Do you ever think if farmers from a century ago could see what we call a workout these days, they would genuinely be so confused? When they tirelessly endure a full day of manual labour to get paid, but we pay to do pretty much the exact same movements? There is literally a station called Farmer's Carry in Hyrox.
Not to incur the infamous defensive wrath of CrossFit fanatics, but the fitness competition is ultimately a first-world privilege. Sure, it’s a fun bonding activity and a novel personal challenge. Yet if you can’t picture pitching the concept to developing nations; where they are required to purchase not only participation, but training at gyms that specifically provide a dedicated programme (yeah, look it up), then the debate settles itself.
It’s just how the times have fashioned our attitudes. We do crash diets rather than cultivate healthy eating choices. We take pills to sleep rather than incorporate plans to fix terrible bedtime patterns. We shell out thousands for Botox rather than inculcate a lifestyle that actively resists aging.
The only reason why cure looks sexier than prevention is because the latter involves time and effort. And the modern age has convinced us that those are things we can’t afford. Whereas it is certainly much easier to throw money to achieve a quick fix, despite the cost of meagre durability.
For a people who are barely willing to get up to switch the light on and would much prefer telling their robot assistant to do it for them, let’s not be too ambitious. For a society that outsources feeding pets with automatic dispensers, let’s not get carried away.
What self-help books are right about is how we would naturally give up when the time taken to reach the goal is too short; and necessary actions are subsequently big to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be.
If we could simply reframe our expectations from overnight success to small building blocks that set us up for lasting benefit, we might realise that tiny adjustments can eventually ripple larger effects. As psychology proves—what we mistake for willpower is often a hallmark of habit.
90 days of lifestyle modification may seem daunting, but repetition in minute doses usually isn’t. Whether it is using streak-based motivation AKA the Duolingo method, or tying it to an existing daily routine, we have to trust that these little shifts will attain results should we have the patience to see them through.
The greatest impetus is that even if you avoid starting now, the time passes all the same. So why waste three months of what could be foundational moments of helping your future self? Perhaps if we embark on a long-term, balanced way of living, probably then we wouldn’t need to engage in a race to tell us how fit we are for only that particular chapter of life.
