“John at the bar he’s a friend of mine, he gets me my drinks for free. He’s quick with a joke, and he’ll light up your smoke…”
My favorite line from Billy Joel’s classic “The Piano Man”, mostly because I like to think he’s talking about me.
The rest of that verse ends in “but there’s some place that he’d rather be.”
I prefer to sing my own version and sub in “there’s no place that he’d rather be.”
Over the past year I’ve done my share of bar tending a few evenings a night at a restaurant and a resort, and I can candidly tell you I’ve enjoyed the experience for multiple reasons.
Reasons such as:
It gets me out of the house. Most of my days are spent cooped up indoors sitting in front of the computer doing some writing, working on client programs, and video conferencing and replying to emails.
But more importantly, it’s given me a priceless opportunity to connect with the normal American population.
And by “normal”, I mean people who aren’t immersed in the fitness game. People who usually don’t spend 5+ days in the gym. People who enjoy eating out multiple times a week, and of course, people who enjoy having a few drinks.
For the last 8 years, and possibly longer, my day to day interactions have been with people who do not make up even a small fraction of the population. People like young, fit college kids who get away with eating and drinking almost anything, fitness professionals, and folks at the gym who enjoy spending their time lifting heavy things and putting them down.
Not being exposed to much outside of this perception, I kind of thought these were the kinds of people the world was made up of.
Pretty lame, right?
After slanging drinks for a few weeks and chatting up hundreds of “normal, everyday people”, I realized how much of a priority fitness was, or wasn’t, to people.
I’m not going to sit here and make up some statistic of how many people care about their health and how many don’t for shock value.
But the generalization I can make on the matter is: everybody cares, to some extent.
Really groundbreaking, insightful stuff, right?
Stick with me here.
My favorite line from Billy Joel’s classic “The Piano Man”, mostly because I like to think he’s talking about me.
The rest of that verse ends in “but there’s some place that he’d rather be.”
I prefer to sing my own version and sub in “there’s no place that he’d rather be.”
Over the past year I’ve done my share of bar tending a few evenings a night at a restaurant and a resort, and I can candidly tell you I’ve enjoyed the experience for multiple reasons.
Reasons such as:
It gets me out of the house. Most of my days are spent cooped up indoors sitting in front of the computer doing some writing, working on client programs, and video conferencing and replying to emails.
But more importantly, it’s given me a priceless opportunity to connect with the normal American population.
And by “normal”, I mean people who aren’t immersed in the fitness game. People who usually don’t spend 5+ days in the gym. People who enjoy eating out multiple times a week, and of course, people who enjoy having a few drinks.
For the last 8 years, and possibly longer, my day to day interactions have been with people who do not make up even a small fraction of the population. People like young, fit college kids who get away with eating and drinking almost anything, fitness professionals, and folks at the gym who enjoy spending their time lifting heavy things and putting them down.
Not being exposed to much outside of this perception, I kind of thought these were the kinds of people the world was made up of.
Pretty lame, right?
After slanging drinks for a few weeks and chatting up hundreds of “normal, everyday people”, I realized how much of a priority fitness was, or wasn’t, to people.
I’m not going to sit here and make up some statistic of how many people care about their health and how many don’t for shock value.
But the generalization I can make on the matter is: everybody cares, to some extent.
Really groundbreaking, insightful stuff, right?
Stick with me here.
THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT THEY DON’T EXECUTE
Just about everybody I would talk to about getting in shape, improving their health, or making changes to get on the right track, always said the same thing.
“I know how to lose weight and get healthy.”
And for the most part, they do know the basics. Get more activity, stop eating so much garbage.
For the average person just looking to drop a few pounds, this is really all they need at first.
Cutting out the sugary drinks, opting for a salad instead of a burger at lunch, and taking the stairs and parking your car a little bit further will make a dramatic difference. Trust me.
These things are easy to do.
Which makes them easy NOT to do.
So most people don’t.
They have the plan. They just fail to execute.
“I know how to lose weight and get healthy.”
And for the most part, they do know the basics. Get more activity, stop eating so much garbage.
For the average person just looking to drop a few pounds, this is really all they need at first.
Cutting out the sugary drinks, opting for a salad instead of a burger at lunch, and taking the stairs and parking your car a little bit further will make a dramatic difference. Trust me.
These things are easy to do.
Which makes them easy NOT to do.
So most people don’t.
They have the plan. They just fail to execute.
MISINFORMATION IS RAMPANT
This one is hands down the most frustrating to me.
Getting your nutrition and fitness advice from mainstream media is not a good idea.
I’m not going to say that all of it is wrong, but most of it is extremely mis-guided and deceptive.
Fad diets like Adkits, Paleo diets, superfood diets, every other flavor of the month plans pushed by celebrities aren’t magical.
Even worse are the “quick fix” solutions to losing weight and improving your health like detox teas, juice cleanses, and super supplements that promote instant health and improved body compositions.
Well its mainstream information, so it has to be correct, right?
No. Not necessarily.
Almost all of the information you might come across on shows like Dr. Oz, Oprah, and on the news and magazines is there to sell you something.
I promise you, somebody is providing skewed data to make a case for whatever is they want to sell.
And unfortunately, this information is everywhere.
If you shout something often enough and loud enough, chances are people will start to believe it.
For the folks looking to improve their health, this isn’t their fault at all.
I mean, what else are they supposed to believe?
It’s hard to find accurate, helpful information. But it’s not impossible.
It takes a little digging and a little effort on your half to go out and find science based information that you can apply to your own life.
But that takes time and effort, something everybody seems to be short on these days.
Which is the perfect segue into the bottom line:
Getting your nutrition and fitness advice from mainstream media is not a good idea.
I’m not going to say that all of it is wrong, but most of it is extremely mis-guided and deceptive.
Fad diets like Adkits, Paleo diets, superfood diets, every other flavor of the month plans pushed by celebrities aren’t magical.
Even worse are the “quick fix” solutions to losing weight and improving your health like detox teas, juice cleanses, and super supplements that promote instant health and improved body compositions.
Well its mainstream information, so it has to be correct, right?
No. Not necessarily.
Almost all of the information you might come across on shows like Dr. Oz, Oprah, and on the news and magazines is there to sell you something.
I promise you, somebody is providing skewed data to make a case for whatever is they want to sell.
And unfortunately, this information is everywhere.
If you shout something often enough and loud enough, chances are people will start to believe it.
For the folks looking to improve their health, this isn’t their fault at all.
I mean, what else are they supposed to believe?
It’s hard to find accurate, helpful information. But it’s not impossible.
It takes a little digging and a little effort on your half to go out and find science based information that you can apply to your own life.
But that takes time and effort, something everybody seems to be short on these days.
Which is the perfect segue into the bottom line:
WE'RE LAZY
We are. Every single one of us. Myself included.
But maybe “lazy” isn’t the proper term here.
Perhaps the better way to put it is we’ve been conditioned to expect instant gratification.
If we don’t see results the day before yesterday, then clearly it’s a waste of time, right?
Society’s advertising and marketing is based on this.
Amazon prime that guarantees delivery by tomorrow. Bank transfers that happen in less than a second. Email confirmations and information that travels at the speed of light.
We expect everything fast.
So when something is placed infront of us that requires just a little bit more time and effort to accomplish, the task seems unworthy of our time and not worth the investment.
Fitness is that task.
It’s been plopped right in your lap, and it’s a problem that’s never going to be solved overnight. Or in a week. Or a year.
It’s a process that will continually take time.
And that seems to be very off-putting, even scary to most people.
This goes back to the previous points made about quick fix diets and detoxes that promise results.
Just NO.
What YOU Can DO
People like to joke that bartenders are the poor man’s counselor and therapist, so here’s me putting on my bartender cap as I sit here at my desk and type this out.
Anytime I’d solicit advice to those who ask, I would never make it a prescription. Just some friendly information that could help these folks get on the right path to taking control of their fitness.
And the same goes for this post here.
The best thing I could ever tell anyone is to BE PATIENT.
Do your homework folks, the RIGHT information is out there. Talk to trainers who have had success with clients. Ask your friends who have made stellar progress over the last few years.
Take it all in and keep an open mind.
Dogmatic practices of “carbs are bad”, “fat is bad”, “vegan is best,” “gluten is the devil”, really don’t have a place in an a well-balanced life.
Trust me, I’ve been there.
But maybe “lazy” isn’t the proper term here.
Perhaps the better way to put it is we’ve been conditioned to expect instant gratification.
If we don’t see results the day before yesterday, then clearly it’s a waste of time, right?
Society’s advertising and marketing is based on this.
Amazon prime that guarantees delivery by tomorrow. Bank transfers that happen in less than a second. Email confirmations and information that travels at the speed of light.
We expect everything fast.
So when something is placed infront of us that requires just a little bit more time and effort to accomplish, the task seems unworthy of our time and not worth the investment.
Fitness is that task.
It’s been plopped right in your lap, and it’s a problem that’s never going to be solved overnight. Or in a week. Or a year.
It’s a process that will continually take time.
And that seems to be very off-putting, even scary to most people.
This goes back to the previous points made about quick fix diets and detoxes that promise results.
Just NO.
What YOU Can DO
People like to joke that bartenders are the poor man’s counselor and therapist, so here’s me putting on my bartender cap as I sit here at my desk and type this out.
Anytime I’d solicit advice to those who ask, I would never make it a prescription. Just some friendly information that could help these folks get on the right path to taking control of their fitness.
And the same goes for this post here.
The best thing I could ever tell anyone is to BE PATIENT.
Do your homework folks, the RIGHT information is out there. Talk to trainers who have had success with clients. Ask your friends who have made stellar progress over the last few years.
Take it all in and keep an open mind.
Dogmatic practices of “carbs are bad”, “fat is bad”, “vegan is best,” “gluten is the devil”, really don’t have a place in an a well-balanced life.
Trust me, I’ve been there.
Balance is key
So if you’re someone who’s just starting out on your fitness journey, it’s imperative to be realistic.
The media might promise you is normal to lose 20 pounds in 2 months thanks to shows like The Biggest Loser and all that other overly-hyped stuff on TV, but real life doesn’t happen like that.
If you have more than 30 pounds to lose to really get fit, just know it’s going to take some time.
Enjoy the process and celebrate the little milestones.
Hell, celebrate the day-to-day victories.
Take pride in your discipline to eat a light salad instead of a huge plate of tacos for lunch, and your decision to take the stairs everyday for a week.
And most importantly, don’t let the process consume you, because you WILL burnout.
I’ve seen it happen so many times, both in myself and in clients.
We expect results to happen so fast and we hit the throttle and ramp up to 100 so fast that when results start to slow (and they will at some point), we get discouraged and fall off the wagon.
Life is more than just looking good, but you HAVE to be healthy in order to enjoy life.
Your health will ultimately come down to how happy you are at home spending time with your friends and family.
This is the stuff that really matters here, folks.
So take it from the bartender; EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, folks.
But remember to make time for your fitness and continually work towards bettering yourself physically.
Trust the process, be patient, give a damn, and I guarantee you’ll see the results you’re after.
So if you’re someone who’s just starting out on your fitness journey, it’s imperative to be realistic.
The media might promise you is normal to lose 20 pounds in 2 months thanks to shows like The Biggest Loser and all that other overly-hyped stuff on TV, but real life doesn’t happen like that.
If you have more than 30 pounds to lose to really get fit, just know it’s going to take some time.
Enjoy the process and celebrate the little milestones.
Hell, celebrate the day-to-day victories.
Take pride in your discipline to eat a light salad instead of a huge plate of tacos for lunch, and your decision to take the stairs everyday for a week.
And most importantly, don’t let the process consume you, because you WILL burnout.
I’ve seen it happen so many times, both in myself and in clients.
We expect results to happen so fast and we hit the throttle and ramp up to 100 so fast that when results start to slow (and they will at some point), we get discouraged and fall off the wagon.
Life is more than just looking good, but you HAVE to be healthy in order to enjoy life.
Your health will ultimately come down to how happy you are at home spending time with your friends and family.
This is the stuff that really matters here, folks.
So take it from the bartender; EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, folks.
But remember to make time for your fitness and continually work towards bettering yourself physically.
Trust the process, be patient, give a damn, and I guarantee you’ll see the results you’re after.
