Experience Strength #389

<div>What do we mean when we say "Experience Strength"? Experiencing strength is experiencing the benefits of improved quality of life through strength training and improved nutrition and other health and fitness habits. <br /> <br /> When you're strong, you're capable and able to say yes to things. When you're weak--whether you know it or not--you're saying no to things and taking possibilities off the table. <br /> <br /> This flies in the face of conventional wisdom and many thoughts about the difficulties and sacrifices that barbell training and improved nutrition practices require. Yes, you spend time in the gym that you cannot spend elsewhere. Yes, you eat more whole foods, more protein and fiber, and do not eat or at least limit foods that do not support your goal. <br /> <br /> These sacrifices, however, move us closer to our goals--the states we which to possess, whether they be strength, lower bodyfat, appearance, or confidence. As we move closer to our goals, we gain the ability to say yes to certain things. We can go to the beach and not feel bad about ourselves. We can play with our kids or grandkids without pain and keep up with them. Our physical interaction with the world changes. <br /> <br /> So how do we Experience Strength is we're stuck in a rut of weakness? How do we change paths and begin to experience improved quality of life, better health, and increased confidence? <br /> <br /> We have to understand our goals and where we want to go. We have to take the first steps and appreciate the small wins along the way. We have to have the discipline to build habits and understand that momentum may help but we cannot expect it nor rely on it to carry us to our goals. <br /> <br /> Part of this is differentiating short-term and long-term "feel good." There's the immediate pleasure of sugary, fatty, salty food or lying on the couch watching Netflix. This pales in comparison the the longer-term "feel good" of getting your workouts in, eating healthy, prioritizing sleep, spending quality time with you