Fitness > Fashion

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  I had recently ran into a former training client of mine while leaving the gym the other day.  It was someone that I had not seen in several years and we spent some quick time reminiscing.  After that brief encounter, I continued on my own to think about what the gym was like when that client used to be a member at that facility.  It had me thinking about the exercise and nutrition trends that had come and gone over that time.  Back then, Curves was the popular fitness facility, and nowadays its CrossFit.  And, the nutritional thing-to-do was the Atkins' Diet whereas now people are all about one version or another of the Keto Diet.  I started to think about how frequently new fitness trends come and go.  That in turn got me thinking that this could be a cause of why so many people cannot "stay the course" to reaching their fitness goals.  I find that many people start the endeavor and then fall off at some point.  Maybe it isn't because people are becoming bored with what needs to be done...the routine of it all, but maybe its because there can be a bit of confusion as one trend ends and another one starts.  Could it be that just as someone gets accustomed to the routine that it changes again and then they are left in an odd place?  New trends are good in that they can provide a fresh way of approaching fitness, something new and exciting.  But, when the trend is more of a fad than a lifestyle change, it will no longer be viable as it fizzles out.  Think of it like fashion.  Every season there is a new hip and trendy fashion that all of the magazines are raving about.  It gives designers and consumers new colors and styles to seek out.  However, after a season or two, the "look" becomes dated.  Its even more evident over longer periods of time.  If you were attending a decade-themed party, you would know what was popular during the time period...think about how differently you would dress for a 60's, 70's or 80's themed party.  The fashion doesn't translate from one decade to the next...for the most part at least.  However, there are some articles that have persisted for many years and became staples such as flip flops, little black dresses, blue jeans and a good 'ol, basic pair of Chuck Taylor's.  If you want your health to be timeless, and your fitness journey to not just be a fad, you have to base your routines around staples and go-to's that aren't just fashionable.  Styles may change dramatically, but what the body requires to be healthy does not!

          Fashion is definitely not my specialty.  My own fashion has been described as utilitarian at best.  However, I can certainly appreciate it from afar, and understand its importance.  It certainly has an appeal and creates an attractiveness.  Fitness can have similar beneficial, fresh components as well.  When something new in the fitness industry comes out, it provides an opportunity to draw new people in, and reinvigorates those already in the field.  Although I am not a fan of CrossFit for a number of reasons, I do commend them for their appeal and that it appears that they have helped many people become incredibly motivated to reach new goals and improve their personal bests.  In a different but similar way, Curves provided many who were new-to-exercise at the time an opportunity to get started in a comfortable environment.  And I myself have never been more re-exhilarated to help my clients than after attending my first IDEA fitness convention and learning tons of new things.  So there is certainly something to be said for bringing in fresh new concepts into your fitness quest.  But, without the standards, the fresh concepts can become more fad-like.

          Another reason people would seek out a fresh change to their fitness routines is that they have experienced some change within themselves.  The number one change that we all encounter at some point is aging.  How many times have you had the thought that you cannot still do what you used to do 10, 20 or however many years ago?  Yes, it is inevitable, that we all age and our bodies do break down over time.  Depending on what stage of life you are at, there will be things you wish you can still do that you were able to do while younger.  So you may be or SHOULD be looking for something new to do.  But let me be clear here that there are two sides to this.  First, is yes we do need something fresh as we enter new stages of our lives.  But this is because the fitness goals that we have at different stages require different plans to achieve them.  It is likely that your fitness goals will be different in your 70's as they were while in your 20's.  However, what has not changed and still remains, like those Chuck Taylor sneakers, as the standard is what you would still need to do in order to achieve those goals at that particular age.  What I mean by that is the same things that someone who has one set of goals needs to do at a particular age now, has not changed all that much from what someone of that same age needed to do 10 or 20 years ago.  The same regular exercises and healthy eating would still apply.

          It would be naive to think that fitness doesn't change some amount over time due to a number of organic factors.  Change isn't necessarily a bad thing.  As a Health Ed. teacher, I can tell you that we are very fortunate that we have advances in medicine on a regular basis.  And in terms of the fitness industry we need these advancements as well.  Typically they occur through the implementation of new research and more commonly through the advancements in training equipment.  But just because a new piece of equipment comes out, doesn't necessarily mean that it is needed or even of value.  Sometimes new equipment comes out just as a fad.  The Thigh Master comes to mind here.  There is constantly new things being brought to the fitness market with the hopes that it will catch on and be the next new thing, or even new version of what is already out thee.  Fitness equipment vendors now have multiple pages of offerings for the variety of foam rollers.  While new equipment can be beneficial, you need to ask yourself is it needed or is it excess?  Another great question to ask would be is will this be clutter or convenient.  A smartphone for example is in my opinion a great tool and a necessary innovation.  A smartphone reduces the amount of clutter, in that it eliminates the need for a laptop, camera, CD's, and standalone G.P.S. in your car.  But often times we are marketed things that just create clutter...specialized kitchen tools and appliances are common culprits here, and can be left without.  You can think about gym equipment in the same way.  Yes, some new equipment is great, useful and at the very least allows you to want to try something new at the gym...and there is no better fitness motivator than actually wanting to be active.  But all gyms from decade to decade carry tons of those blue-jean like standards of dumbbells and barbells.  So don't neglect those while you are at the gym!

          Please don't dismiss what I am saying about needing your fitness routines to be less trendy and based more on standards since I am the type of person who is most comfortable in a pair of Levi jeans and t-shirt.  As I have pointed out, a fresh approach to fitness does have its importance.  I just want you to remember that reaching fitness goals is most times easily achieved by simply keeping the standards in mind as with regular exercise and making healthy food choices.  There isn't anything novel about that.  The Law of Thermodynamics representing the balance of calories in and calories out (within reason) is just that, a scientific law because it does not change.  And if you look at current nutritional trends, like the Paleo diet, they are based on what people were eating thousands of years ago...talk about something standing the test of time!  I think of someone on one of these diets is akin  to someone shopping in a vintage store.  Although I always profess that it makes no difference to me what gets you moving, i.e. something new, old, fresh or whatever, as long as it gets you moving, I still routinely defer back to starting simple and sticking with what is tried and true.  You don't have to reinvent the fitness wheel.  You don't have to be doing the latest and greatest fitness trends because the basics do work!  When you feel good, you look good.  And when you look good, you feel good!  That goes for not matter what your fashion sense is.  Heck, dare I say, most of us who are into fitness want to look our best while wearing nothing anyway!  Keeping your fitness routines fresh and hip is certainly fun.  But keeping your routines centered around the standards will never go out of style.  A consistent routine that stands the test of time is the transcendent way to reach a fit new you!