Law # 6

Sport

Take the onus off of weight, inches and body fat percentages and put the focus on MOVING. From dancing, rock climbing, mountain biking to ping-pong. I love that ping-pong. Think in terms of “can do” instead of “look like”. Sports are fun and help develop balance and coordination--which in turn accelerates your results. Jump, kick, run, spin, throw, skate, shoot, hit, score, compete…PLAY!

Every Sunday I head down to the original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica and meet a group of friends for a two and half hour fitness extravaganza. We do a crazy combination of pull-ups, handstands, swinging plyometric dips, 15 and 25 foot rope climbing (hands only and sometimes up-side-down) a myriad of wacky push-ups--we even throw in a back flip or two, and finish with a rendition of AB Ripper X. Anyone that has attended one of the Santa Monica Fitness Camps has seen the fun first hand. It’s extreme with a capital X. I love it, because it kicks my butt. This is NOT a routine I would do alone. The main reason why I show up is to hang with my buds. As hard as the workout is, I believe the reason why we’re all there is for the camaraderie, laughter and encouragement.

We look at Sundays as an opportunity to incorporate sport into our weekly fitness routines. What started out as push-ups, pull-ups and dips, has turned into (thanks to Chuck and Mitch Gaylord) gymnastics for old guys. Sport is the main reason I stay fit. Every other Wednesday night, I meet up with a group to go rock climbing. Every fall, I get together with ski buddies and come up with ways to get our legs ready for the hill. Where do you think the P90X Plyo workout came from? The Leg/Plyo workout in the new Power 90 Master Series was the routine I used to get ready for this year’s ski season.

To me, there is nothing better than the great outdoors. My sports involve cool crisp air, gorgeous views and climbing up or ripping down mountains. When I’m skiing or rock climbing, I’m one with my surroundings. I’m happy as a clam and at peace with the universe. I also try to mix in other sports like inline skating, ping-pong (it’s a sport…sort of) basketball and mountain biking. These are great ways to get into shape. I encourage you to get involved in SOMETHING athletic—anything that would be fun and enjoyable for you. You need to care less about weight loss and more about accomplishment. There are so many different kinds of sports to choose from. Set a goal, take a class, sign up for a race, anything that gives you a reason to focus on “can do” as apposed to “look like”. When you’ve shifted to an athletic mindset you don’t obsess about calories, inches, and weight. You focus more on “can do” numbers like reps, range of motion and amount of resistance. Athletes care about improving their game, not how they look in their climbing gear.

If you can find one thing/sport that you really enjoy, then your day-to-day workouts will be less of a chore and more of a means to an end. Sport will also give you the opportunity to better connect and share with a partner. And whether your single or partnered with someone, it will give you a chance to meet like-minded folk. The people I know who have a regular sports pursuit are consistently fit over time, are rarely depressed and anxious and meet tons of amazing people in the process. (See Fitness Camps) Sport also develops balance and coordination--giving you a more well rounded level of fitness.

For some of you the excuse of time or money, or fear of looking uncoordinated in front of other people will keep you from trying something athletic. There were tens of thousands of Power90 and P90X customers who had those same fears, but they stepped through the door anyway and found a brand new and exciting reason for staying fit and healthy. Remember when you were a kid and you just did stuff? Explore and be curious. Open the door to Sport and you will discover a new and greater level of excitement.