The Most Important Thing to Consider When Starting Any Fitness Program
Knowing your reasons for starting your training journey are important, but there's one key thing to remember when starting.
Below I share the 5 key reasons people start martial arts and self defense training, shared with me over the years, followed by the most important thing to consider.
I have been instructing and coaching at the Wise Warrior Gym (formerly the REAL Self Defense Center) here in Edmonton for more than 25 years. Over the years I have become aware of the key areas that motivate people to decide and make the choice to begin the training journey.
Here are some of the key reasons people have shared with me when they inquire about martial art and self-defense training:
Personal and family safety.
They are looking for REAL martial art and REAL self-defense training. They want to feel safer and feel they could effectively deal with confrontation or a violent situation.
Fitness and health.
They want to get back into shape, have more energy, and feel good about their health.
Variety.
They are bored of the mundane repetitiveness of the weight training, cardio machines, and so on. They are looking for a more enjoyable way of getting fit.
Martial art enthusiast.
The have been involved with martial arts and want to start again. Or they never trained in martial arts before but have always wanted to start.
Martial art warriorship lifestyle.
They embrace the philosophical, attitudinal idea of living a warriorship lifestyle.
KNOWING YOUR REASONS IS IMPORTANT, BUT...
None of the above motivations and reasons is better than the other. Anyone who has been involved in martial arts for awhile will have discovered that their motivations have changed several times.
Knowing your reasons is important because your reasons help guide the direction and shape of your journey. But there's one key thing to keep in mind with any program.
STARTING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP
Whatever your reasons, the most important thing is just to START.
When asked, "What's the best fitness program for me?" The answer is: "The one that you do."
The most important thing is to show up.
The contest lasts for moments
Though the training’s taken years
It wasn’t the winning alone that was worth the work and the tears
The applause will be forgotten
The prize will be misplaced
But the long hard hours of practice
Will never be a waste
For in trying to win you build a skill
You learn that winning depends on will
You never grow by how much you win
You only grow by how much you put in
So any new challenge you’ve just begun put forth your best and you’ve already won
—W.A. Clennan
Calen Paine
Calen Paine helps people develop functional personal protection and combative skills while bringing a holistic lens to develop the whole person. He is an expert at putting together user-friendly martial art systems that work in the real world.
If you're interested in taking safety into your own hands then definitely check out our free training.
Calen Paine
Calen Paine helps people develop functional personal protection and combative skills while bringing a holistic lens to develop the whole person. He is an expert at putting together user-friendly martial art systems that work in the real world.
If you're interested in taking safety into your own hands then definitely check out our free training.
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