You live in an age of technological efficiency. Smartphones and ‘Apps’ make everything from shopping to making appointments something we do whilst laying in bed. Life is speeding up. Instant downloads, live streaming and one hour delivery slots mean you can live life in the fast lane. But what about your health and fitness? Can we get a quick fitness fix? Can we short cut our way to improvements in fitness? Nope! Not going to happen. Having spent years as a mobile personal trainer in Fulham, here I highlight the simple fact that the human body hasn’t evolved with technology.
A culture of ‘I want it now’
Through no fault of their own, younger generations are growing up in a world of instant feedback and instant gratification. Video games can be reset to try again at the high score. Smartphone and computer technology place knowledge at the tap of a button – no more trawling through hours of reading books. Even in sports, wearable technology provides instant feedback on movement patterns, energy dynamics and productivity. If you want it, big data is available at a drop of a hat.
And so we see the ‘I want it now’ culture creeping into fitness. For example ‘HIIT training’ has become popular for producing faster improvements in fitness with minimal amounts of time spent training. Fitness professionals are buying into this quick fitness fix culture too. Preying upon peoples desire for instant results we see a plethora of training programmes designed to get you shredded, ripped and beach ready in just a few weeks? Really? What a load of ****!
Technology has facilitated a quick fitness fix culture
Someone forgot to upgrade our DNA
Technology may be taking over our lives but it hasn’t and can’t take over our body’s response to exercise. Unlike the latest software update to make our smartphones and computers run faster, there is no such update for the human body. For all intents and purpose the human body hasn’t evolved too much for thousands of years. This is where the disconnect comes between genuine health and fitness compared to other areas of our lives. True fitness and health takes months and years to achieve – the body adapts very gradually to any fitness stimulus it is given.
As a mobile personal trainer in Fulham one of my key objectives is helping clients to manage their expectations when it comes to their improvements in fitness. Excited by the prospect of achieving their goals, the process of achieving them takes somewhat longer if it’s to be done properly.
