The Central Fitness Question

The central question one is encouraged to ask himself in my spiritual practice is:

“What is this for?”

It’s a simple but powerful inquiry meant to loosen the grip of familiar patterns of thought and behavior that don’t necessarily, in the present moment, serve your highest good. If you actually use it (perhaps the hardest part of the practice), it’s an extraordinarily effective tool to separate what works, and what doesn’t, in various aspects of your life. I’ve used it to clear confusion and raise the quality of my contributions in relationship and work situations, and it works surprisingly well in the area of exercise and healthy eating too.

The trick is to apply the question with an open mind and heart, suspending judgment about what it might raise inside you regarding your past choices and keeping a keen awareness about how new ideas can feel unexpectedly right (inspiration). Clarity and calm are the reliable feelings that accompany this openness to seeing “another way”.

Here are some topics worth asking about both what your choice is really for and, if what you're choosing is actually getting you what you want:

• Is my breakfast providing the energy and nutrients to best fuel my day?
• Am I working out too frequently, too long or too intensely to allow optimal recovery?
• Are there convenient veggie and protein options I can easily pack or keep at work in case I miss a meal so I don’t have to resort to fast food, a vending machine or skipping eating?
• Do I choose the right exercises to complement the others and reach my goals efficiently?
• Is my fitness program as safe and effective as it could be?
• Do I have a clear, simple framework for both my eating and exercise programs?

You may think if you hold all these issues up to sincere inquiry that you’ll suddenly be left with a pile of unanswered questions. Yes! You will! But that will allow you to break out of the self-deception of culling together and then sticking with a best-guess patchwork plan that may be, at best, not very effective and, at worst, counterproductive or even dangerous.

That’s why fitness professionals exist. And the best of us can and will partner with you to correct the direction of your course, without trying to pressure you to expand your investment either in terms of frequency or length of service. And like the inquiries above, we, as experts, should be held to the same “What is this for?” standard. We should earn your trust and demonstrate value that long outlives our association with you.

If you feel resistance to the idea of questioning the essential purpose of your choices, either with your fitness and eating approach, or in the broader context of your life, it might be worth taking a non-judgmental look at that very resistance. Unwillingness to question the familiar is a sure sign of the presence of fear. That’s okay. Readiness presents itself in its own time.

Until then, be kind to yourself. Love and its agents, compassion and wisdom will wait patiently for you to choose again.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is a 20+year fitness trainer and writer, former faculty member for ACE and NASM and owner of Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They provide personal training and small group fitness solutions at their studio and an innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.