Fit For Life: It Is What it is – or is it?

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Life isn't the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference. This is a quote I have been hanging on to for a while. I like this quote because it's very general, and it holds true for everyone.

We all have plans, visions, and dreams, but they aren't all going to come true. Life is full of hard knocks, twists and turns, and unexpected episodes that will throw you off course. It's inevitable that in every arena of our lives, whether it be personal or professional, we are going to encounter setbacks and losses, and it depends on you and your actions how things get resolved.

So I ask you, how do you deal with adversity? Are you a quitter, or you a fighter?

Are you a quitter?

When problems arise, the quitter will respond in a few different ways. They will sit and wallow about all the bad things that happen to them and blame other people or circumstances when they don't achieve their goals. They very rarely take responsibility for their actions, and when things don't go as planned they give up. I see it in my line of work all the time. Someone will be doing great. They will get their workouts in, prep their meals, eat healthy, and be on the path to achieving their goals, then something will go wrong at work, or home, and poof, months of hard work and discipline go to waste.

Quitters will always find a way to self-sabotage and make matters worse. Rather than resolve the issue at hand, they do things to set themselves back even further. We all know someone that struggled to transform their bodies, but when they hit a bump in the road, they throw it all away and regress. To me this is crazy because rather than fixing a small problem or issue, the quitter will create larger problems or dig themselves into a deeper hole, and this is why quitters never succeed.

You will never have a day in any business without problems. The day you walk into your business and every client loves you, the staff is dressed and on time, there is money in the bank, everything is working, your competitor just closed and your favorite cup of coffee is sitting hot and steaming on your desk - is the day you have died. You are not really in your business. You are in business-heaven and God just hasn't gotten around to breaking the news to you yet.

Or - are you a fighter?

This is another quote I like to read when things aren't going according to plans because this also is a very true statement, and when you realize life isn't all fun and games, you turn into a fighter. A fighter is the opposite of the quitter. A fighter will keep getting up regardless of how many times they get knocked down. A fighter takes responsibility for their own actions, and attacks problems and issues head on. They don't have time to sit around and cry "why me". They refuse to let negative events drain their energy, or derail their plans. They still make the time to take care of themselves during times of adversity and they won't let the small problems escalate into bigger ones. When something happens to them that's out of their control, they will still find a way to survive and keep moving forward and let nothing get in the way of their goals and visions. A fighter will accept that life is the way it is, and will cope with it, while a quitter will let issues and problems get the best of them and bring them down.

So take a long look at yourself in the mirror and decide how you will attack this thing called life. Are you a quitter or a fighter?

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one!

Related Slideshow: The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps

Here is a list of some of the most obsession worthy health apps.

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MapMyRun

MapMyRun is the number one selling running app for a reason: it is easy to use, offers community support if you want it, and tracks and stores your exact routes for you. If you are training for a race or a serious runner, users say that the extra perks in the upgraded paid version are well worth it.

Made for iPhone, Android and Blackberry

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MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal seems to be the clear favorite amongst everyone polled. It is helpful not only for the fitness tracking aspect, but everyone polled mentioned how much they loved the food/diet aspect as well. From carb counting for diabetics to recipe ideas to complement your fitness goals, users love this app.

Made for iPhone and Android

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JeFit

JeFit is another fitness app that has rave reviews. It not only tracks progress for you, but offers a huge database of workouts. While many apps offer community support, JeFit allows you to sync workouts with friends who use the app, offering a (real) virtual buddy system.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Strava

Strava gets the highest mark of all the cycling apps. While it is also great for runners, the cyclers seem particularly inclined towards the fierce competition that can be ignited by this app. You can track all of your rides via GPS, then you can compare your efforts to those logged by others in the community on the same stretch of road. You can also join ongoing challenges that can net you great prizes (in addition to bragging rights).

Made for iPhone and Android

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YogaStudio

YogaStudio gets the top vote for Yoga apps. It has a lengthy collection of full class-length videos available at your fingertips. Unlike many other apps, this one also allows you to customize your own video yoga class. All of the poses are done by qualified yoga instructors, and you can find classes suitable for all levels of yogis.

Made for iPhone only

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SimplyBeing

SimplyBeing meditation app offers the best of both worlds. You can choose to run this app as a background for your meditation with soothing music or natural sounds that run for a set amount of time. Conversely, for those of you who have trouble focusing during meditation, you can choose a soothing voice-guided meditation.

Made for iPhone and Android

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Fooducate

Fooducate is an app all about educating people so that they make healthier food choices. Although not perfect, this app is easy to use (you can even take pictures of bar codes to instantly find foods in their database). It gives food a letter grade, tells you the pluses and minuses, and gives you better ranked alternatives. You can also use it as a weight loss tool by tracking your daily calories.

Made for iPhone and Android