Fit For Life: Make it a Touchdown

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Today, I’m writing this fresh off the football practice field because I am fired up after pumping the team up for the weekend game against the powerful High School football team.

We won last Friday, but there was no celebration on Monday. I didn’t overly commend them for their victory. In fact, I reprimanded them for the sloppiness they displayed throughout the game. We beat a lower division team because we were physically more dominant than they were, not because we played great. I told them that no extra credit will be given because they did their job, and this was a game we were supposed to win.

Now, before you start thinking “what a hard ass, those poor kids” I want to tell you that I complimented them on all the improvements they made since the start of the season, and how much better shape they are in right now because they worked hard. I also told them that even though the win won’t be acknowledged as a great one, it is one step closer to our goal, and that’s the championship. AND - NOTHING LESS!

Football is a lot like life.

What does high school football have to do with you? Actually nothing, in and of itself. But - its the message. Every time you exercise, every piece of broccoli you choose to eat, every protein drink you have, and every temptation you resist, you’re one step closer to your goal. Because every time you do one of these things, it will enable you to improve. Look at life as a long football season, every meal is a snap of the ball, every workout session is a first down, every pound lost is a quarter played, and every year you are lighter than last year, or more fit and healthy, is another season completed. The question you need to ask yourself is are you going to contend for the title? What’s the title? The title is your health and fitness goal. Or ask yourself if you are going to fumble, throw interceptions, and self sabotage? You have all the answers.

In it to win it.

Football and life are similar because there really isn’t any middle ground. Either you put your head down and attack, or you will get knocked back. You can’t approach either venture half way and expect to be successful, and that goes for your health and fitness too. Those of you who take the hard core approach are getting results, by training, eating healthy, and living the health and fitness lifestyle 100%. You are showing up at the gym, grinding out the sweat, and going home to healthy meals. Those of you that are only going half way aren’t getting as favorable results, and those of you that aren’t applying any effort, well……..you will stay the same, and maybe get worse.

Get in the game.

So it’s up to you if you want to achieve results or not. Don’t say “I can’t do it” because if you want something bad enough it’s a matter of programming your mind and be willing to invest some hard work. If other busy people with careers, and families can do it, so can you. If you need assistance, and motivation, you can reach out to me and I will guarantee your path to results.

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