Your body is your business card
“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”
Teddy Roosevelt certainly meant one thing when defining the ‘big stick’ ideology but in general I think of this quote as way to stay accountable to action.
Talk is cheap
Walk the walk
Keep your promises
Act swiftly and consistently
Gain the respect you deserve
I saw this ideal come to life over the past weekend where it wasn’t words I said but the ‘big stick’ of carrying a fit body that gained me a lot of respect in a new community I’m joining.
“I’m a fitness and life coach”
Since we moved to the North Shore suburbs of Chicago just over 2 months ago, one of the highlights has been finding a large Jewish community and selecting a synagogue that fits with our beliefs and has a welcoming environment for young families.
This past weekend we spent a night at the nearby Great Wolf Lodge hotel and indoor waterpark resort with half a dozen other families and the Rabbi and his kids meeting and getting the kids excited about their Jewish identities.
Given that it’s an indoor water park, we spent a good deal of time altogether in our bathing suits. I’d only met a few of the adults before, and it was when I’d been dressed in a full suit and tie for Saturday shabbat services.
I’d been asked ‘what do you do’ a lot but people don’t take you seriously as a ‘fitness coach’ when you don’t exactly look the part (nor should they.) In clothes I’m a lean guy, don’t look overly muscular, and you can’t see my V02 Max metrics at all.
But my body is dynamic and strong in motion. It’s a body that looks capable when in action and it left quite an impression on the other dad’s.
I don’t say anything of this to brag, or be arrogant, but it’s an honest reflection of the truth.
“I didn’t realize Jews could be so jacked?”
“I’ve never seen a Jew look like that!”
“We need to do that hard work day by like in exercise, just like this guy shows us” [Rabbi points to me during an adult only talk on ‘serious issues’]
I sheepishly had to tell them “I don’t really lift weights or train a lot during the week, I just like running up and down hills in the forest as fast as I can!”
Takeaways
Don’t exercise for vanity, do it for the sake of your spirit.
I didn’t start daily fitness so that I could impress other people with a ‘ripped physique.’
But my body is a testament to my consistency, discipline, passion, and desire to overcome challenge daily through training.
When you’re powered by love, you gain internal satisfaction far before the need for external validation.
This is why I aim my coaching clients towards fun and passion FIRST. It’s how I’ve done it myself for the past 11 years; day in and day out.
However, it’s nice to be externally recognized for something you’re internally driven to accomplish.
I’ve told a lot of people ‘what I do’ in the community but now it comes with a business card of abs, biceps, and quads. It comes with ‘he does ULTRAMARATHONS, have you ever heard of that!” I’m known for the thing I do, not for what I SAY I do.
In the fitness game, you shouldn’t aim towards a body that looks great, but instead work in a way that makes it fun to keep challenging yourself and figuring out how to rise to the occasion.
The rest will always follow. And people will notice what comes first.
Happy Training Team