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Episode 2842:
Ross Enamait explores the profound importance of movement as both a goal and a means to achieving a fuller, healthier life. Highlighting the value of physical activity beyond aesthetics or metrics, he underscores its role in maintaining freedom, strength, and adaptability through all stages of life.
Read along with the original article(s) here: https://rosstraining.com/blog/2015/06/movement-is-a-goal/
Quotes to ponder:
"Movement should not only be viewed as a means to an end but as a goal in itself."
"The ability to move freely is a gift that should never be taken for granted."
"The body is meant to move, not to sit idle like a parked car."
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[00:00:00] This is Optimal Health Daily, Movement is a Goal by Ross Enamait of RossTraining.com and I'm your host and narrator, Dr. Neal Malik. Hey, happy Wednesday. Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily where I read to you from popular health and fitness blogs to help you optimize your health. It's the middle of the week. You may need a little bit of inspiration to get you over the hump. So here we go.
[00:00:23] Quote, If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which every young and ardent sees the possible. Soren Kierkegaard And now that you're all pumped up, let's get to today's post and start optimizing your life. Movement is a Goal by Ross Enamait of RossTraining.com
[00:00:52] I spent much of my early life as a competitive athlete. My life revolved around sports. Looking back, it seems like I was always in the gym preparing for an upcoming event. I didn't need exercise goals, as my goals were always specific to sports. For example, as a young boxer, I was always focused on my next bout. I didn't need motivation to train. I wanted to win, so working hard in the gym was the only logical choice. Unfortunately, as the years passed, my hands began to fail me.
[00:01:19] Injuries eventually got the best of me, and I transitioned from athlete to coach. Exercise remained a big part of my life, however, as I used it to fuel my competitive drive. I set difficult goals for myself and was always on the lookout for new challenges. As soon as I achieved one goal, I was ready to conquer another. I didn't train because I enjoyed it. I busted my you-know-what because my competitive thirst needed quenching. Working from one goal to the next allowed me to overcome many challenging feats.
[00:01:48] My competitiveness certainly proved advantageous in that regard. Once I set my mind on a goal, I was willing to put myself through hell to achieve it. In some ways, you could say that I was my own worst enemy. I was competing against goals that I set for myself, and the bar was always set high. I've always been my biggest critic, and I'm usually the first to belittle myself if I don't achieve what I set out to accomplish. A shift in philosophy. I'm definitely harder on myself than I should be, but that is the only approach I ever knew.
[00:02:18] I had some excellent coaches as a young athlete who pushed me to my limits. I am forever grateful for their time, wisdom, and assistance. I would never have become the person I am without their guidance. I also wouldn't be half the coach that I am today. Much of my own philosophy originates from those coaches that I had as a youngster, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm just as hard on my athletes as they once were on me. In recent years, however, I've slowly come to realize that there is more to life than constantly competing against yourself and others.
[00:02:47] I'm still as competitive as anyone you'll ever meet, but my own training has evolved beyond constantly chasing down a new goal. In other words, I'm still open to challenges, but I no longer wait in anticipation for the next obstacle to present itself. In some ways, I came to this conclusion by accident. I became so busy coaching others that I didn't have as much time to worry about my own goals. Whether I lifted a certain weight was insignificant compared to whether or not my athletes were ready for their next event.
[00:03:15] Ultimately, I had to realize that I was no longer the athlete. Instead, I was the coach who put his athletes first. Movement is a goal. Slowly, I began to recognize that getting up to exercise and move is a goal in itself. Goals don't always need to be so specific that they involve lifting a precise load or performing a certain number of reps. I've actually had some of my best training sessions by simply going outside and challenging myself with whatever is around me. One day, I may be lifting stones.
[00:03:45] Another day, I might be running trails. And another day, I may be performing calisthenics in the woods. I don't always have a specific task that I'm working to achieve. As I've grown older, my training goals have become much broader. It is actually refreshing to not always be chasing down a singular goal. I've come to enjoy challenging my body in a variety of ways without obsessing over any specific task. This isn't to say that I'm not working as hard as I once did, but rather that my hard work is channeled in various directions.
[00:04:13] I am no longer racing to accomplish a specific task. Don't confuse the message. As I write this entry, it is worth noting that I am not against setting specific goals. I still challenge my athletes to achieve and accomplish precise tasks. The real point that I hope to convey is that training for general fitness is different than training as a competitive athlete. If you are no longer training for an event, it is okay to budget in some enjoyable work or movement within your schedule.
[00:04:41] You can still work hard and improve without always chasing a goal. As for examples, I can provide one from earlier today. I set out to perform a conditioning workout but didn't have a specific goal. Instead, I ventured into the woods and decided to run my favorite hill. I didn't need a goal to push myself hard. I didn't even count how many times I sprinted the hill. I'm experienced enough to know when my legs are shot. Once I hit that point, I knew I had accomplished what I had hoped for. Basically, a quality conditioning workout.
[00:05:10] I don't need to log how fast I ran or count how many steps I took. I know that I pushed myself hard and I'll be better as a result of that work. Final thoughts. In summary, I reached a point in my life where I was starting to become burnt out by constantly chasing down one goal after another. The best thing I could have ever done was to broaden my focus and learn to enjoy the process. I no longer need a goal to get up and train. I only wish it hadn't taken me so long after I stopped competing
[00:05:37] to learn how to embrace movement without constantly analyzing and critiquing everything I did. Hopefully, there are others with similar backgrounds who can learn from my example. I've certainly enjoyed the gains that I've made by simply training hard without the pressure of any self-imposed deadlines. There is no doubt that the last few years of my training have been more enjoyable than the 20 plus years that came before. I can't wait to see what the next 20 years bring. You just listened to the post titled,
[00:06:08] Movement is a Goal by Ross Enemite of RossTraining.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. When I first started getting into exercising and I was just getting into weightlifting, I started to write down my reps and sets and then when I started doing cardio, I'd write down my times. But after a few months, I found that really annoying. Everybody kept saying though, and all the books I read kept saying, you've got to track, you've got to keep track.
[00:06:37] How will you know where to go if you don't know where you've been and that whole mentality? But I just hated recording all of that information so much. And so I could totally relate to Ross when he mentioned that he knows when he's done, when his legs are shot, or when he's had enough. That for me is all the information I need. It's taken me a while, but I've also learned to appreciate the process. Now, my mentality is not always like that. I definitely get frustrated if I can't lift the same amount of weight one day for whatever reason.
[00:07:06] But I have taken that time to think about, okay, each rep I'm building myself up. I'm making myself healthier. And really focus on breathing and making sure the move is proper and perfect. And if by the end of the session, it's a little bit difficult to walk back to my car because I'm so wiped, well then, mission accomplished. All right, that's enough out of me. Thank you as always for listening. Thank you for sharing the show with someone. I'll be back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.