| The quest to develop a stunningly fit, lean | | | | compounding interest in the bank. One day, |
| and attractive body is a long, slow journey. | | | | you look in the mirror and "suddenly," your |
| It's not something you achieve overnight by | | | | blueprint has become reality. |
| popping a few pills or strapping an electric | | | | |
| gizmo to your belly. | | | | The body of a fitness model, figure |
| | | | competitor or bodybuilder is no more likely |
| Which reminds me, did you know that by the | | | | to be built overnight than a high rise is to |
| time the FTC finally blew the whistle on the | | | | be built overnight. It's not physically |
| electronic ab belt scam, the makers of those | | | | possible. Accepting the idea that any type of |
| "ab zappers" had swindled over $100 million | | | | pill, powder, drug, supplement or machine of |
| dollars from unsuspecting consumers? | | | | any kind will make it happen sooner than |
| Fortunately, some of those companies had to | | | | nature intended (without negative |
| pay it back, and then some! | | | | consqeuences or side effects) is pure folly. |
| | | | You can't force it. |
| The FTC charged three companies - Fast Abs, | | | | |
| Ab Tronic and Ab Energizer - with false | | | | Growth and development of any kind always |
| advertising and deceptive warranty practices | | | | requires a gestation period. For a baby, it's |
| for these "ABSurd" gimmcks. | | | | nine months. For corn, I believe it's about |
| | | | three months. If you were an expectant |
| But I digress... back to what I was saying | | | | mother, would you want to hurry the process? |
| about the journey to a better body... | | | | Could any new development in nutrition or |
| | | | medical science speed up this wonderful |
| Last week I looked out my window, and where | | | | miracle even one iota? If you were a farmer, |
| there was once nothing but a dirt-filled | | | | would you try to harvest your crop before it |
| empty lot, there stood a sprawling six story | | | | was ripe? |
| brick condo complex. If someone looked at | | | | |
| this massive completed structure for the | | | | Would you dig up your seeds to see if |
| first time, they might not be impressed. | | | | anything was growing down there? |
| However, since I observed the entire | | | | |
| construction process unfold from my living | | | | The answers are obvious. If only we would |
| room window, I was impressed - amazed even - | | | | adopt the same patient, nurturing "mother's" |
| at what goes into erecting this kind of | | | | or "farmer's mindset" towards getting in |
| structure. | | | | shape, then no one would waste their money on |
| | | | "fast abs" or "exercise in a bottle" or any |
| I remember watching the crew humming around | | | | such silliness ever again. We would |
| diligently every day like busy bees, laying | | | | understand that one must sow first, then reap |
| one brick after another. | | | | the harvest, but that you can't sow and reap |
| | | | in the same season. |
| From one day to the next, it didn't seem like | | | | |
| much changed. | | | | If you ever get frustrated with the rate of |
| | | | progress in your fitness or weight loss |
| But slowly, over a period of a year and a | | | | program (and who doesn't), just remember; |
| half, I watched the building gradually morph | | | | success is always guaranteed to the |
| into the finished product. | | | | persistent. |
| | | | |
| When you look at someone with an incredible | | | | Nothing in the world can stop someone who |
| body as a finished product, you often tend to | | | | knows what they want and is willing to |
| dismiss the long, arduous journey and hard | | | | continue paying the price until they get it. |
| work it took to build that body. | | | | It just takes time. |
| | | | |
| Unless you were side by side with that person | | | | Become the architect and builder of your own |
| in the gym (and in the kitchen), observing | | | | dream body. |
| the work involved, it's easy to attribute | | | | |
| such a chiseled physique to genetics or give | | | | You WILL build the body you want eventually |
| credit to a supplement (they just took | | | | if you're patient enough and you refuse to |
| product XYZ and voila - overnight abs). What | | | | quit. And set your goals HIGH! Create a |
| you don't see or appreciate are all the | | | | fantastic blueprint. Michelangelo said, "the |
| months and years of sweat and hard work. | | | | greatest danger is not that we set our goals |
| | | | too high and miss them, the greatest danger |
| Getting in shape is a lot like a construction | | | | is that we set our goals too low and we reach |
| project. | | | | them." Envision a castle - a veritable Taj |
| | | | Mahal of a body! There's nothing wrong with |
| First, there must be a picture in the mind. | | | | building castles in the sky, as long as you |
| Then the vision goes onto paper as a | | | | patiently work at putting the foundations |
| blueprint. It takes months just to lay the | | | | underneath them. There are very few |
| foundation. More months of work will follow. | | | | unrealistic goals; only goals with |
| On a daily basis, it doesn't seem like much | | | | unrealistic deadlines. |
| is happening. You look in the mirror and | | | | |
| appear, for the most part, the same as you | | | | So keep laying those "bricks" - every day - |
| did yesterday. But sure enough, the small | | | | one at a time - and sure enough, eventually, |
| improvements are slowly accumulating like | | | | you'll build yourself a palace. |