03/26/2013

The Spark

Don't wait for motivation to find you; go find it today.

Are you ready to commit to 1% a day? Join the Spark Challenge now!  https://www.fitocracy.com/spark/

If you’re like most people, you’re probably waiting for it.

You’ve probably joined a gym sometime in the past 5 years. You’ve bought the fitness magazines. You threw out all the junk food last January.

You’ve been reading about the obesity crisis, about how this generation of kids is going to be the first to live shorter lives than their parents, and you’re ready to do your part. I don’t need to go over the statistics.

But you’re stuck. You can’t get moving.

I have a name for what you’re waiting for – I call it The Spark.

At some point, if you wait long enough, the spark will probably hit you.

I’ve seen the spark light a fire under someone who couldn’t follow his toddlers around without taking a break, someone who got sick of wearing an oversize t-shirt over her swimsuit at the beach, and someone who found himself in the ER after suffering his first heart attack. When the spark finds you, it normally isn’t pleasant.

My goal, with this website, and in promoting fitness throughout my life, is to help you go find your own spark, instead of waiting for it to find you.

You don’t have to enter the next Mr. Olympia. You don’t have to have a six-pack in six-months.

I only want you to commit to two things for now.

  1. Give me 15 minutes a day. That is 1 percent of your day. All I’m asking is that you do something for your health and fitness 1 percent of your day? It’s true. I’ll talk more about this later. I’ll show you a workout that you can do in 15 minutes, wherever you are. Maybe you need your 15 minutes to plan a healthier menu for the week. But for now I want you to take 1 percent of each day and make it all about you living a healthier life. Trust me, if you make the 1 Percent pledge, you’ll find yourself doing more.
     
  2. Convince someone else to join you. Your family, your best friend, your coworker. This is a movement – and it will only work with followers. So start leading.  All the great movements – from the Civil Rights movement, to women’s suffrage, to the end of Apartheid in South Africa – didn’t start with governments or authorities – they started with people. And they worked because they convinced others to join and created momentum that allowed them to be successful. It’s called a movement for a reason. Stop waiting around and get others to join us.

If you’re already giving your 15 minutes a day, if you’re slaving away with your squats and deadlifts, if you’re eating 12 chicken breasts a day, you might be thinking, “Arnold, we didn’t come here for this. We came here for real motivation. The monster workouts you used to do. Not to hear you talk about 1 percent of our day. We are giving 110%!”

I only have 3 things to say to you.

First, relax.

Second, did you even read number 2? I don’t care if you have the best body in your gym. At some point you need to look past the mirror, and find other people to inspire. You’re not fulfilling your commitment if you aren’t convincing others to join your healthy and fit lifestyle. I loved being the greatest bodybuilder of all time. But I got much more pleasure when I started sharing my love of fitness with others. It was one thing to win trophies. It was another to tell people that one day there would be more gyms than supermarkets in America, and watch it happen.

Finally, you’ll see my old workouts. I’ll even give you some of that Hans and Franz motivation about baby poop and pumping you up.

I built this website for everyone. Because no one can fight obesity alone. We need a genuine movement.

To get moving, we need to spread the spark.  If you’re waiting for it, stop and commit 1 percent of your day to finding it. If you’ve found it, share it with someone else.

Don’t wait.

For my part, I promise to give you motivation here. I’ll share workouts.  I'll tell you about my challenges. I’ll find the best experts and have them contribute their knowledge. I’ll do everything I can to make this website a cultivator of the spark.

I can’t wait.

Are you ready to commit to 1% a day? Join the Spark Challenge now!  https://www.fitocracy.com/spark/



Tags: arnold, spark