Movement that Matters: Intentional Practice and Personal Responsibility
June 2021 blog entry is from Jason Schreiber, co-owner and head coach of Top Tier Columbia in Columbia MD.
The gym industry technically began in the late 1800’s, as the popularity of circus strongman and fitness performers grew to a reliable profession to support families. But it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the fitness industry began to blossom with the marketing of jogging and jazzercise. Then in the 1980’s , the employment options started to become more sedentary in nature, and along with the rise of computer technology and automation, the gym industry exploded into a trillion dollar beast.
It’s important to understand this basic history, because it sets the stage for the responsibility you now have in your current life. Most of us reading this article have lifestyles that involve very little movement. Industrialization, technology, and automation have taken center stage in our capitalist driven lives. Very few of us have to perform manual labor for a living, and almost no one has to hunt and gather their own food, or find water for their own survival. Our comfortable suburban lifestyles, while beneficial in many ways, potentially come with costs to our health and fitness. We now are responsible for artificially reinserting manual labor into our daily lives, in the form of play or formal exercise, in order to slow the progression of disease, decrease pain, and improve quality of life.
For those that chose to ignore this personal responsibility, a few decades will go by while you slowly accumulate aches, pains, medical conditions, brain fog, and apathy. Those consequences are only a few of the possibilities. The reality is, the list of consequences is as long and varied as your possible choices for incorporating daily play and formal exercise. The play or exercise you chose needs to meet some very basic criteria:
It’s enjoyable. Most people don’t stay consistent with things they dislike.
It’s practical. Most people don’t stay consistent with things that are difficult to learn, require high skill, and demand a large financial or time investment.
It’s effective. Determining this means getting clear with your goals. If your goal is to get strong, walking alone won’t suffice as your primary exercise program.
And while your play or formal exercise doesn’t require you to purchase a gym membership in all cases, it’s often a smart investment. The reason for this has to do with basic human psychology. Humans are social creatures and thrive in scenarios where:
The environment supports their goals. Many people have purchased a treadmill to jog regularly at home, only to find it sits there unused after the first few months. Home is typically associated with relaxation. Changing the environment, like going to a gym, allows the exerciser to associate different environments for different purposes.
A tribe supports them. Many people have attempted to begin exercise programs on their own, only to fail. Surrounding yourself with a tribe that values you and your goals, and has similar ones themselves, creates a positive environment for success.
Leadership is clear. Taking on anything new involves risk. Why not mitigate those risks by learning from qualified professional coaches.