Jack LaLane is Still the Man!
I love Jack for many reasons. He’s my kind of crazy, and a hero and role-model for me. One thing I have always loved about him is his bald faced honesty.
It’s a pain in the gluties. But you gotta do it. Dying is easy, living is tough. I hate working out. Hate it. But I like the results.
This from a piece in the Wall Street Journal in September of last year.
Take a look at that and consider the source. This man basically invented the fitness industry in its modern form. And there he is, telling it like it is. There are many other fitness gurus whom I enjoy that are the opposite of Jack in this regard, sometimes to a fault, and I enjoy their enthusiasm. But, when I am down in the dumps of no motivation land, a cheerleader sometimes will not do the trick. At those times I need someone to hand me my gym shoes, give me a smile and say, “Yeah, I know, it sucks. Let’s get to it.”
I am reminded of my other favorite inspirational tidbit. Paul Anderson, arguably the strongest American ever, was a huge proponent of squats. He believed there was no better way to develop strength, and that without them one could never reach their full potential in raw strength. Part of his workout routine was doing nothing but squats on his families farm for a full day, every other day. He would get up, go out to the yard and do heavy squats with farm equipment, go back in and eat, take a nap, and repeat for all day long. I read an article about him where the interviewer said, “You must really love squats!”
Paul’s response was, “You know, I have probably done tens of thousands of squats of all types in my life, and I have hated every one. I loathe squats. But, I know there is no other way to get real strength.”
There is something very special about being dedicated enough to your goals to do what it takes, regardless of how you feel about it, always keeping your eye on the goal only.
So, the next time you are feeling less than enthusiastic about whatever practice you are undertaking why not fully accept that you don’t want to do it, and go ahead anyways. The results are what you are looking for,
