I see all these adds on TV and the internet for all these products and programs where you can “get fit” without even breaking a sweat, or doing anything yourself. Do people actually believe these things work? Seriously!?

Listen up here folks; I am going to save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on crappy products and rip-off programs. There is no shortcut. None. Getting fit is hard work, and staying fit is more of the same. You can’t sit on a rotating chair and hula your way to a 6-pack; you can’t stand on a vibrating platform and magically develop tight glutes. (thems your butt muscles) If you want a 6 pack you need to eat super clean and get your body fat way down. If you want tight glutes then you have to squat.

The fact of the matter is people will do anything to lose weight and get fit. Except eat a clean diet and exercise. You have to eat REAL food, not supplements, not protein bars, not super soy pumped mega processed health treat. REAL FOOD! You all know what real food is right? Fruit, vegetables, meat, nuts and seeds; all things that grow in nature. Make sure you eat some protein with every meal and every snack. Now that all the mysteries of a proper diet have been revealed, it’s time to blow the lid off exercise.

Exercise is hard work. It’s supposed to be hard work. If it isn’t hard work then you’re wasting your time. I’m sorry to tell you this but if you aren’t sweating, if you aren’t out of breath, if your heart isn’t racing, then you aren’t accomplishing anything. It all comes down to how much work you’re doing in a given time. When I talk about work I am talking about power output, I am talking about (force x distance)/time. If you aren’t moving more load over greater distances in less time then you are not improving. It is that simple.

So, you want a shortcut? You want “guaranteed results”? I can give it to you, but it won’t be the easy route, not by a long shot. It will hurt, it will be hard, you will sweat, you will cry. But you will get strong, you will get fast, you will get fit.

Quit thinking about the scale and that arbitrary number you have in your head for what you should weigh, and worry about whether or not you are increasing the amount of work you can do. If your work capacity is increasing then you are improving so stick with it. A fit body is not a fat body, a functional body is strong and lean, so work on function and form will follow. And remember, there are no shortcuts. There is no substitute.

I usually leave you with a workout to try, but today I will leave you with something a little different. I want you to really reflect on your routine. How clean do you eat? No really… how clean do you eat. How much of the food in your fridge has barcode? How hard do you really work at the gym? Do you even go?! If you are tired of the progress you’re making (or lack thereof) Then I think you know what to do. Clean it up and get to work.

Chris Walls is a Personal Trainer at the Crossfit Kelowna training centre. For more information on Crossfit, please visit http://www.crossfitkelowna.com