He Died So Suddenly

The other day I overheard a conversation between 2 friends that happened to run into one another at a coffee shop I was at. The first man said “Hey, did you hear about Ryan?”

To which the 2nd guy replied, “Yeah, it’s a damn shame. He died so suddenly.”

The first guy went on to say that he’s been to a funeral every single month for the last 5 years.

To which the 2nd guy replied, “Well you would have been at my funeral too, but I got my colonoscopy on time and they found something. They said we found it early enough so it’s not a big deal, but if I would’ve waited a year I would have needed chemo and if I would’ve waited 2 years I would have had no hope at all.”

He then finished his train of thought and said, “I don’t know what made me do this one thing on time – I delay everything – but man am I ever glad I went.”

Being in the fitness/health industry is kind of tough. It’s really hard to get people to care about their health – until something is really wrong.

If you think about it, when we purchase a product or service we immediately get what we bought. If I buy a new pair of shoes… well I go home with them. They’re mine.

If I buy groceries… I load them into my car and then into my fridge. They’re mine as soon as I buy them.

But eating right and being active… well you don’t “see” those results right away. In fact, you can spend an hour running or lifting weights and you literally see no difference. You don’t seem to get anything immediately from your effort.

It’s a complete mind shift really. When we buy something like a gym membership or a healthy eating program… we want immediate results.

We tell ourselves that it’s a process and that we’re in it for the long-haul, but deep down we all want to see the scale go down 15 pounds after a week. We know that’s crazy, but we all still want it to be true.

The thing is… it’s the preventative stuff like being active and eating right that make the difference. Just because we can’t immediately see it doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.

I’ve thought about the conversation between these 2 guys several times over the last few days. It was just a few sentences about life and death and health and disease before they changed the subject and started talking about something else, but the impact was left on me.

Life is too short. When I think of my family and friends I want to do all that I can right NOW to ensure that I’m here for as long as I can be – even if it means doing the preventative work that doesn’t yield immediate physical results that I can see.

It’s worth noting that there are immediate benefits that we cannot see. Some of those include:

1) A better mood

2) A better night’s sleep

3) More energy

4) Increased immune system

… and more

 

Doing the hard work without seeing immediate results is one of the major reasons people quit their routines. They lose motivation, they lose direction, and they lose their reason “why”. It’s one of the many benefits working with a trainer or coach, or even being part of a small group is worth it. You feel connected and have someone there when you need it most.

Let me know if you need help, we are here for you!