Moving is like eating. Regardless of conscious choice, you will do both of these things. So the only question is what will be the quality of your eating and moving life?

I think we can all agree…

Eating only processed crap is not healthy.

1. Eating fewer processed products, more fresh produce, and well balanced meals is an important first step.
2. Choosing to do it willingly without praise, fear, or bribery is great.
3. Enjoying and seeking out fresh, real foods as an integrated part of your lifestyle is wonderful.
4. Being able to create and cook these meals from scratch is excellent.

Having the knowledge to cook your meals from a variety of ingredients is a wonderfully liberating skill. It doesn’t mean you don’t buy shortcuts or grab-and-go foods. It doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy eating out. It means you have more freedom with more choices. It means you’ll be a more educated, appreciative consumer both in the grocery store and dining out.

I think we can all agree…

Moving only from bed to car to desk to couch is not healthy.

1. Sitting less, moving more, and adding exercise is an important first step.
2. Choosing to do it willingly without praise, fear, or bribery is great.
3. Enjoying and seeking out activity in a variety of forms as part of your lifestyle is wonderful.
4. Being able to create and do your own workout or training plan is excellent.

Let that sink in.

Having the knowledge and skill to craft your own workout or plan – to coach yourself – means you’ll have more freedom with more choices and be a more educated appreciative consumer and participant of the activities you do.

You don’t need to be a professionally trained chef to feel more competent in your own kitchen. You don’t need a certification to feel more independent in your athletic life.

You don’t need to go from peanut butter and jelly to creating a four course dinner party. You don’t need to go from follow-along videos to creating an annual multi-sport training plan.

Just because you can make a well balanced meal you love doesn’t mean you can’t ever have pizza for breakfast and ice cream for dinner or pay a restaurant to make you a meal you could have cooked yourself. Just because you can do the workout you wrote yourself doesn’t mean you became a fitness monster-robot who has no other interests. It doesn’t mean you can’t go to group workouts, have a trainer, or get coached. It just means you have more choices and are not entirely dependent on outside sources.

How do you learn to coach yourself without getting a professional certification?

That’s why I created Zest Ed. Learning to “cook your fitness” is what the Athletic Development Program is all about. It’s an investment in becoming more independent at crafting your own athletic life. It is experiential education – while you work towards your athletic goals you not only do the workouts but learn how and why they were written for you that way.

You can also read books, watch webinars, go to seminars, scour the internet, ask training partners, participate in online forums, and test things on yourself. Actually even if you were were in my Zest Ed Athletic Development Program, I’d still encourage you to be an active curious learner; you’d just be doing it with guidance.