QUANTUM FITNESS LEAPS

"Jesse, how do I get in shape?"

I field this question or one similar to it, weekly. I feel sorry for the person asking the question because they are stuck in "quick-fix hell”. They are searching for some shortcut, some secret, or the magic pill that will allow them to bypass all the necessary work. The work is necessary 'to get in shape' (or whatever else they are trying to accomplish).

The desire most of us have is to make a quantum leap to our desired body, look, weight...even life. This desire keeps you rooted in this quick-fix hell and will create a yo-yo fitness relationship and endless supply of anxiety. No such quantum leap exists in fitness, or any other endeavor for that matter.

BUT, BUT, BUT...one small change in philosophy can create a ripple effect that can cause a quantum change in your life. For me, two (2) small philosophical fitness change set off a ripple effect over the last four and a half years that looks like a quantum leap:

1. A MEANS TO CHANGE MY MIND: I stopped exercising to burn calories and used workouts as a way to make the mental changes I desired. Thing such as the ability to endure hardship (in preparation for my prison sentence), to face and battle demons, and to tap a source of self belief I hoped existed (it does). This slight change in workout perspective was far more meaning, hence motivating. This set off a series of workouts that has transformed me - physically and mentally.

2. OUTDOORS: Combining exercise with the outdoors set off a series of changes I could not see at the time, but created a new relationship with fitness that opened me up to adventure and risk (not dangerous type, but the out-of-the-comfort-zone risk). Selah Trails is the byproduct of this.

There was no quantum leap, but there has been a quantum change!