One Kick Ten Thousand Times

One Kick Ten Thousand Times

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I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. Bruce Lee

There are many of us who believe that varying workout routines, diets and vitamin plans are somehow good for us. Perhaps this is true in the greater scheme of things, but not without a lot of thought and not without six months of dedication to the same routine. These are the two things which always seem to not be there when we talk about making changes.

When it comes to thinking about fitness, most of us are not really sure what is good for us, but we are experts on what is bad. Overdoing exercise is one, overdosing supplements is another; staying at a special diet is another still. Steering clear of all these is supposedly no more than just good sense.

In much the same spirit, we are relatively sure that staying with the same routine is bad. We seem to think that if we do not change what we do we will not make optimal strides. The origin of this belief may have been from a previous athletic coach, a personal trainer or an article off of the internet.

The trouble is not so much that this is completely wrong, but that it only may be good advice for a seasoned athlete. For instance, it is good to lower the weight and increase the number of repetitions when a particular exercise feels as if it is getting to be too much. This is the typical tired inside sensation. Or, it is good to cut back even on small amounts natural sugar and complex carbohydrates when it feels as if belly fat may be starting to slightly accumulate. Or, it may make some sense to alter vitamin dosages if it feels as if there are recurrent energy lags. That is commonly associated with the need for more B-complex. Those are some good reasons to consider variations to a well thought out comprehensive fitness plan.

However, most of us are not at this point. We do not yet need a routine makeover or adjustment, because we do not yet have a set routine. Analogous to the Bruce Lee quote, we do not yet know how to make that deadly karate kick effective because we are still getting down the basic movement. In other words, we are on kick twenty when kick ten thousand is needed to get the karate master's attention.

For there to be intelligent variations there must first be a working base. This is analogous to actually learning a basic karate kick and then practicing it for ten thousand times. That is what really makes us good at what we do, daily escalating our systems to make us fit as a by-product. It is that same thing over and over again which makes the difference. That of course assumes we are into fitness for the long haul as opposed to the short term transformation.

More than likely, however, this is not the case. In stead, most of us are looking for the immediate quick fix. This is all too common nowadays : it is just how we all are at a very basic level. Why? There is the extreme makeover TV show. There are powerful drugs which work near wonders in a short period (even though they have side effects.) There are celebrity wonder-diets about which paperbacks are written. There are gadgets which promise muscular development without effort. We live in an age of things like these; and the list goes on.

Thus, when we do not see immediate results, there is the feeling that we are doing the wrong things or that we have not explored all of the options. That causes us to make adjustments--to pursue one or more of the other alternatives. Granted, this may make some sense if we have been a set routine for six months to a year, but is this really the case?

More than likely, if this is our first go-around with a fitness lifestyle, it is not. Most of us are still in the rookie category, enamored by the advances of modern science and technology. We actually still believe there really is something which will make us look good in the mirror by the end of the week That makes us try something other--another one of the ten thousand kicks we find everyday in our in-boxes.

The underlying problem is that we focus on results as opposed to the way of obtaining them. That is typical if we have have never been into fitness before. All we can think of is the exciting forthcoming event. There is always the class reunion or the Christmas party to look good for. Or, on the other hand, there is the doctor-threat of diabetes if forty pounds is dropped immediately. Catalysts like those will make us do anything to meet the required goals. Yet, when we do, succeeding in an almost miraculous manner,we find that we quickly return back to where we started.

That happens because our bodies simply resist quick transformations. They take time to allow and accept permanent changes. This whole process really does take a while--six months at bare minimum. It requires numerous internal adjustments that simply cannot be rushed. In short, lasting results just do not come over night--no matter what we do or what we take.

This is the meaning of the one kick ten thousand times. The kick is the one routine done many times (weeks, months) just like a true black belt would practice. That is how we should train in spite of a everything and everyone who stands in our way. Anything less opens us to switching our set patterns--making us someone whom Bruce Lee would never fear opposing.

Doing our lethal kick the right way for ten thousand times should be the only reason for doing what we do. In other words, coming in two belt notches by the weekend or two dress sizes within one month should not be our primary intent. Rather, there must be a deep long-lasting commitment to our workout routine, diet and supplement program. That is what we need for our bodies to permanently change as a result of our efforts. That is our one kick which eventually will work on our adversary--our own unfitness.

For further thought on fitness persistence order my e-book "Think and Grow Fit."



About the Author:
Obese 49 years ago; state champion power lifter 1978; in better shape today at 63 than when on swim team in high school

http://blog.foreverfitness.info (subscribe for weekly fitness updates)

Author of "Think and Grow Fit" the no hype guide to getting fit and staying that way forever

http://www.foreverfitness.info (6.00 ebook or 15.95 softcover from publisher I_Universe, Amazon or Barnes and Noble)

YouTube - mcfitnessguru19



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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