You only get one go-around

Most people (myself included) are looking for a method that delivers results instantly. Whether it's fat loss or muscle gain, people want results and they want them now. Frequently this desire leads to actions that hurt people in the long run. Guys get shoulder injuries after spending years benching and others follow "hard-core" diets that can produce all sorts of awful effects. Yes, you might get bigger and stronger taking supplement "X," but at what cost? Anyway, two blog posts struck home the same note for me:

http://mboyle1959.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/only-one-body/
http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/2009/12/devany-and-bass-comparison.html

The first is an article by Mike Boyle which discusses how people fail to recognize the importance of long-term health before it's too late. He creates a metaphor in which you are given one car for the rest of your life and are told that repairs are costly and are never as good as the original. In that scenario, you would drive everywhere 5 miles under the speed limit, right? Why isn't this the case with people and their bodies?

The second is a post from Primal Wisdom comparing two 70~ year olds: Art Devaney and Clarence Bass. For men their age, their physiques are incredible. They're not just surviving, but thriving. Both use HIT, but their diets differ. I'm in favor of Devaney's paleo diet over Bass' low-fat high-carb diet, but that's not worth going into now. Regardless, both have the bodies that men half their age envy. That's remarkable. They're something for me, a member of a generation that has a shorter life expectancy than the one before it, to strive for. While I don't currently use HIT it is a safe method of weight training that can deliver results. If that "old age" but gets me, HIT is an option that I would consider incorporating.





I know when I'm 70, I'd rather be spending time in the gym than the doctor's office.