How To Transform Your Fitness And Finally Get In Shape
The following in an edited excerpt from the book, Stop Starting Over: Transform Your Fitness by Mastering Your Psychology, by Devan Kline.
As a society, we’ve got fitness all wrong.
Despite fitness being available on every corner and all over social media, we are larger than ever—nearly 70 percent of our country is overweight, 35 percent of adults are considered obese, and nearly 20 percent of children are overweight.*
Those statistics should make it no surprise to you that only 17 percent of people have a gym membership.
These disturbing facts fuel my desire to give every ounce of energy to create lasting change, one family at a time. My life’s journey is to help you and your loved ones create lasting change and never have to “start over” again.
We’ll never create lasting change if we don’t do something drastic. There must be a societal paradigm shift.
For years, we’ve been obsessed with the newest diet plan, the latest workout fad, and the most innovative technology. We think that magic potions and popping pills are the cure-all, when the fact is, they don’t work.
Expecting trends to create lasting change is like placing a Band-Aid over a gunshot wound. The bleeding stops momentarily, but you’ll need a truckload of Band-Aids and an extremely high pain tolerance. Trends may work for thirty days, but they simply cannot sustain lasting results.
Everyone understands on an intellectual level that eating well and exercising often are what we need to do to be healthy. The problem is, we don’t want to do it.
If you Google “how to be healthy,” you’ll see 410 million results pop up, and it’s obvious we aren’t lacking in strategy. What we lack is purpose. We are missing an enchanting reason to look beyond the hurdles of today, hardships of tomorrow, and challenges of next year.
It’s time to create a long-term resolve founded on purpose and to drop the short-term focus of looking better. That’s what will give you the clarity, strength, and follow-through to overcome all adversity on your journey.
Fitness isn’t just about physical activity and getting a six-pack. Our mission should far transcend superficial selfies and dramatic weight loss programs.
True fitness is an integration of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength that stands on a foundation of psychological principles that govern your actions. When you find a purpose greater than “looking good,” you’ll never have to “start over” again.
Stop Starting Over
How many times have you tried to lose weight and failed?
Or lost weight only to gain it back?
How many times have you said, “I’m done eating like a pig! I’m going to eat healthily from now on,” only to revert to old habits a few days or weeks later?
I want you to stop starting over. I want you to be done with New Year’s resolutions. I will help you download a new philosophy into your mind so that you can make constant, consistent progress. Picking up this book is the first step toward creating positive changes in your life, and I’ll guide you in this process by leading with practical psychology.
As we dive into this book, you’ll see that strategies are the least of our concern. As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t your average fitness book, so if you’re expecting another cookie-cutter diet or short-term exercise plan, set this down and head to Google for your answers.
Health and fitness professionals often tell us how many calories to eat per day, how much sleep we need, and which workout routines yield the best results. However, every human being is different — every person has different needs. While fuel, recovery, and movement are consistently necessary, the proper ratios of each will differ with each individual and their goals.
My goal is to give you the opportunity to think for yourself. This book will cause you to question what you believe to be your reality and open your mind to your actuality.
I cannot make decisions for you, but I’ll provide you with the framework to make choices. The plan will be all yours, so you can be true to yourself. We’ll develop a brand-new mindset and create absolute certainty that you can maximize your quality of life by following a plan — one on your terms that you can stick with for the long haul.
Redefining Your Standards
If you asked me for one piece of coaching advice to take your life to the next level, I would say: raise your standards. I know what you’re thinking: “Thank you, Devan, for the deep, thought-provoking advice,” as you roll your eyes.
This statement is simple, yet so powerful. It’s hard to believe it can have any impact, because humans tend to gravitate toward complicated philosophy and shy away from simplicity. I suppose we assume that since life is already hard, changing it must be even harder.
As sure as the sun rises each morning, you have the opportunity to redefine who you are and what you can become each day.
This is a simple choice you must make for yourself.
You can continue to be numb to your past, not question why you think the way you do, and carry on with life, convincing yourself that your situation “is what it is.” Or, you can forget that bullshit and pick up what I’m putting down.
The Origin Of Your Standards
Have you ever questioned why you are the way you are? When did you become a sugar addict? When did you define yourself as “not a fitness person”? When did you decide you weren’t smart enough? Sexy enough? Talented enough?
Chances are, these thoughts come from past conditioning. As children, we could do anything, and somewhere along the way, your environment conditioned you to think differently.
Most likely your parents, friends, or other family members convinced you that you’re not good enough. They never did this maliciously, and their intentions were to protect you from pain, but it does no good to continue through life without questioning where your standards come from. After all, experiencing pain in your life is necessary to grow as a human being.
Whose permission are you waiting for to live the life you want? Whose approval do you need to begin questioning your past? What’s stopping you from changing the course of your life moving forward?
Standards are a choice. You either have poor, good, great, or outstanding standards for yourself, and right now, being brutally honest is the only way to begin the process of lasting change. Who set the standards for your life? Who dictated that this was the way it would be forever? Take a moment to consider your standards, because you’ll always get exactly what you’re willing to tolerate.
People with poor standards will experience a life of pain. A fast food diet, lack of exercise, bingeing on television, and being unhappy will result in a shorter life span. The people with these standards will minimize the quality of their lives. These are the standards of people who live to eat, not eat to live.
Those with good standards will get poor results. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m good about working out, so why don’t I see the results?” Or, “I’m a good husband. Why did my wife divorce me?” Or, “I am a good employee. Why did they let me go?”
The answer is that good standards in today’s society yield poor results. A good standard is one of contentment and complacency. “Good” just isn’t going to cut it. There’s a bounding leap to the next level of standards that separates those who are content from those who are motivated to live life at a higher level.
Individuals with great standards will get average results. These are the people who work their asses off to make ends meet. People with great standards will live an “okay” life, and there is nothing wrong with that. If this is you, then I want you to put this book down right now and continue being average; I can’t help you excel if you don’t want to help yourself.
The next level of standards, outstanding standards, is only two millimeters away, but you’ve really got to want it.
I exist to serve those who have outstanding standards or who desire to be outstanding human beings. These are the people who are willing to get up at 5 a.m. to work out if they have to. These are the ones who want to succeed so badly that they are willing to commit to anything — and who strive for happiness and progression each day. These are the people who have committed to living life at the highest possible level, and want to reach physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual mastery.
So, what standards do you have for yourself?
I cannot answer this question for you, but if you want more out of life, you’re in the right place. I will be hard on you during our time together, but that’s why you picked up this book in the first place. If you’re still reading, then I know you are ready to take your life to an outstanding place.
The Decision To Be Outstanding
If you feel you’re in a bad place right now, this book will rock your world. If you’re in an awesome place, this book will show you the next level!
It’s for anyone who desires to reach their maximum potential. My promise to you is that this book will be an inspiration and will help you create strategies to reach your goals by installing new belief systems, truly in the sense of reprogramming your brain.
I’ve developed the philosophy within this book over the past fifteen years of my life, and it has helped countless people already. It’s now your time to choose if you will be the next one to adopt an outstanding standard for yourself and commit to excellence.
This book is not for people who wish to be mediocre or for those who are comfortable being comfortable. It’s for those who are experiencing discomfort or pain and realize the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change. This book is for people who are ready to take it to the next level — those who are hungry for more.
If you aren’t hungry for change in your life, then put this book down now, because you won’t benefit from it. But if you’re ready to be challenged from a place of love and support, turn the page and begin designing the life you deserve.
To learn more about elevating your true fitness — mentally, emotionally, and physically—read Stop Starting Over by Devan Kline.
