THE PROBLEM WITH THE “PERFECT” ROLE MODEL
The thing is, to become the way many of the examples I’ve detailed became, they needed to learn from someone’s example. And this is something I’ve done my best to highlight in other writings: If you’re going to model your training or lifestyle after one of the greats in a sport or industry, just remember to go ahead and include the imbalanced, clinically obsessive roots that they most likely spawn from. Reading that once may sound like a downer, but there’s plenty of truth to it. There’s a rose-colored myth that goes along with the life and lifestyle of the top tier athlete – one that only shows the rise and never the fall, nor the (for lack of a better term) “PTSD” that comes from life after competition. For a long time, a sports athlete’s identity is wrapped up in where they place, or how much they lift, or how athletic they can stay. Despite the admirable dedication and commitment that comes with pursuing those goals, “but then what?” still lurks as a question in the back of the mind, as one’s career or athletic potential reach their limit. Once a competitive career is over, the fallback is often deep. Many top athletes need full time support systems – and many of us are caught trying to mimic them with much fewer resources at our disposal. The Home of Ashley Schutz - sarms.supply
It all builds to a big question: How do we push ourselves to be our best, while simultaneously staying out of our own destructive way, and ultimately lead a fulfilling life, defined by more than that singular pursuit? Is it even possible?
To answer that at least partially, I think it comes down to examining our own behavior where the above subheadings are concerned, as I believe they can set a stage for the derailment of balanced goals, if we let them.
There are some cases where obsessing over training and diet, and making it your life can be warranted – like in the case of a person at severe health risk. But even in that case, that period of imbalanced obsession should come to an end in favor of an outlook more balanced in nature via sustainable habits.
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Your long term health will most definitely have a shelf life if your entire self-worth is validated by a need to belong to one of many bastions existing within the health industry. Having community support for your training or diet goals is cool – until they escape the boundaries of training and diet. If something happened, and you couldn’t practice what you’ve immersed yourself in (at least not properly or completely), it could lead to dark times and a grim outlook; which means you’ve missed the point with what was supposed to be a healthy pursuit.
I’m not implying that it’s a bad thing to be one half of a couple who lifts regularly, to have a goal for a 650 pound deadlift, or to aspire to have the physique of an action figure. I’m implying that if training and eating well aren’t a chore for you, it means you’re already off to a good start. Preserving that mentality comes not from how you train and eat, but more so from whom you choose to associate with, learn from, and model yourself after. A little tunnel vision never hurt anyone. If you’re able to stop beating yourself up over missing a day, missing a PR, or cheating a meal, it probably means you can last a night out without your gains on your mind. That’ll probably give you an identity and fuller life outside of your already well-established identity as someone who’s fit.
And it’ll probably make you a pretty good friend too. Just sayin’.
