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The Fit Perception
The Fit Perception
From Stage Lights to Fitness Fights
How do you balance the joy of a New York City getaway with the discipline of fitness? Join us as we recount our recent escapades in the Big Apple, beginning with Jeremy Jordan's breathtaking performance in "The Great Gatsby" on Broadway. Spontaneity led us to the Michael Jackson musical, where the electrifying dancing and uncanny portrayal of the King of Pop left us absolutely spellbound. We dive into how these experiences moved us emotionally and the profound effect music has on our lives.
Ever felt frustrated by dismissive fitness advice online? We tackle an infuriating remark from Josh Peck's podcast that questions the pursuit of six-pack abs. Unpacking the importance of physical fitness and muscle mass, we push back against attitudes that undermine the discipline and dedication required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Listen in as we give a well-deserved shoutout to fitness influencer Kelly Matthews for her practical wisdom on staying fit without overcomplicating things.
Is fitness a selfish or selfless act? We explore this nuanced debate, sharing personal anecdotes that highlight both sides. From enhancing mental well-being and social interactions to the risks of becoming overly focused on physical appearance, we discuss the fine balance required to maintain a healthy and fulfilling life. Discover how past behaviors can predict future choices and the essential power of recognizing one's self-worth. This episode promises a heartfelt journey through the highs and lows of fitness, relationships, and self-improvement.
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What's up, fam? It's another episode of the Fit Perception Podcast. I'm your boy T. I was MIA last week just because of stuffs. You know, just stuff got in the way. It's all good. We're here now, all good.
Speaker 1:I went to New York and it was fan-freaking-tastic. Had a cute little getaway with the wifey. Went and saw the Great Gatsby, went and saw the Michael Jackson musical and have you ever been just like in a situation where it's hard to wrap your brain around the magnitude of what's happening? That was me in the Great Gatsby. So I'm a huge fan of a man named Jeremy Jordan. He's an idol of mine. For a vocal idol of mine, I say he's top five greatest voices of our generation, maybe even top three. So I'm a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge, huge fan of Jeremy Jordan and going to see the great Gatsby.
Speaker 1:The reason we chose that one well, I chose that one is mostly because he's the lead and it's such an unbelievable thing to hear somebody that you really respect and admire, to see them live and to still have the same amazement. Because sometimes you know you hear a voice on a record or you're like, oh, my gosh, that sounds so good. And then you see them live and you're like, oh, that's a disappointment, this was not like that, he was flawless. And watching the show, it's very sad. So if you don't know the story of Great Gatsby, go look it up. Um, it's very sad. So, if you don't know the story of great Gatsby, go look it up. It's very, very sad. Um, he, he sings effortlessly, like he, when he, when he, when he sings, his mouth doesn't really move. It's like he sings with like a almost like a ventriloquism, uh, style, where his mouth really doesn't move until he's ready to belt, and then it's like wow, and it's yeah, anyway. So amazing, amazing, amazing performance by Jeremy Jordan.
Speaker 1:Also, from top to bottom, the show was just unbelievably talented Like there wasn't. I've been to shows, even on Broadway, where I was like, oh, so-and-so was lacking here or whatever, for whatever reason, and that's just me being judgmental, but this was just like, across the board, not one weak point, not one single weak point could sing, from the, from the most quote-unquote, insignificant role on the stage to the primary roles, the, the lead roles everyone was incredible. And that's why the show was so effing good was because from top to bottom, it was just just, it was like it was flawless. It was so, so, so, so good. Acting was on point, but the amount of talent in the vocal performance was just unmatched. So that was really, really cool.
Speaker 1:And then, and then we went and saw the Michael Jackson. That was kind of just like out of nowhere. So we were sitting around at lunch on Saturday eating the freaking greatest Italian food ever, because you know New York. And we're like, what should we do tonight? Should we just go walk around? Should we go shop? What should we do? And we're like you know what? Let's just let's go see another show, let's just do it. We're here, might as well. And so we looked up tickets, found some really good tickets to the Michael Jackson musical, and I didn't know what to expect. I texted my buddy. I was like, hey, you know, I'm thinking about going to this show. What do you think he's like? If you just want high entertainment, if you just want to be entertained, it's an amazing, incredible show with like amazing dancing. I was like, oh, I'm in cool. So went and got tickets to the Michael Jackson musical and we're sitting down. And so here's. Here's the thing, fam.
Speaker 1:I've I've said this before that I think genuinely that music affects me on a deeper level than it affects a lot of people, most people um, to the point where I I feel music more than I hear music. I think, um, like, I hear it, obviously, but I feel I feel it differently than I think most people do, and I say that because it makes me very, very emotional. I don't really get emotional about very many things, but music is one of those things that I get very emotional with, and it's not just one style of music. I've gotten emotional, obviously, with musical performances, like stage performances. I've gotten emotional with rock music. I've gotten emotional with rap music. I've gotten emotional with EDM, evenly, like, I've had moments where I've gotten emotional, feeling EDM music. So I, I I think there is like a, a name to this condition, quote unquote, if I have one Um, but like I, I just feel music deeper than I think most people do and um, so we go to this.
Speaker 1:Michael Jackson was amazing. Like he didn't look identical to Michael Jackson. They put a lot of makeup on him to try to make him look like it and they did a good job. He looked similar, but his movements, his mannerisms, the way that he spoke, the fluctuation in his voice, the little ticks that he did with his fingers, the little vocal pops, like when he would sing, and just like it was so good, so good. And we were sitting next to this couple. That was like I don't know they were. I mean, they had to have been late fifties, early sixties, um, so not super, super young, but they were like living their best life they were. They were so into this show, um, which made it so much fun to be sitting next to them.
Speaker 1:Um, but to watch this cast perform the like obviously the music of Michael Jackson is legendary Like it's some of the greatest music ever written but then to watch them perform with the same energy that Michael Jackson did was so inspiring. Like and I would not say I'm a massive Michael Jackson fan, I just haven't ever been. I enjoy his music and I enjoy his dancing and, like, I respect his art, but I wouldn't say I'm a fan of Michael Jackson was just magical. You could just see the passion and the energy that was just overwhelming the performers, like giving 100%. It got to the point where they got a standing ovation before the bows. That's how much energy they were putting into the show and the crowd was obviously responding to it. They got a standing ovation before the bows y'all. Like that never happens. It was insane. It was so amazing, um, so yeah, anyway, uh all in all, great trip, fantastic trip.
Speaker 1:I love. I don't love new york, um, but I love going for short periods of time to enjoy the food and to enjoy the obviously, the Broadway aspect of it, but yeah, so that's why I didn't, that's why I was a little MIA with the podcast last week, but I do have. I've been dying to get on and talk about stuff, about stuff you know like I'm prone to do. And let's start with something that pissed me off. So I'm sitting there on social media the other day this had been a couple of weeks ago by this point I'm sitting there and I come across because most of my algorithm is fitness-related content. It's just fitness, on fitness, on fitness, on fitness, on fitness stuff, whether it's good or bad, or this, that and the other. It's mostly fitness stuff.
Speaker 1:And so I don't know how many people remember the Disney show Drake and Josh, but the main characters I don't. I mean it is Drake and Josh, but I don't remember their last name. I think it's Drake, bell and Josh. I don't remember. Anyway, josh was a big boy on the show. I mean like thick, like he was fat, he was out of shape, shape, um, and and, uh, he got a lot of of um, not not heat in the way of like. People were like oh, you're fat, you need to lose weight. They're like oh, you need to keep weight on or you won't get any roles. Uh, you won't get any. Um, you won't be cast after this if you lose weight. And so I think that really messed him up, um, and he did lose a lot of weight. He lost a lot of weight afterwards, you know, um, coming out of teen acting Uh, he lost a lot of weight, talked about it, said it was very hard, um, but here's, here's what I'm getting to.
Speaker 1:He had a. He has a podcast, obviously. Um, but here's what I'm getting to. He has a podcast, obviously. But he had this lady on who and the clip I saw. Granted, I did not watch the whole episode, so I don't know what else was said. Maybe this person just took this clip and made it viral in a negative way, I don't know, but the clip was this lady who, let's just say, it doesn't look like she's been to the gym in a really long time and that she might get maybe most of her food from a processed source. You get the picture.
Speaker 1:Uh, and she she said you know, um, I don't know why anyone has abs. I don't know why guys and she was very specific Guys have six packs. Unless you're making money from it, why the F do you have a six pack? It's so stupid. And like she just went off like very like aggressive about the opinion and like that's fine, you can have that opinion, but like, why are you so aggressive and negative about it? And in in the background, josh and his co-host like yes, preach, girl, get it A hundred percent, agree. Like what? And I was just like dude, what are you talking about? What are you talking about To have the audacity to say something so absurd of like, why, basically, let me break this down, this is what she's saying why are you working so hard to have a good, healthy body? Like, unless you're making money from being healthy? You're a stupid person, like, that's basically the, the gist of what she's saying.
Speaker 1:By saying something so ignorant, where, where you say, when you would come down on somebody for and and and you're like whoa team, maybe you're taking this personal. Yes, I am taking this personally um, where you would come down on someone for the having a six packs or or anyone that has a six-pack like a legitimate one, the first thing that you should think is, wow, that person has put in a lot of effort into how they look, whether they're a selfish piece of garbage or not, they've still put in a lot of hard work. Because, let me tell you, it is very hard to get abs and to have a six pack. It is. It requires a lot of discipline and a lot of hard work. Okay, and when you, when you come down on people for doing that, all you're saying is I don't like that. You put a lot of effort into yourself. It makes me uncomfortable. That's all that you're saying.
Speaker 1:With that, with that, uh, in ignorant um discussion and the fact that the gentlemen were like backing her up, and the fact that the gentlemen were like backing her up, I was like, oh, oh, this is a problem. This is a big problem. You're encouraging poor, lazy self-image, that's it. You're encouraging people to be lazy about who they are and about how they treat themselves, because nobody with a six pack, a legitimate six pack, you know you can go get implants or whatever. It's weird and gross, looks strange, but anyone with a legitimate six pack has put in a lot of effort, a lot of hours, a lot of work and a lot of discipline to get there and you're saying, oh, you're stupid if you're not making money from that. Oh, you're a whore, that's all you are. All you do is stuff for money. The only reason you should do good things for yourself is for money. You're insane. You're a stupid person.
Speaker 1:Like I was so upset, I was so angry, like I couldn't. Usually I see stuff on social media and it doesn't really make me that upset for very long, but like it's been two weeks, fam, and it still pisses me off, it still gets under my skin, just like because the mindset is so backwards. It's so backwards and I saw a lot of fitness influencers like taking that clip and going whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Lot of fitness influencers like taking that clip and going whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Speaker 1:Like you are, you are demeaning people that are just working hard on themselves. That's all you're doing. And you're you're kind of a bad person for doing that and like if it was because she was out of shape, fit, shaming people who were in shape. If it was the other way around, people would light that person on fire and burn them at the stake. If it was the other way around, a fit person fat shaming someone, that is enough to get you career ended. If you fat shame someone, but you can fit shame all you want, which is insane. It's so crazy and you're a piece of garbage if you do it Because you're just insecure. That's the only way that you're coming across with those statements is that you are insecure and being around people who are not makes you feel bad about yourself, so you're going to trash them and try to make them come down to your worthless level. And yes, that's a hot take, yes, it's aggressive, but so is she, um, anyway. So like it. Just it made me so mad that society is down for that, that that it's okay to shame people who do genuine good things for themselves and work really hard for the sake of just doing good things, not for money and and and that's a bad thing and shameful. Now, and I was just like that is so sad.
Speaker 1:I want to have a six pack forever, just because not because I aesthetically care at all, like I don't care if I have abs, the only reason that I would care that I have abs is because, to me, it shows where my discipline is at. Because if I have abs, it shows that I'm working out hard, that I'm eating clean and that I'm doing enough cardio. That's what that means, and if you have those three boxes checked, chances are you're very, very healthy and you're going to have a very long and beautiful life. Obviously, there's things out of your control that happen to you, but if you're doing those three things, chances are really good that you're going to be healthy and enjoy a long, strong life. That's the only reason why you should care about your abs.
Speaker 1:Obviously, I'm in a profession where my body is kind of my resume in a sense, so I have to have I don't have to, but I have them for more than just those three reasons of of being healthy and strong. Like it is my resume, it's something that's important to me, um, and it won't always be my resume, and that's fine. I'm, I'm, I'm okay with that, um, but at the end of the day, that's what those abs mean is that you've put in enough effort that it shows, uh, and it doesn't need to show. You don't have to have abs to be healthy. That's not what I'm saying at all. Don't get it twisted, don't get upset. It's, it's a, an outward appearance of an inward discipline is what it is, um, or an outward show of an inward discipline? Um, and, and along those same lines, like I was thinking about, like, oh, I do want to genuinely be healthy for as long as I can, and so I started reading up on what constitutes a long, good, healthy life. Like. What do I need to live a long, healthy, strong life?
Speaker 1:And there's two things that most professionals, myself included, consider like the golden standard of longevity and health, and that is the, your, your VO2 max, and your, the amount of muscle mass and strength that your body possesses. Um, so, and and I'll break it down why those are and what they are and how you can have them, um, but like, so, so your VO two max is the, basically a measurement of the maximum oxygen that your body delivers and uses for cardiovascular exercise. So the amount of oxygen that your body can give you while you do cardiovascular exercise, like running, biking, swimming, moving, okay, so, like, cardiovascular exercise is very, very, very important to just move your body, have the capacity to move your body for an extended period of time. So your VO2 maximum is that that maximum. To say it was like, hopefully it was excellent, because I'll be upset if it wasn't Um, yeah, my VO two max is 51, which is in an excellent zone, um, and so, like, anything above 50 is excellent.
Speaker 1:And, uh, the only way to improve the VO two max is to do high, intensive exercise, like super high intensity, like getting your heart rate as high as you can and keeping it there for as long as possible before, before you pass out. No, um, well, before that, but what, what? How high can we take your heart rate? And and how long before you start burning out, how long can you carry that through? Um.
Speaker 1:And so the way that they usually test that is you get up on a treadmill and you have an oxygen um mask on you, run and they keep increasing the speed, increasing the speed, increasing the speed, um, and they watch your heart rate. They're monitoring everything. Like you have a bunch of stuff on you, um, and they watch your heart rate. They're monitoring everything. You have a bunch of stuff on you and they get you up into a heart rate and then, before you finally jump off of the treadmill, you can't move anymore. And then when you jump off, they track that oh, you were at this for X amount of time, you were at this heart rate for this amount of time, and that's how they estimate your VO2 max.
Speaker 1:And that's not the only way, but that's like the most common way, and so that is probably the number one way to gauge the longevity of your life is if you have a high VO2 max, because your body, regardless of what you do exercise-wise or what you do for a living, your VO2 max is the amount of oxygen that your body delivers and utilizes, and every single human on the earth. It has to do that to be healthy, regardless of whether you like it or not. Biologically, you have to if you want to be alive, because you know, without oxygen you're dead. So that's the number one.
Speaker 1:Number two is your muscle mass and your muscle strength. Why? Well, because the more muscle mass that you have on your body and I'm talking lean muscle, I'm not talking massive, huge bodybuilder, roided out dudes and women, I'm talking about lean muscle mass and the more lean muscle mass you have, the more or the higher your metabolism is, the faster that you will burn food In layman's terms. The most simple way I can put that is your metabolism, is how fast you break down food and use it for energy. And the more muscle mass that you have, the higher your metabolism is. The higher rate that you have, the higher your metabolism is, the higher, uh, the higher rate that you're going to burn, the faster rate that you're going to burn the calories that you consume. Um, and so I have a very high metabolism. It's I. I can eat kind of whatever I want and I don't, but I, I could, um, and my body will burn that very, very, very quickly because I have a lot of lean muscle mass. I don't have a lot of body fat. It's a genetic gift that I was blessed with. It's also hard for me to put on weight, which is frustrating for me, because I want to have a little bit more muscle mass, and it's very, very difficult for me to do that because my metabolism is so high. Um, but that is number two, um, I guess.
Speaker 1:Uh focuses for longevity. If you want to live a long, good, healthy, useful life, if you want your body to carry you through a long life, you need to have muscle mass. And it makes me sad when society puts down women who have muscle mass, because what you're doing is essentially, when you say, no, you shouldn't have muscle, you should be a twig, you should be thin or on, even on the flip side, what we're talking about before, if you're super out of shape and overweight, if you celebrate those things and you push those things, all you're doing is saying I want you to die sooner, that's it, that's all that you are saying. And you say, no, no, I'm not. No, you are, though, biologically, you are hoping, or not maybe hoping, but you are pushing those people towards an early death and a much more uncomfortable existence because they don't have the right tools to live a long life healthfully. So to to put it down and to poo poo it and to shame it for having muscle mass. You're a bad person because you're wanting people to not live a long healthy life because there's those are your two markers how much muscle mass you have and the amount of oxygen that your body can deliver and use. Um and so and so that's.
Speaker 1:I guess that's why I get so upset is because I want people genuinely to live the absolute best life that they can. Because you don't get it back. You have one chance, man One. You get one body period. That's it, this is it. This is as good as you're going to get, man, unless you believe in the afterlife. With a resurrected body, you know you get a new body. That's perfect. On the other side, if you believe in that, wonderful I do. But even if you don't, why are you wasting this body form? I want mine to run as long as it can and not just run. I want it to run well, dude. That's why people like I've been I've been having a lot of conversations with people recently regarding like oh my gosh, thomas, you're so obsessed with fitness.
Speaker 1:Or I can't believe how hard you go, you're crazy, I could never. And in my brain, maybe I'm messed up, but I don't even see it as that. Like I don't see it as a oh my gosh, it's so intense. Or oh my gosh, it's, it's. I could never do that You're, you're so disciplined. And in my brain I'm like that's not really it. Like I, I go hard as I can, always because I realize that this doesn't last forever. Like this is my best chance to live to a hundred years old and and not just live to a hundred but be able to walk and to run and to lift things and to have a strong body. It happens right now To set yourself up for that, and I think that most people don't spend enough time thinking about that. Or maybe they do and they don't care, I don't know, but either way, I just don't. I don't see that version of what I do and why I do it. I just the longevity is huge to me. I want to be able to, to live for a really long time and and here's the thing also, where, when it comes to building that muscle mass and it comes to increasing your longevity, it's not complicated. It's really not complicated.
Speaker 1:There was a fitness influencer that I really admire. Her name is Kelly Matthews. She's a strong girl. Talk about muscle mass. That girl has got muscle. Um, so mad respect shout out to Kelly Matthews, beast of a beast. Um.
Speaker 1:She was talking about how people try to try to over perfect things, where, and, and the and the phrase that she used I've heard it before, but she said it, so I'll credit her with it Um, cause it was. She was the last person I heard say it. Uh, but she said stop, stop majoring in the minors, um, and what that means is stop worrying about having the perfect form on something, or having the perfect way of working out, or having the most effective technical workout programs to utilize the most perfect shoes for each exercise and the most perfect If you don't even know how to go to the gym three times in a week. If you can't, if you can't, just go to the gym. Don't worry about what shoes you're wearing. Don't worry about the the perfect form on a on a wearing. Don't worry about the perfect form on a machine. Don't worry about what's the perfect rep range, what's the perfect form for doing this. Don't worry about that. Just go to the gym first. Start there.
Speaker 1:The only reason I worry about or I can't even say worry because I don't worry the only reason I focus on really technical moves occasionally because I don't do it that often, but the only reason I do is because I've been doing this for so effing long I don't have to think about going to the gym. That's just a part of my daily schedule. That's just what I do. It's as natural to me as drinking water. That's how much I go to the gym and I'm not saying that to puff myself up, but that's the reason why I have multiple different pairs of shoes in my car, based off of the workout that I'm going to do. That's why I have equipment to use for certain exercises. That's why I have chalk. That's why I have all of these different technical things that I utilize is because I've mastered the basics. I've mastered the simple things. I don't have to think about them anymore. They're second nature to me.
Speaker 1:Don't need to worry about the perfect program and making sure that your foot is in the right angle of a certain move to get the most maximum effort out of your hip flexor. On a bulgarian. It's like dude, what are you talking about? Just go do some movement, and I think that people use that as an excuse too much to not do something. We're like oh well, but but I, I, just I, what? What should I do for my I? I just want to to make the the most I need to do. The most specific Is this how I will get the under part of my hamstring that connects to my dude. I'm like dude, you don't even know where that is on your body, much less the technical moves to build it Like.
Speaker 1:Stop worrying about the, the intricate, most technical little details of everything and just go move your body. Start there. Hey, can you do 10 pushups, okay, you can't. Then try to do that first. Oh, you can't run a mile. Start there. Stop over complicating everything. And here's the here's the other problem. Here's the other problem. Here's the other problem. And you know that I have issues with social media and I want to really, really badly get off of it.
Speaker 1:If it wasn't for my job, could I do it? Yes, yes, I could. And survive, yeah, it would be fine. I would still have a job, but I utilize it as a work thing. So I still have to stay on social media, right?
Speaker 1:So the the issue that I see with people not doing anything at the gym or not exercising is because they get on social media and they see these people that say dumb things like this is the best exercise you've never tried, and bull crap like that. Like it's such utter BS, it's such a money grab, it is such a, a, an attention, um, like it's so dumb, it's so dumb, um. I can't even think of the word that I'm talking about, or that I'm thinking about clickbait. That's what it is. It's just clickbait, where these guys are like, if you would put your foot in this position when you were doing a glute kickback, oh, that's why you're not getting gains and it's like, oh, just stop, just you're. You're such a useless person Like you're, so just lame, like, oh, is I like, is there value in what you're saying? Yeah, dude, everybody that knows anything about fitness knows that different angles work different parts of the, the muscle group. But for the majority of people who are just trying to get exercise in, that's all they need. They're not trying to be a Greek God, they're not trying to run a sub three hour marathon, like they're not. That's not it. They're just trying to move their body because they know they need to.
Speaker 1:And your, your dumb advice, your pointless, useless advice of what angle to put your foot in for a lunge to maximize your quad growth, is so idiotic and it's so detrimental. We live in such an age of endless, endless advice from people that you don't know, and I think that it is so detrimental to our development. Like back in the day, like if you, if you go back in the day pre social media, pre, basically, internet, you had to talk to people that had experience in the field that you were interested in to learn stuff. You had to go slow and steady. You had to go slow and steady to learn and to figure things out, and I'm all for the age of information, I'm all for learning as much as you can and expanding your knowledge and your understanding Totally all for that.
Speaker 1:But hard emphasis on the but. We are getting advice from thousands, if I dare not say millions, of sources every day. That is useless, pointless to your development and growth. If you really want to Develop and learn and grow in a certain area Still to this day, to this day I 100% believe this the best way to learn and grow Is to go talk and interact with people physically, in person not on a digital landscape in person and discuss the things that you want to know about from someone who has had experience in that area To this day. I truly believe that is the best way to learn and grow, because I have not seen otherwise, genuinely have not seen otherwise.
Speaker 1:Is it helpful to have people on social media? Yes, it is, because some people add genuine value and give good advice from a place of authenticity. But the majority of people are out there for clickbait and will say whatever it takes to get you to look at what they're saying, and I think that it is so detrimental, I think that it's sad, I think that it's lame, and I think that people need to be very, very careful and discerning when they look at advice, because I've seen it firsthand and myself included actually, in that where I get overwhelmed with the advice that I find and I end up not doing any of it. So that, that being said, man I I had a lot more that I was going to talk about, but that is kind of where we should end the ranting and raving of your boy T. I hope that it was helpful, though I hope that you understand that I just want people to live the best life that they can, and it does not help when you shame people who put in effort and are disciplined in genuinely just bettering themselves. If you support the lazy agenda, you are not a good, useful person. Um so, anyway, not to be negative or down come down on people, but if you want to live a good, healthy life and I'm talking physically, which also bleeds into the mental aspect of that If you're healthy physically, it is shown through studies that you will genuinely be better mentally when you're better physically. Um so, if you want to be better physically, get your VO2 max up, get your freaking muscle mass on your body. If you don't know how to do that, reach out to somebody in person, in person, to figure out how to do it. Um, but let's, let's, uh, let's, move you into one of the best parts of the show.
Speaker 1:This is the Devil's Advocate. Your Devil's Advocate goes along the same lines of what we've been talking about, and if you don't know what the Devil's Advocate is, if you're just tuning in for the first time, this is what the whole podcast was based off of. This is where I take a concept, an idea, a theory, an event, uh, something, and I debate two sides of it, um, with the goal that you don't know what my actual opinion is. Um, because that would show that I did what I was supposed to and provided actual open-mindedness to two sides of an argument. Anyway, so this devil's advocate is based around fitness.
Speaker 1:Is fitness being physically fit? Is it essentially a selfish act or a selfless act? And, along with that, where does it turn? If it is a selfless act, great, when does it turn into a selfish act? And if it's a selfish act, how do you get it to be a selfless act? And I'm going to go with the easy route. First, I think fitness is selfless. I think that making yourself physically fit and being in the best shape that you possibly can be in is one of the most selfless things that you can do. Is one of the most selfless things that you can do, um, because for, and and I will try to narrow this down, because there is a million reasons why that's true, um, but the the biggest one is if you put time into bettering yourself and and making yourself healthy and strong, you will be able to provide that energy to the people around you. You will be able to provide that to your. If you have a family, a significant other, you will be able to give yourself, or give them, the best version of yourself. Um, you will be able to be around them more. You will be able to do more things with them, like, for example obviously I'm a dad, so I'm constantly thinking about my son, and he's a very energetic boy, loves physical activity, loves to wrestle, loves to run, loves to play, loves to jump.
Speaker 1:He's constantly moving, and if I am not keeping myself in the best shape possible for as long as possible, I will not be able to keep up with my son, which would absolutely shatter my heart. So one of the most selfless things that I can do is put time into doing the things that make it possible for me to live a long life, aka working out, eating healthy, sleeping. You know the things that kind of take time away from that person, right? So you'd say, oh, that's selfish. No, in the long run, it is a selfless act. I am putting time away from you. I would rather get this. I would much rather spend time with my son than work out. I would, I would genuinely love to spend more time with my son rather than running and working out and training. I would love it. I would love it if I could be healthy and and strong and have the high VO2 me is by spending time away from him, working out, running, and as he grows older, that won't be the case. He'll be able to come with me, right, we'll be able to do it together, but right now I have to do it by myself. I have to do it without him. I have to do it without him, and so it's a selfless act. I'm putting time into making sure that I'm healthy for my family, right?
Speaker 1:Another reason why it's a selfless act is because is because and this you'll find this out the more that you exercise and you actually put in the the work and the discipline is. It's a very humbling experience. You become a much more humble person, um, if you do it right. Obviously there's people that do it for vanity, and that's fine, that's, that's what they's what they do, but it's a very humbling experience. So when you, when you are around people that do it, you have respect and you become a much more respectful person. You respect work, you respect self-confidence, you respect self-discipline from people around you, self-confidence, you respect self-discipline from people around you. And so, in a way, you become more aware and respectful of people around you, which I think is a selfless act.
Speaker 1:When you're able to interact with people in a respectful, positive, supportive, encouraging manner, I think that's a very selfish or selfish selfless way to live your life. And and when you put in the effort to being the best physical specimen that you can, it helps you. I've said this before and I will say it until I die it makes your brain more positive, it makes you happier, it's a dopamine hit, it's a, it's a euphoria of sorts, and when you're in that mode, you are better to people, you are, you are more conscientious of people, you are more patient with people, um, and and you're able to give more of yourself when you've put time into yourself before that Like if you put time into exercising, you put time into doing really hard things it's exhausting and it makes your mind kind of like less agitated. It it it sifts through anger and aggression and and really intense feelings and it kind of calms you down so that you're in a much better mental state and and you're you're able to to exude that to the people around you. Um, so another way that it's selfless it it it calms people down in a way that they can, they can be more positive and and gentle with people around them.
Speaker 1:Um, not all the time it's I'm not this is not a blanket statement for everybody, because there are people that take it way too far Um, and I think that that is where it becomes a selfish thing, when being physically fit is the biggest focus of your day and your life. Where you are not willing to for instance, for example, for instance, for example, no, I can't go out to dinner with you because they don't have macro friendly options oh, you're selfish, piece of garbage. So that that is where I think that that fitness is one of the most selfish things that you can focus on, where it has the potential to be the most selfish thing of all time. You are constantly focused on your body, which really the outward appearance of your body does not matter, and that is what people focus on the most when they go to the gym is the outward appearance of the body. They're not usually focused too much on the inner parts of their body, where the most important part of being fit is your cardiovascular health and your strength. Those two things don't necessarily require you to be super shredded, super bodied up Greek God, sexy bod. Those two things don't require that.
Speaker 1:In fact, the strongest people I know are probably not what you think they look like. They've got a belly, they're kind of round, but they are strong people Deadlifting 700, 800, 900 pounds. You know strong people and people that can run and run and run. Those are healthy people, very healthy people. They lift heavy weights and they run a lot. They're healthy. They might not be the sexiest people of all time but they're healthy.
Speaker 1:But that is a minority of people in fitness, people that focus on fitness and make fitness their identity. They're very selfish, some of the absolute most selfish people that I know, because they are overly critical about themselves. They look in the mirror and they can look great, and you know how I know this Because I used to be one of them, having shredded six pack, being at 4% body fat and going. It's not enough. It's not enough. I need to change my shoulder here. I need to slim down the, the lower back muscles, I need to focus on the quad, um, the depth of my quads, the girth of my quads, and only seeing imperfections Because that's what happens when you make fitness the focus and that's why I think fitness is ultimately the most selfish thing you can do is because you become hypersensitive to the littlest, tiniest, most insignificant details about yourself, where you start over judging yourself oh, I don't have the right abs symmetry, I don't have my shoulders are imbalanced, my legs are about whatever it is. We all know those people. I'm used to be one of them.
Speaker 1:Still kind of them to an extent, not as bad as I used to be but you become hypercritical and what starts to happen is you start to be hypercritical with everyone else, you start to be overly critical over the smallest details and you back it up with I'm just trying to be the best that I can be. Well, we both know that that's bullshit, because being the best version of yourself requires no sort of negativity, requires critique, requires self-reflection and communication, but it does not require negative mindset, negative talk, negative image. It doesn't. That is a selfish way of living life, a very selfish way of being, and fitness is the easiest way to be selfish because you get to use it as an excuse to not be selfish. Right, you can always say, oh, it's just a selfless act, I'm doing it for the family, but then you're a piece of garbage to your family and you won't go to dinner with them.
Speaker 1:A piece of garbage to your family and you won't go to dinner with them. It's hard for you to travel with them because it's interrupting your workout time and you're not able to get to the gym and you become very grumpy and very upset if you don't get to go to the gym and you're you. You get in depressive states and angry states if you can't go to the gym and work on your abs and and your curls and stuff like that is a very selfish way, the most selfish way, when you're putting down genuine good times with people that you love and respect because you're worried about how many calories in the milk. Get the fuck out of here, dude, that you're a about. How many calories in the milk? Get the fuck out of here, dude. You're a selfish piece of garbage.
Speaker 1:And so I think that that is where fitness and being physically fit is one of the most selfish things to be involved in, because you become hypercritical, you become a shell of who you could be, because you refuse to go and do things that don't fit into working out and eating clean and being the best, sexiest body in the world. When you start putting down time with others and experiences because they don't align with your calorie intake, you're selfish, the most selfish. So, that being said, what do you think and genuinely, do you see both sides? What do you see? How do you view fitness? Is it selfless or is it selfless or is it selfish? Um, let me know. Let me know what you think, I think. I think probably everyone knows what I think, just based off of what my career is, um, but uh, let me know what, what, um, your, what your opinion is and and what you genuinely believe about fitness, and where to draw the line and what that line is. Is it selfless or is it selfish? Let me know.
Speaker 1:And if you have any other ideas for the devil's advocate, let me know. I would love to debate other ideas other than the ones that ramble around in my brain. So yeah, remember you can text the show, just click the, the, the link at the top of the episodes. Wherever you listen on apple or spotify or whatever, um, there's a message, the show button. Click it, use it, I'll get those. We can run through some ideas on the devil's advocate, ideas to talk about on the show, things to discuss and you know, the final takeaways and, speaking of this is your final takeaway.
Speaker 1:Your final takeaway today is something that I've been kind of pondering on, based off of like experiences that I've had that I don't really need to share on the show. They won't really add anything, um, but I've been thinking about, um, a concept of the choices we make. Okay, just like, basically, the choices we make. Okay, just like, basically, the choices we make make us who we are. Um, and I was thinking about this concept that you can pretty much predict your future based upon your past. Um, and I know that sounds so Hollywood and it sounds so sci-fi, and even AI. You know, oh, my gosh, you're predicting the future based off of past decisions, but it's very, very true. Um, I don't know how many people know this about me. Um, I don't know how many people know this about me, but I used to drink a lot, and I'm not saying I was an alcoholic, you know, I don't drink at all.
Speaker 1:Now I don't drink even once. I just don't do it. I'm very adamantly opposed to it. I think it's one of the deadliest things you can do to yourself, very dangerous. I think it's very detrimental mentally, physically, emotionally, all those things. I just I'm very, very against drinking now, but back in the day that was not the case. I drank quite a bit and I enjoyed it. I really, really liked it. Um, and I enjoyed it. I really really liked it.
Speaker 1:Uh, and and to say that I, I miss it occasionally, I would be lying if I said that, um, or or if I, if I did not say that I, I do miss it sometimes, um, but not to the point where I'd ever do it again. And I, I say all this because I can predict future choices based off of past choices that I've made. I can predict where it would go if I made the choice to drink again, because I know what happened when I did drink. I never made good choices. You know, did I have good times? Yes, I had great times and they were fun, they were awesome, but they weren't beneficial. They didn't make me a better person, and so I know what the future would hold because of what it did back then and and and taking that in a very real sense and that's just a personal example, I'm not trying to say that everybody thinks like that or does that, but you can predict pretty good.
Speaker 1:Pretty well, cause I've been trying this for a little bit now and it's good pretty well, because I've been trying this for a little bit now and it's pretty good you can predict where things will go, based off of similar choices you've made in the past, based off of and this is more of a lighthearted one I know when I have an argument with my wife, or not even an argument if I have a discussion with my wife, if I say a certain thing, I know exactly what is going to happen. I know exactly where the conversation is going to go. I know the things that will be brought up, because it's happened before, and so I guess the final takeaway that I'm trying to get across is to look at your past choices with no bias, with just emotionless logic, and say, okay, that was the choice there. I have a similar choice here. Do I want that outcome, yes or no? And it makes living your life so much more simple. So much more simple, fam, like like I've been able to be way more steady emotionally lately because of that, because I've I've been thinking about a lot of choices that I've made in the past, not in a beating myself up kind of way of thinking about past choices, but just in a way of cold logic and reality, of looking at the choices very factually, not emotionally, and saying, okay, I made that choice, that was the outcome.
Speaker 1:I have another choice coming up and it's very similar, probably going to have the same outcome. If I do that Now, I don't know necessarily what the other outcome will be, because I didn't make that choice last time. If I want a little adventure, maybe I'll make the other choice, but I I think, if you, if you're the type of person that has these super high highs and these really deep lows and you're going amazing and super euphoric and then crazy depressed, it would behoove you to think more about your past without beating yourself up. I have to be very clear, without without railing on yourself for for what you did back then, but just looking back at choices and saying, oh, that was the consequence. I don't want that consequence again.
Speaker 1:You know, I have um experiences in my life where you know I'm not proud of at all. That almost ruined my marriage and I never want that to happen again. So anytime I see the things coming up again because they're natural things that happen frequently and every time they come up I look back at my past and go, oh, that was the choice and that was the outcome. I'm going to not make that choice. So I want you to think about that as you go through the next few days. I'm going to predict my future by looking at my past, um, and and I promise that you'll, if you do it with a a sense of logic and love, that you will have a much more steady, emotional day, rather than having really high highs and really low lows. You'll be able to kind of control that a little bit more. So that is your final takeaway. I hope it's helpful. I hope you try it. I genuinely do hope you try it, because I've been trying it and it's been very helpful to me. But that is your final takeaway.
Speaker 1:I hope that you know that you are loved and appreciated and that there is only one of you. I know it's cliche, but it is so true and your life has so much value because of that. So I hope that you find that value, I hope that you use that value, I hope that you spread that value because I can't stress it enough you are a powerful person because you exist. Can't stress it enough. You are a powerful person because you exist, um, and I hope that you feel loved and I hope that you have an amazing day and an amazing week. Uh, this is the fit perception podcast. I'm your boy, t, and I'm out. Bye, you.