If I am not continuously improving, why train?

This is a mindset many get into as they progress in their health, wellness, and fitness journey.  This mindset can discourage people from attending workout days where they feel that they can not improve.  The thought process being,” why bother if I can not beat my best time.”  This is a dangerous mindset on many fronts.  A key concept to remember and understand, wellness is a necessity for a higher quality and longevity of life, fitness is not.  As a matter of fact, improving specific areas of fitness can have detrimental effects on our bodies, both mentally and physically.  The goal of a health and wellness regiment is to be as well rounded as possible.  The development and maintenance of muscle tissue, muscle endurance, and cardiovascular endurance are all equally important to overall quality and longevity of life.

If we decide that since we are no longer improving at a noticeable rate, that we quit and do not train at all.  We can expect a decline in our overall health and wellbeing.  Our ability to perform everyday tasks becomes more and more difficult.  Our metabolism changes and we expose ourselves to an increased risk of metabolic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even cancers.  This effect compounds over time and makes “getting back in shape” that much more difficult than if we were to stay consistent in a regular training regimen. 

Our goal here at NorthJax is to help people move to wellness as quickly as possible.  Then stay there for the rest of their lives.  The focus of moving into more fitness is a choice and less of a necessity.  If a person who joins our gym reaches the level of blue, they are fitter and healthier than the vast majority of the American population.  There is no real need to improve their level of fitness beyond this level.  A person can train daily at this level, feel great in performing their training, and know that they are doing their part to decrease the likelihood of developing metabolic disease as they age.  The desire to improve for the sake of improving does nothing more than to cause anxiety and can derail the main reason for training and exercising, so that we can enjoy our lives to the utmost for as long as possible.