Banking On Fitness

Banking on Fitness

To view the rest of my articles visit keizer's clinic site at :http://www.keizerclinic.com/Wire_Articles/Archive.html

By Jim Keizer

The good people at the Wire have generously given me the opportunity to do my own fitness column and you are probably wondering why. So here is where I tell you about my impressive credentials and build my credibility. It is true that I own my own exercise and nutrition clinic here in south beach. Yes, I have advanced certification in personal training, corrective exercise, post-rehabilitation, exercise coaching, advanced supplementation protocols and holistic lifestyle coaching. It is also true that the programs my business partner and I design yield measurable, consistent and permanent results for our clients.

However, the reason I love what I do and am jumping at the opportunity to write this column is that the more I learn, the more awestruck I am by the perfection that is the human body. The number of systems, chemical processes, and functions that must be coordinated every given second to just have me sitting here writing this column is mind-boggling. When I see someone who is down on his body because of weight gain, low energy or illness, I also see a body that has done a remarkable job of damage control for years before getting to that point. I hope that each time you read my column, you are left with a new appreciation for your body, while learning to cooperate with it to cultivate your health.

My actual degree is not in fitness but in Economics. When I began my fitness career nearly 9 years ago, I feared that this would always hinder my practice. To my surprise, I found that there really are more similarities than differences between the industries.

Like the financial industry, we have brilliant and ethical people in the fitness world to help you chart your fitness path and, like Bernie Madoff, we have our share of conmen. Unfortunately, you are caught in the middle and likely skeptical and more than a little resigned about ever unraveling the mystery of getting (and keeping) the health and physique you want. You may turn to reading the fitness magazines, getting tips from friends, and buying contraptions from pony-tailed pitchmen in the infomercials. For most people, this just adds to the frustration and the perception that nothing “works.”

Finding what works just isn’t that difficult if you can learn HOW to filter the information. Most of my clients know a lot about health and exercise before our first meeting. My job is to help them sort through fact and fiction and put it all together in a framework that they can follow for the rest of their lives.

I believe that the natural state of a healthy body is lean, strong, and attractive. You can get these results, temporarily, with steroids, fad diets, and a million other gimmicks but the results are always temporary and come at a cost to some other system in your body, eventually leaving you more aged and essentially less healthy.

It helps to think about your fitness as an asset, just like you’re the balance of money in your bank account. So if it is an asset, the trick is to accumulate more health and spend it wisely. The more you have saved, the better you look and feel. Just like making and spending money, there are so many ways of making and spending health. You may exercise every day (making a deposit toward your healthy and attractive body), meditate, practice yoga, or play with the kids. Then there are the things that drain your fitness savings: drinking a little too much, staying out all night dancing, working 60 hours per week and sleeping 5 hours per night. These are all drains on your health reserve.

I have studied under many different teachers, many different philosophies and have found what works best for me as a coach. It goes something like this: “You can be a neurotic saver your entire life, do everything right, pinch every penny, avoid most costs, and live to be a 100. BUT you can’t take it with you!” I have studied with people who live avoiding every unhealthy influence and, frankly, it’s not for me. I respect their decision to live in such a restricted fashion but I LIKE to spend. I also know that because I like to spend, I have to work hard in other places to bank enough in my account to keep looking and feeling the way I want.

By eliminating moral judgments around fitness and giving you the facts about what helps you bank fitness and what drains your account, you can make the choices that best fit your life. Twice a month, I will add a piece to the puzzle, covering new research, current events, and your questions about food, supplementation, and exercise. Your questions will shape this column.

Nothing kills the long-term effectiveness of a fitness program as quickly as being told what you “have to do.” I have learned through my years of coaching that the solution to your fitness goals is as individual as you are and must be chosen by YOU. I look forward to being your source of information about food, exercise, and supplementation, so that you too can find the solution that is right for you and your lifestyle.

To view the rest of my articles visit keizer's clinic site at :http://www.keizerclinic.com/Wire_Articles/Archive.html

Jim Keizer