If the fitness industry is lacking anything, the number of labels and varying systems of nutrition or activity is not one of them. All you need to do is look at the fitness section of magazines or open the health and fitness tab in the news app on your phone to see that there are countless systems out there to reach your health and performance goals. Everything has a special name associated with it, everything is labeled to distinguish itself from the other labels out there. When you read about each of these styles of training or eating, the claims, and promises that each is the best for everyone also accompany it. There is an idea promoted that just because you associate yourself with their label, you will enjoy the benefits promised. The idea that the label is equivalent to results is very prevalent and misleading, and if by the end of this post only one thing sticks with you, let it be the following message:
Labels mean nothing unless they are followed by honest and intentional action. Action produces results, action enables progress, action is the most important part of the process.
If you look at any brand or name out there that has risen above the rest and stood out, there is one thing that they have in common. A number of athletes or people that have achieved success by using their products or services. A common misconception associated to their success is that the product is THE direct cause of the end result. Many say that it was a particular system that enabled success. Others will point out that they couldn’t have achieved their goals without their label or brand or system.
There is a huge problem with this line of thinking. Imagine you just bought a brand new high-performance sports vehicle, 700hp, supercharged, high-performance transmission and suspensions system… the works. And now it sits in your garage nicely polished under amazing display lights for your neighbors to see and admire. Even with all that potential power and top of the line product, you never drive it. It’s potential for high performance is nothing, because it is never used. Likewise, even the non-existent “perfect” system will mean absolutely nothing unless it is put to use.
An important concept to keep in mind about health and fitness is that when it all comes down to the end-all-be-all goal of any labeled training or nutrition system, enabling the body to do more and feel better is it. There are so many ways to demonstrate performance with the body that it is impossible to label a perfect system. Some people may want to run faster, others will wish to lift more, many people want to climb up stairs pain-free, the possible ways to improve human movement is limitless. No single system is capable of addressing every possible aspect of physical fitness and no single style of activity is the “best”. What can be said, however, is that there are a number of labels out there that promote good practices, that are tried and true methodologies of performance and health that were developed based on sound principles. But even these programs are nothing without the effort placed into them by those who subscribe to the principles.
The issue that people run into without proper guidance in their pursuit of strength is blindly following colleagues, family members, celebrities, etc into a particular fitness label and closing their minds to other possibilities. This can lead to problems:
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They can often fall into the belief that because the brand has so many professional athletes or a large number of “success stories”, they are guaranteed to enjoy the same results. The initial boost of morale can often produce a momentary improvement. Trying something new, whether it be a product, a supplement, a piece of equipment, any label… is always going to invigorate the mind when there is a belief that it will help the cause. What fades after a short amount of time is the consistency, after a week, the expectations (often unrealistic) have not been met, motivation diminishes, and faith in the label is all that is left with the lingering feeling that it caused a positive change in the beginning so it must be right.
On the other hand, some people will find tremendous success with a label, they’ll be so into it that they will promote it to their friends and belittle them if they don’t follow suit. To these individuals, there is no other way that could possibly exist that can help others and provide benefits physically or otherwise. They ignore the fact that each label specializes in particular areas of fitness. They forget that there is more than 1 way to succeed physically or improve performance athletically.
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The label you choose to follow is important. Whether it be a brand or a system, it means something to you and helps you get closer to a particular goal you have set for yourself. You should study the many systems available to you and discover which one is going to align itself with your goals and personality the best. Then, you must act. Just because you buy a membership to the world’s greatest workout or fitness system, it will provide no benefit without action on your part. There are so many good quality labels in the fitness industry and each of them has something to offer. This is why ACTIONS far outweigh the importance of the label. Put more pride in your work rather than your system. Let your actions, your performance, and your achievements speak louder than your label.
Here at Nutrishop Meridan, Boise, and Nampa we do our due diligence researching and partnering with the best labels in the business so you can come in the store and chose from the best supplements for your fitness goals. On top of that, we provide the support in-house and with our amazing gym partners throughout the Treasure Valley to help you take action and reach your goals. You can reach out to us anytime for nutritional support and free meal plans.
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