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Whatever you may say, the body depends on the soul.

Nikolai Gogol

I ended my last post with the underlying and unifying passion that drives me in this industry.

Empowerment.

Most trainers and physical therapists in the fitness industry believe there is no greater sense of satisfaction than to see tangible and dramatic changes in their clients. Their clients themselves will seek the same nirvana, the same raison d’être.

Everyone wants to see results.

Think about that for a moment.

Is it the weight-loss, or the muscle gain, or the 5″ of extra vertical jump that will allow you to lead the life you not only want, but deserve? Is it those “results” that let you take control of your destiny and allow you to follow your dreams? Is that what will get you out of bed in the morning, looking forward to the day? Is that what truly breaks your own personal “quiet desperation”?

“How much do you bench?”

Gym Dude

Sound familiar? When asked about their amazing transformations, my clients are more likely to talk about their numbers and their hard data:

“I lost 23 lbs”

“I dropped 7% body fat”

“I put on 8 lbs of muscle”

Or, they may talk about what everyone else is saying about their changes.

“At work yesterday, my co-workers asked me if I’ve lost weight.”

“I was out for lunch with my friends and they noticed the change in my arms”

But when taking the time to actually listen to what they’re saying, the message is quite different. It’s not just the numbers, it’s not just the physical changes.

It’s much, much more.

As a trainer and physical therapist, I’ve gotten caught up in the fitness game, aiming for those specific measures, aiming for that ideal percentage and following along in an industry dominated by numbers, facts, figures and a whole lot of fiction.

I lost sight of why I got involved in the first place, what my purpose was, what my reason was.

For my clients, those numbers offer instant gratification, at times worn like a badge of honour and pride. And deservedly so.

However, more importantly, and lost to me until just recently reminded, those numbers are actually an external display of a more important internal transformation.

From kitten to lion

It’s that fundamental soul-shift, that subtle change, that allows my clients to not only experience the life they want, but create the life they deserve.

The changes start gradually. Posture improves. Confidence and self-esteem slowly increase. Energy begins to appear in abundance.

They are empowered through exercise. And motivated by movement.

They can face our challenging world and all the daily stresses, battles, and commitments: deadlines, time lines, bills, family and friends. They can keep smiling. They can be true to themselves.

They can live guilt-free.

And because of this, they impact those around them and spread that positive energy.

They can live powerfully.

Dev Chengkalath

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Henry David Thoreau

This was a quote from the keynote address given by Brian Grasso, founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), at a fitness conference I attended a few months back.

What a powerful statement. And what a powerful keynote speech.

Although the quote and the speech were not directly related to health, fitness, physical therapy, or human movement, they did stir something deep inside of me.

An awakening.

I had to really figure out what I’m doing and what I’d like to accomplish in this field.

I had to stop and think about what gets me up in the morning and excited to start my day and what keeps me going and wanting to learn more, do more and be more.

I spent much of the conference doing what I should have done years ago.

I had to find myself.

Have you ever stopped, paused and taken stock of your life?

It’s not easy at all.

There are definitely ghosts to confront and skeletons to battle. You become vulnerable to those around you. And even more vulnerable to yourself.

That’s a scary position to be in.

In any industry. In any situation. Let alone in the “macho” and “testosterone-fueled” field of fitness and high performance where confidence and bravado reign supreme.

I had to take a deep, hard look at who I was, and what I wanted to achieve. I had to find my inner motivation. I had to find what drives me.

I had to find my passion.

I remember going to bed that night after having mulled my “quiet desperation” all day.

I remember waking up the next morning with a new clarity, a new sense of awareness, a sharper sense of self.

I had teased out the source of the passion in all that I do for my clients; for those looking for body transformations or looking to lose weight; for those looking to gain muscle mass; for those looking to become stronger; for those looking to improve performance and even for those looking to live their lives pain free.

There was one underlying and unifying motivation that has compelled me to serve my clients better.

That compels me to serve my clients better.

Empowerment.

Dev Chengkalath

Sir Issac Newton: Movement Guy

Though this post doesn’t deal with Human Movement directly, it does touch upon a broader sense of “inertia” which loosely defined from Sir Issac Newton’s 1st Law states that “a body in motion tends to remain in motion and a body at rest tends to remain at rest, unless acted upon by an external force.”

In my case, it was my own resistance to moving beyond the status quo, my comfort, my excuses. I was staying at rest. Immobile.

And it was my fault.

Have you ever wondered what you could really and truly accomplish in only one hundred days if you focused all your energy on it?

Think about it.

The only real difference between those that are successful and those that don’t enjoy the same success is usually related to two words: “taking action”.

Adding that external force. Action.

A while back, I came across a fantastic step-by-step success blueprint created by one of the United Kingdom’s most successful personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs, Dax Moy.

Me and Dax: He really is that much taller than me.

In my excitement I immediately invested in the same program that so many others had used to craft their own success.

I was tired of, as Dax calls it, “serial goal setting” and was finally ready for “serial goal getting“.

Note the incredible difference between the meaning of those two phrases with just one word changed!

That evening, I read through all the information and listened to all the audio. I was stoked and jazzed as I downloaded the program and was ready for my next 100 days towards success. I was going to get things done!

Then what happened?

Life.

My work schedule as a physical therapist and human movement specialist filled up and expanded, surprise medical-legal reports from years long forgotten popped up, a few personal projects with pressing deadlines “suddenly” appeared.

It was like the world conspired against me.

Inertia struck again.

Isn’t that typical?

We end up being our own roadblock to achieving our success.

With all those “immediate” obligations, I didn’t even get started on my own journey of a hundred days. I didn’t write out all the things I wanted to work towards in those few months; the trips; the financial achievements; the educational pursuits; those personal and professional goals that would lead me towards self-actualization.

Serious Goal Getting

Now that things have settled down and I have some time to truly start the habit forming, I’ve dug out the powerful message extolled by Dax and am going to start (again!) immediately.

Through this blog, which was one of the goals I had set for myself to accomplish in the past, I hope to share with you a bit of my journey and perhaps encourage you to work on your own magic 100.

This program definitely gave me the push I needed to get working with Rocco and he’s definitely been a tremendous asset in my corner. Thanks again Rocco!

If you’re interested in learning more about Dax’s incredible program of self discovery and empowerment, check it out HERE.

Set those goals. Get those goals.

Let the journey begin.

To your success.

Dev Chengkalath