First, quick housekeeping: As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been pouring time into writing and editing my book. With everything else that goes on with getting a book out, it’s been overwhelming. Much more work than I anticipated. That combined with coaching people full time and enter the stealth mode with my blog posts as of late.
But, here’s an update. The title for the book is Reasonable Fitness*: How to Get (and Remain) Strong, Fit and Confident without Strict Rules. (UPDATE 16.4.18 final name change, we are locked in with Spandex Not Compulsory) The release date is 14th of May, for both paperback and Kindle version. Both versions will have an online bonus section for videos and stuff too to make the book content even more actionable.
There’ll be a deal on the first week it’s out. If you are not a email subscriber yet I recommend you get on that off-white horse now and sign up so you don’t miss out. As a subscriber you’ll also have a chance to get it pre-launch and be part of a super-special launch group.
For now though, I am excited to share the non-proofread introduction to the book with you folks.
Spandex Not Compulsory – Introduction
Every one of us wants to be fit, strong and healthy, and to feel confident about our body. But not everybody wants to, or needs to be an athlete, a powerlifter, bodybuilder, or a lycra-wearing fitness addict. Most people don’t have the time or the interest for any of that. And that’s normal. This book is for normal people. It’s not a quick fix or a fad. It doesn’t focus on a one-size-fits-all technical program or diet. Instead, the book gives you the principles for a sustainable approach to fitness – an approach that you’ll be able to continue, no matter what life throws your way.
Maybe you are desperate to improve your health and fitness, but limited by time or enthusiasm? Maybe you are stuck on a road to nowhere jumping from a fad to the next, trying to figure out how to stay motivated to use that gym membership you signed up for? Or maybe you are confused and frustrated about all the health and fitness hype on the internet, where one advice seems to contradict the next. After all, you can go to Google, type in any health or fitness goal your heart desires and get a solid thousand ways to accomplish that goal, give or take few. If your health and fitness could be measured by the abundance of information available today, you should be fit enough to cross any of the great seven seas with a casual afternoon swim.
The downside with free flow of information is that too much noise paralyses you from acting on the information that matters. The noise can lead you to believe that the next sexy fad-diet and hardcore training plan is better than the one you are currently on. Now, and hold on to your seat here, I propose that you don’t need sexy fad-diets and hardcore training plans to get this done. Gasp! Shock! Horror! Mephistopheles of all thing sacred in fitness!
There’s a sweet spot within fitness, training and healthy eating. Too far in any direction pushes life out of balance. I want you to discover and spend the rest of your life in that sweet spot when it comes to fitness. The word I am looking for is reasonable, as sexy as it sounds.
This book will help you get awesome at the basics. Basics are rather simple but not necessarily easy. There are no shortcuts or magic tricks. This will require a lot of hard work on your end and at times there are no clear rules to follow. You will have to do some self-searching and it will be uncomfortable. But persevere and you’ll learn a great deal about yourself along the way. In the end it will be all worth the effort – you will become the master of your own body. You will learn what works for you.
Fitness should be something that adds value and quality to your life. It should allow you to live a louder, richer, more energetic life outside of the gym. Strength coach extraordinary Dan John’s has a saying, “fitness is an ability to do a task.” For us this means: don’t train and exercise because you want to be better at training and exercising. Train and exercise because you want to be better at life.
I honestly think that a life spent chasing the perfect body is a life wasted. It’ll never be enough, and you’ll miss a lot of great moments while doing so. Do you want to be on your deathbed listening to people talk about how jacked you looked in the summer of 2018? Or do you want them to talk about how happy you made them feel?
Reasonable Fitness is not a hall pass to ignore your health. It’s about finding a balance – finding your reasonable. Pursue things that make you feel content, even happy, while being a positive influence in other people’s lives: your newly found fitness and energy will give you more presence and vigor than ever before. You and the people close to you deserve it.
*The title is inspired by Dan John’s various articles where he talks about a reasonable approach to fitness. He was kind enough to let me use it as the title for this book.