My Way: Fitness Isn’t Always Fair

When I was a kid I was always telling my Dad things weren’t fair. I wanted something and I couldn’t have it, it’s not fair. Each and every time I said this, my Dad would have the same response: “Life’s not fair.” I never particularly liked that response, but I guess it always shut me up. You know what? He was right, life isn’t always fair. You know what else isn’t always fair? I hate to tell you this, but fitness isn’t always fair.

So often people get discouraged because they think things are unfair. People will think things like “This person can eat whatever he wants without gaining weight, but if I have one cheat meal I gain three pounds.” Maybe they’ll think “I’ve been lifting for years and can’t get big, but this other guy shows up for a month and start packing on muscle.” How about “I eat clean all the time and work my abs like crazy and have no visible abs, but this other guy hardly does anything and has a six pack.” These situations absolutely happen, but what exactly are you going to do about it?

You can either complain about it and let it overwhelm you and most likely stop you from being the person you want to be,or you can accept and embrace the way you are so you make positive changes. Fighting it is only going to make your job more difficult because you will be setting yourself up for unrealistic expectations. Reality is reality no matter how much you complain about it, so it’s better to deal with it head on. Your situation is going to be your situation no matter what, so learn how your body works and discover how to get results in a way that works for you, not others.

One way you can help with this is to start looking at some of the bright spots. Chances are if you lack in one area, then you excel in another. I truly believe every body has it’s advantages and disadvantages. If you can learn what those advantages are you can make your journey a lot easier and more importantly, enjoyable.

If you are the type who is naturally bigger and struggles with fat loss, chances are you can probably put on muscle pretty easily. Use that to your advantage and try to pack on muscle to help you burn more calories. If you are naturally smaller and struggle to put on muscle, you can probably eat a lot and stay relatively lean. You can work on getting bigger without needing to worry about putting on much fat. Some people have naturally bigger legs, no matter how lean they get. Everyone carries their weight differently. Use those big legs for strength and power. Own them!

Oftentimes fitness is just as much mental as it is physical, and until you can get your mind on board it’s really going to be a struggle. I’m sorry to tell you, but there are always going to be people who have it easier than you. Worrying about other people’s scenarios is only going to hold you back and make your own process more difficult. Just as I talked about in my article Fall in Love with the Process, making the process enjoyable is very important to your success in changing your body. Genetics plays a big role in it all, but you have to play the cards you are dealt. If you can change your mind and change your attitude, changing your body will surely follow.

Happy Lifting!