The Tortoise & The Hare

We've all heard the story of The Tortoise and The Hare. The same basic theory applies to exercise and nutrition. I see it everyday! Be a tortoise and win!

Extreme nutrition and exercise plans are now more than ever popular. Why? It's simple, individuals want results and gratification today! Jumping on the scale everyday, posting on social networks showing their gold star, sweat dripping sticker that they earned during their "1000 calorie" hard core spinning or boot-camp session! I love seeing people work hard and pushing themselves into a level of discomfort. What I don't like is the inconsistency. What I don't like are the 360 degree turns people make from eating all clean foods, no carbs, I cant have, planks everyday, push up challenge diet and exercise programs to sitting on the couch being a cupcake eating, 2000 steps per day, I can't do it, it doesn't work, L7 weeny.

Most of these extreme programs are designed to have a ramp up period then a transition period. Fast rewards seem to be a must these days. So in order to sell something, like a profitable exercise or nutrition program results must be seen by the client right away. The issue is the client is looking for the wrong type of fast results. The sought after results are 10lbs in 10 days, 20lbs in one month, or downsizing dresses by 4 sizes in a month. What someone should be looking for is an education, accountability, and hard work. Developing a lifestyle of health and fitness require all three of these.

The Hare comes out of the gate beast style and ready to attack the week on Monday blowing past the Tortoise by eating nothing but protein and vegetables, and doing the most intense 30 minute workout of his life. Then wakes up Tuesday and has dropped 2lbs! Hare hits the gym for the next four days in a row and sticks to his all lean protein and nothing but vegetable diet because his friend Beautiful Bunny Boo Boo down the street posts it all the time on her Instagram. However, on day six Hare is a little aggravated and seems to be a little bit more irritable and feels a little achy in the joints. He is way ahead in this game and it's cheat meal time tonight! So Hare heads down to the local carrot patch and has two beers, a margarita, a basket of chips and eats only half his nachos. Sunday rolls around and Hare doesn't feel so good. A little bloated, a little headache, and overslept and missed his day seven workout. Hare is dreading the scale today but he knows he has to weigh in for the Facebook photo required by the Ripped Rabbits Gym down the streets new lose all your body fat in 2.5 week challenge he signed up for this month. He jumps on the scale and he is ecstatic to find that his domination of weight loss continues! He is down another 3lbs from his last weight in! The second week rolls around and he realizes his joints are hurting worse and he is irritable around Wednesday this week but he has hit every workout and is even doing extra now and has not strayed from the nutrition plan once and if there was no options he just did not even eat. He's a tough little bunny, he's killing it, he's making it happen. Hare jumps on the weekly weigh in scale at Ripped Rabbits Gym and WHAT!?!?!......He is up a pound? This can not be! The past three days he has eaten nothing but lettuce, carrots, and protein. Hare is not happy but he has read and all his coaches at the gym tell him to relax it happens. Your body is changing for the better, you're building muscle, there is a slight delay after cheat meals so the slight gain is probably one of those things. Hare gets home from the gym and is feeling a little defeated but he still eats his lettuce, carrots, and protein. On the other side of the table his family is eating the carrots with a little brown sugar and splitting a special dessert that the baby bunnies made at bunny school today. Hare passes on the brown sugar and the dessert and seems the dinner is in slow motion while the others rave and celebrate the tastes and accomplishments of the day. The next morning Hare gets out of bed and the last thing he wants to do is have his eggs and lettuce but he does. At work everyone is celebrating the retirement of good ole' Lucy Lop. The Hare has worked with Lucy Lop for 15 years now and cannot pass on the celebration. He decides he is going to only have one or two bites of the potluck appetizers and then celebrate his final work day with Lucy Lop by splitting a piece of cake. So Hare has the appetizer and cake and something happens. Those four bites trigger a hunger in him like he has never experienced. He has had this stuff before without repercussion. Continuing to starve, Hare has a few more bites of potluck foods and heads straight home after work. This will be an off day from the gym. I've earned it, he says. The next day Hare wakes up and didn't prep his meals for the day. "Oh no!" He has no idea what to eat now. I'm out of food and Poppin' Pecs Palomino, the leader of the boot-camp, says that I have to only eat carrots, lettuce and lean protein. So Hare is completely thrown off and has no idea what to eat at breakfast or lunch that day. So, he reverts back to his regular coffee with cream and sugar for breakfast and lunch is his favorite creamed carrot stew in a bread bowl. After 2 days of poor eating Hare is back to his starting weight and is super frustrated so blows the whole week. There is a challenge at the end of the month I will join! Issue is, this is already the 4th challenge he has started and stopped.

Hare did nothing wrong except not become educated on his exercise and nutrition plans. He did not ask why not this food, why this food? He did not educate himself on what, if any, alternatives will work on nutrition or exercise. He did not educate himself. He stuck with a general plan of eat this not that. The approach works in the short term until Hare has to start over again and again. Learning why and when to eat something works now and forever!

Oh yeah......the slow and boring Tortoise that you never see or hear anything from won the race and now Hare is calling him asking him advice on exercise and nutrition because he actually took the time to learn it the first time.