Final Cause

“First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.” – Aristotle

“Man consists of two parts:  his mind and his body; only the body has more fun.” – Woody Allen

Trying to come to terms with both of these insights is quite the challenge.  On the one hand, there is more information and opportunity for instruction than ever before: for fitness or any other endeavor.

On the other hand, your body is quite capable of overriding any and all mental commands and warnings: when it wants sleep, you either sleep or slog through your responsibilities. When it wants sugar, you either dive headlong into the nearest pint or you set a new record for rude hand gestures in traffic on the way home from work.

And, if given the choice between a hard workout and, say, a Celtics game,  sushi with your friends,  shopping, your couch… well, we all know what happens  most of the time.

So what do you do? Well first, try to take Aristotle’s advice (how often do you hear that phrase?) and define your plan:

#1 – Notice how Aristotle says  “practical ideal“. If you work 8-10 hours a day or have children to take care of 24/7, then “America’s Next Supermodel” might be a little bit of  a lofty goal.  And honestly, not many of us actually need that kind of body. We’d take it if all it took was the flick of a wand, but for the most part we just want to look good.

So, choose a pants-size that you look good in.  That will be your practical ideal.

#2 – The “necessary means” to achieve your goal.  Hey, that’s why I’m here, to provide some guidance; I hesitate to call my opinions “wisdom”, but knowledge and experience count for something.  And I don’t know many people who don’t have access to a gym of some kind. So you have the “wisdom and methods” (a trainer), and the “materials” (a gym). The last part: “the money” is a catch for some.  Understandably so. What that comes down to is defining exactly how important it is for you to look and feel like you’d like to look and feel. Nobody else can judge that.

#3 – “Adjust your means to that end”. Well, if you’ve hired a trainer, joined a gym and have your pants size number in mind, then the “adjustment” needed is the follow-through. You want this, you’ve spent the money to acquire the wisdom and means; now you have to take hold and ask yourself this: “How much ‘fun’ does my body really need to have?”  Or better yet, “How much fun will it be when my body looks good?”

You can get yourself to the gym. You can apply your nutritional plan even when your trainer is nowhere to be seen.  It’s essentially like building a table by following the directions. There are plans out there.  They work.  You just have to get out the hammer and keep whacking until it’s done.