BREAKING: Not Everything is a Hack

We all have a little 007 in us. I get it. And, to be honest, this life hacking phenomenon we’re seeing these days is a result of the best intentions and an even greater trend in personal responsibility when it comes to fitness and health.

Nonetheless, not every mechanism of health and fitness has a secret-ninja-back-door. Sometimes performance, weight-loss, putting on muscle mass, or whatever else it is that you’re after is available with boring, old fashioned, tried and true methods.

This guy, for example, is selling a life hack to people that says exercising 40-minutes a month can be a back door strategy to optimal health and fitness. Though, I understand how such an idea could be compelling to people, I’ve got to wonder what your perspective is as someone that wants to believe that tried and true strength and conditioning can and should be circumvented with his proverbial cheat code.

Why not do it the regular way? It’s guaranteed to work, you know?

Most cleanses fall into the same boat, in my opinion. With the perspective that one can/should temporarily eat some odd concoction of food with the idea that it somehow impacts real life, one’s relationship with food, etc beyond the duration of the “cleanse” seems like broken logic to me. It sounds more like, “No, I’m not really interested in addressing the lifestyle habits, but I’m totally open to biting chewing on lemons and maple syrup for a few days if that will do the trick!”

Let me place an asterisk here by saying that some odd, seemingly unconventional fitness and nutrition practices do have legs. My concern, however, is the approach that we says we are willing to devote time and energy into a hack–any potential back door–while being completely uninterested in traveling down the tried and true path of hard work and a pinch of adversity is misguided.

Do you tend to fantasize about an easier way to do things simply because the way is hard? Could that energy be spent more efficiently else where?

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach

 

3/27/14 WOD

Complete the following for time:
50 Box Jumps (24/20)
40 Front Squats (95/65)
30 Pullups
20 Shoulder to Overhead
10 Burpees