Right off the bat, you’re wondering“How could an exercise with just my finger and thumb do me any good at all?”
I am not here to reveal a huge fitness secretI revealed the BIGGEST fitness secret a long time ago when I published “The Key toThe 400lb. Bench Press, Sub 6 min. mi., Losing 30 lbs, and Perfect Six Pack Absâ€.
Today, I reveal a new (for some) psychological approach to fitness AND life that may be completley foreign. It is an approach that has led me to do, basically, whatever I want in life, and with fitness.
This psychological approach to life takes a great deal of mental toughness and it is not as easily mastered as you may think.
In fact, that is where the Index Finger and Thumb come into play. Think of it as a mental cue, wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Ok, enough chit chat, let’s get started on your new approach to life.
Bear with me
The Exercise
Please, do this as you are reading, it will aid in the effect.
- Step 1: Extend your arm/hand in front of your face, as if you were inspecting your hand.
- Step 2: Make a fist (thumb-side facing your face).
- Step 3: Extend your Index Finger
- Step 4: Extend your thumb
- Step 5: Now, as quickly and as firmly as you can, put your index finger and thumb together
- Step 6: Inspect.
How much space do you see in between your index finger and your thumb, where contact is being made??
The answer should be none, zero, nothing, no space.
Next step, the hardest part.
Have the same amount of care for what others may think, as is space between your index finger and thumb.
Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Ok, ok, forgive my long and drawn out explanation on how to put two fingers together, for what makes a rather easy (or cheesy) way to say
WHO CARES WHAT OTHERS MAY THINK!?!?
But I got your attention! So, keep reading!
All too often am I reminded of how people’s fitness goals are 100% aligned with false expectations of others, and not of what they want to be doing. It’s even worse when I see this in life…
The reason (most) people need personal trainers, or amped up dudes on video is not because they are incapable of doing it themselves. No, it is because they are forcing themselves to do something they hate.
If you say you hate ALL fitness. I bet your body would disagree.
Or you may be a pretty in shape individual thinking this could never be youBut are you sure
Of course there is the, overweight person trying to lose weight for the sake of fitting in. Nothing wrong with losing weight, but are you doing it how you want? the way you want? are you having any sort of fun?
- Are you trying to be skinny for someone else?
The plot thickens. There is the guy lifting set after set of heavy weight thinking he needs to be X% stronger, or the world will end. Are you now getting stressed out because you are not hitting PRs in a 100% artificial timeframe your mind has created? Are you still enjoying what you are doing?
- Are you trying to be strong to impress other people?
Who cares what they think?
A Personal Story – The Gulf Cart
I want to share a recent, and personal, story that will help you paint a better picture of who I am.
In 2011, my wife and I decided we did not want to be in debt anymore. And we were not even the types to be in any sort of shopping-spree-in-over-my-head debt, AKA consumer debt. No, we want to be 100% debt free including student loans, cars, etc. No debt, at all.
Just the way we roll. It has been a long tough journey, but the end is finally in sight, distant, but in sight.
This means we have had to make sacrifices. We don’t buy things we want, we shop frugally and if we want anything at all, there is no question as to whether or not it will be paid in full or financed. Cash only, cash always.
DIY Corner starting to make a little bit more sense? 🙂
This also means, we have been a one-car family for awhile. Until a few weeks ago. We bought a car. It was a spur of the moment type of thing, but it was cheap and it runs.
So now, I am driving a 1992 Volkswagen Cabriolet Convertible, called…The Gulf Cart…that has no air conditioning, no radio and is a very tough manual transmission, I might add.
And I love it!
The only point to all that is I didn’t realize how much I don’t care about what others think until I got the car.
I’ll spare all of the details but people basically would ask me “Why on earth would you buy this car?â€, and they were borderline offended that I parked it next to their car.
My response was always “Why not?â€
Then they would give me a confused look as they walked to their $50,000 luxury car (that they don’t own), get in and drive off.
I just don’t care. I don’t even know how to. I am a goal oriented person. I have set a goal that must be attained. If that means I have to crawl in the dirt for awhile, so be it.
Which brings me to my outlook on fitness.
End of Three…Fitness
I set fitness goals, and a lot of them, frequently. I an not in a big hurry to get one done before the other, I just know I will get them done.
Because I want to. Not for a single other person in this world beyond myself.
Not advocating selfishness, I believe every person in this world NEEDs something that is theirs, that they do for themselves. It is the one thing in this world I do for me and because I want to. I have found things I love and that’s why I practice them.
Right now, I work on strength and Eo3Fit conditioning because it is what I love. However, the reason End of Three Fitness is not tied to any one specific type of fitness (other than being functional) like other sites is because, I could change my mind.
For a LONG time is was bodybuilding/hypertrophic/strength training solely, and literally one day I was completely uninterested and boredso I moved on.
Then I found what I do now. I want to say I’ll do it forever. But if I wake up tomorrow, and I am no longer interested, but I have the itch to complete an Ironman Triathlonso be it.
I’ll do it for me. Because I enjoy it.
NOT because I feel I need to be a certain weight or size. Or because I feel like I have something to prove to anyone.
Nope, I’ll do fitness for me. If others have opinions. I am uninterested. I don’t care, and I don’t even know how to.
So, how about you??
One more time, put your index finger and thumb together. That is how much the opinions of others matter.
Now be fit, healthy and happy, but do it the way you want.
Do it for you!
For the Revolution!
-Jerred