Fit For Life: The Rule of Expectation

Sunday, January 08, 2017

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

How do we set standards for ourselves? Do we set the bar only so high – or do we set it really high? I’m not just talking about exercise and fitness, but in life. If we rise to the level of expectation, then where do we set those expectations? There is so much written on this topic, just Google around and you’ll find it – as it relates to individuals, parenting, business, and even government.

I was watching an aerial video someone posted on Facebook this week. It is a two-minute video showing the state of RI from a helicopter. It shows how beautiful Newport looks in the summer, with the beautiful exquisite homes and coastline, sailboats in the bay, and lush green foliage. Most of the comments on the video were stating how we forget how nice this state really is. One person called it a gem. My response, to myself, was: are you kidding me? The video showed “everything good about this state”. And it did it in two minutes, flat. Sure, Newport in the summer. Who can argue with that? But, also, how limiting is that? That’s it? Eight to ten weeks of nice weather in one of the most expensive, exclusive, towns that RI has to offer? It didn’t show urban parts of Providence, areas around Charles Street or Mineral Spring Avenue. Or many city streets in communities like North Providence or Pawtucket, lined with strip malls and abandoned stores, potholes and traffic. Dismal in the middle of January; probably not much better shown in an aerial shot in the middle of summer.

Then one day during my commute from North Main Street to the Providence Post Office, I observed the tenement homes, old automobiles, and the people walking into gas station convenience stores where food is now being advertised for sale, and realized that under many circumstances in life, the percentage of good things to bad things is severely unbalanced. True, some of this is due to our downward economic trends, but even in the best of times, most people in this country are not rich and successful, do not own expensive automobiles, live in spacious homes, and take lush vacations. As a matter of fact, less than 20% do.

Most people are not in shape, or healthy either. Obesity is at about 33% and rising, and cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, are rising to alarming numbers, and the last figure I heard had only 13% of the population actually exercising. This holds true in other facets of life also. Look at sports teams: Even the pros. What percentage of a pro football team (53 players) are actual superstars that will make it to the Hall of Fame? Maybe 3% of them; and that’s generous. And, if we look at how many young great athletes there are, how many actually make it pro? Or even compete at a college level? How many people are trying to be actors, and how many are really successful?

Raising the bar…

So my question to you is who do you compare yourself to? Where are your standards? What is your measure of success? Your expectation for yourself? Do you compare your situation to people that have it worse than you? Do you say to yourself, ”yeah, I am out of shape, but my friend is fatter than me, so its ok”? Do you look at your financial situation, and say, “at least I am not like him, he is bankrupt, and has lost everything, so I am in better position than he is?” Because if that’s what you are doing, it is time to set the bar a bit higher. I am not saying to try to be something you are not, or change who you are, I am just saying that to improve ones situation, you need to try to emulate success. You don’t need to turn life into a competition, just strive to be better than you are right now. I never compare my situation with people that have it worse than me, but I do compare myself to the ones that are doing better in things that are important to me, and there are a lot of both out there. I look at successful people and think, success came from somewhere, like drive, desire, and dedication, I have all three, and someday that will be me, too. I also know that in most situations when I am around lots of people that I am in better shape than 90% of the people in the room. But, I always do look at or try to find someone better and think, I can get there if I try. I look at a guy like Tom Brady, and think wow, he has it all: super model wife, hall of fame career, and is living the dream. I don’t get discouraged, because I know he is in the minority, and a rare breed. I do sometimes think, though, “I could kick his a__ in a mountain bike race”, or, “he doesn’t have the talent to tile a bathroom, and I do” (I know, he doesn’t need to, either), but I don’t get down on myself, or dislike him for it, I just try harder to be a better me.

I didn’t write this with negative intentions, just trying to open peoples’ eyes, and give motivation to aim higher, and strive to be above the average. Remember the Rule of Expectation. It’s true. And working towards your goals is a better place to be and I try everyday to get there. This works for business, politics, in government, and in our families, too.

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.

Prev Next

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

Prev Next

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

Prev Next

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

Prev Next

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

Prev Next

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

Prev Next

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

Prev Next

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