the elliptical. The scent of desperate, hopeful sweat is in the air, and everywhere you look, folks sporting brand spanking new exercise gear and a list full of resolutions lie to themselves. They keep up the charade for a couple weeks, perhaps even a month, after which point the gym crowds taper off, the farmers’ markets stop looking like a mosh pit set to NPR, and people begin thinking about next year\u2019s changes. Yep \u2013 it\u2019s the New Year, and this is the entirely-predictable-and-requisite post on New Year\u2019s resolutions.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you make any?<\/p>\n

Jokes aside, not all resolutions are created equally \u2013 or with identical purpose of mind. Your average PBer, for example, actually intends to make good on his or her resolution. I dunno, but I just have a feeling that\u2019s the case. You tend to get things done. I\u2019ve seen the amount of progress you guys have made<\/a> using nothing but your own impetus (and maybe a book or blog or two) (no holiday required), and it\u2019s impressive. With a little motivation<\/a>, though, MDA reader progress seemed to increase exponentially. Still, people are weird about New Year\u2019s resolutions. Since the New Year is paradoxically famous for both motivating resolve and <\/em>inspiring cynicism about the whole \u201cmaking positive changes\u201d thing, I figured a small post by yours truly to buttress your resolve and<\/em> undercut the cynicism might help. I\u2019m a big proponent of making positive changes in one\u2019s life, and I can\u2019t help but get misty-eyed when people decide to enrich their lives.<\/p>\n

A big part of making positive changes, especially regarding health and fitness, is being realistic about your goals.<\/strong> I think unreasonable expectations actually explain why so many New Year\u2019s resolutions crash and burn, and why the whole idea of a resolution has essentially become a joke. I\u2019d say the vast majority of them expect too much in too little time \u2013 they want to go from belly fat to washboard abs in time for summer, or they pledge to lose a hundred pounds by year\u2019s end. I mean, these are technically doable for a subset of the population, but for the vast majority of folks \u2013 especially the people who need to make these resolutions in the first place \u2013 such drastic results require slow, steady going. People don\u2019t like that, though. They want instant results. More importantly, they seem to expect them, and unreasonable expectations almost unerringly result in disappointment.<\/p>\n

The best way to avoid making unreasonable resolutions is to identify the root, underlying issues. I\u2019d even suggest foregoing the specific, goal-oriented resolution.<\/strong> Instead of vowing to \u201close 20 lbs in 30 days,\u201d vow to eat no grains or legumes, no sugar, no vegetable oils, and nothing in a box. Instead of resolving to obtain 16-inch biceps, resolve to add pull-ups to the end of every weight lifting session. The key, in my opinion, is to focus on the journey, rather than the destination.<\/strong> The destination then becomes the journey. All those specific fixations on specific body parts are missing the point. When you set arbitrary numerical or objective goals, you\u2019re merely attacking the symptoms, rather than addressing the real issue. If you need to lose weight, you need to dial in your nutrition. Eat Primal foods<\/a> and avoid Neolithic foods<\/a>. If you\u2019re unhappy with your level of physical fitness, don\u2019t focus on the arms, or the calves, or the abs. That\u2019s nonsense, and those things will come around when the whole body is healthy and strong. Understand that your body is a confederation of genes, organs, hormones, muscles, bones, and all manner of other parts. They\u2019re all united to support a common purpose \u2013 your interaction with the environment. To promote proper interaction, lift heavy things<\/a> a couple times per week, throw in three to five hours of low-level cardio<\/a>, and maybe a sprint session<\/a>, and then call it a day. It\u2019s incredibly simple, but it identifies and addresses the root cause. Attacking symptoms and then declaring success is for Big Pharma, not you. Don\u2019t fall into that trap.<\/p>\n

When you focus on the lifelong journey, following the Primal path gets simpler.<\/strong> Instead of a motley crew of contradicting and scattered goals, paths, and benchmarks, you\u2019re now dealing with a single resolution. You haven\u2019t left anything out, and all your worries and symptoms are still being addressed, but it\u2019s now cohesive, efficient, and intuitive. You don\u2019t need a ridiculously long list; you just Grok<\/a> the Primal Blueprint Laws<\/a>, get plenty of sleep, avoid stress, eat real food, move around a lot, lift heavy things on occasion, and sprint now and again. Top things off with a few supplements if your diet is lacking in certain areas and you\u2019ve got yourself a damn good New Year\u2019s resolution that\u2019s easy to follow and incredibly effective \u2013 for life.<\/p>\n

What is your approach to New Year’s resolutions and the Primal lifestyle at large? Let me know in the comment board. And don’t forget to send in your New Year’s Resolution videos<\/a>. There is only a week and a half left to get them in. Competition is still low and the prize is grand, so act fast!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts<\/a> Delivered to Your Inbox<\/em><\/em><\/h4>\n

Related posts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Announcement: New Year’s Resolution Contest<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Reflect, Regroup, Resolve<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Regaining Control: Michelle’s Primal Journey<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    By now, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve been privy to the teeming hordes descending on cardio machines and health food stores across the country. Tofu is completely sold out; there\u2019s a line out the door for the elliptical. The scent of desperate, hopeful sweat is in the air, and everywhere you look, folks sporting brand spanking new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140836\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}