INTRODUCTION to
THE #MAKEITHAPPEN GUIDE
When someone at a party asks me what I do for a living I often fib and say I work in Human Resources.
Now, this isn’t totally a lie. What I really do, and have done since 2009, is help everyday folks get stronger in their bodies and stronger in their relationships to their bodies. I work in the Strength Department, so to speak; and strength is one of our greatest human resources.
Also, I’m an introvert and I hate to make small talk. With most people, if you say you work in Human Resources, they usually just nod and tend to ignore you for the rest of the night. So this tactic works out great for me.
But the biggest reason why I tell this fib is that if people find out what I do they start asking questions, and they always ask the “wrong” ones.
(For real, there are no “wrong” questions, so it’s more accurate for me to say that folks ask unhelpful questions!)
What people ask me are things like:
Q: “What’s the most important exercise for me to do?”
A: Anything that you’ll actually do.
Q: “What exercise should I do to get rid of this?” (All while grabbing some part of their body that they deem to be unacceptable.)
A: I can’t help with that, since what they’re usually grabbing is an amount of body fat that they believe is “bad;” the truth is that strength, and health, are independent of how fat, thin, short, tall, etc. we are -- you don’t need to change the shape of your body to get stronger or healthier.
The good news is that getting stronger often leads to feeling more confident and comfortable in our bodies, despite what society tells us they should look like, so I know this question will eventually become irrelevant to the person asking it.
Q: “What do you think about Crossfit / yoga / any other highly specific or trendy form of fitness?”
A: If you like it and it gives you what you want: great! But if you’re looking for something “magical” that will “transform” you in “30 days,” then you’ll be looking forever.
Here is the honest-to-god truth: getting stronger requires that you engage consistently over time with the specific behaviors that build and develop strength.
Not much happens in the first 30 days. Have you ever learned to play an instrument? Most likely you were still fumbling through scales at the end of your first month, not effortlessly playing Beethoven from memory!
And to keep any strength that you’ve gained, you must continue to engage with a strength practice over time. Stopped playing piano after your first three months? You’re definitely not going to rock Moonlight Sonata impromptu a year after quitting.
Since getting, and staying, strong requires consistent engagement (which you’ll come to understand through the following guide as establishing regular practice) the “right” question to ask, the most helpful question, becomes, “How do I get myself to regularly practice and maintain that practice consistently over the long term?”
Oh, wow! Thank you for asking! I would love to talk about this!
Man, why don’t I ever get invited to that party? Oh well, I’ll just have to throw that party myself and guess what? You’re invited!
• • •
The #makeithappen Guide contains the most powerful tools that I know, these are tools that I regularly teach my coaching and training clients and also use myself. These tools will help you to establish a regular practice with movement and maintain that consistency over the long term so that you can successfully use the MVMNTCHVRCH program and achieve the results that it is intended to create.
First, I’m going to explain some important concepts around this so you understand and are prepared to use the tools that I provide.
Then, I’ll introduce these tools to you, one by one, in simple and easy to implement ways.
If you’re new to any type of movement practice, MVMNTCHVRCH may feel like an adventure deep into an unexplored wilderness. Think of The #makeithappen Guide as helping you stock your backpack chock full of all the things you’ll need for this adventure, before you set off on your own.
OK, fill up that canteen and let’s #makeithappen!