Easy ways don't work

When we want to achieve something, I think most of us are inclined to first test out the easiest and the most effortless way. Unfortunately, in my experience, there is no easy way to success; if something sounds too good to be true, then it most probably is. If you want to achieve something that is important to you, you have to work for it (I am putting it in a bit nicer way than Britney Spears ;-).

Over the years, I have tried many stupid things when it comes to easy ways, both for losing weight and for getting into better shape. For weight loss, I tried all sorts of pills that promise you that you can continue to eat as before and you will simply become slimmer. You won't. I even tried pills prescribed by a doctor; thinking that they will work better. They won't. If you have a serious weight problem, the only thing that works is to change your diet. Not for a short time, and then go back to your previous habits. No, you simply must change your diet for the rest of your life. It is not easy. It actually takes several years to finally become fully comfortable with your new healthier way of eating, without falling back to the old habits. But it is totally worth it! (More about this in the next post.)

I have tried a few easy ways for getting fitter, too. After I started running and feeling in better shape, I thought it was time to tone my muscles. You see, at that time I wasn't really interested in getting stronger, just getting a better physical appearance in an easy way. A friend suggested Bailine, and it sounded like a great idea! In every session, you just lie there for 30 minutes with lots of electrodes attached to your muscles.  The muscles are stimulated and they work while you relax, and you get a work out without lifting a finger.... Well, for me this ended up being a waste of time. I did not notice any improvement of my muscle tone or shrinkage of my waist line; I actually put on some weight during this adventure! I know that some people are actually quite happy with the results that they get with this kind of muscle stimulation. But if you are physically able, then I think your time is so much better spent in actual strength training.

Although I had tried Bailine and was not really impressed, I still went ahead, after a couple of years, and bought a muscle stimulator for home use (the one in the picture). Again, I let myself fool by fancy ads. I was running even more now, and in quite good shape. I thought lying at a Bailine studio was a waste of time, but the home use muscle stimulator sounded like a better idea, since you could use it while doing other things in the house. Of course it did not work; what was I thinking? If you want to tone your muscles or get stronger, you simply have to work for it! However, in the end this did not turn out to be such a stupid buy after all. Since I started to run longer and more often during the last 6-7 months, I find the massage function of this device quite useful. Whenever I have an injury or pain, it helps a lot, along with foam rolling and compression, to apply some mild muscle stimulating massage... "Aldri så galt at det ikke er godt for noe."

Work hard, play hard!