Fit for Life: I Compete with Death

Saturday, November 06, 2021

Matt Espeut, Health & Lifestyle Contributor

 

View Larger +

Other gyms in my area are not my competition.

Many people ask me if the “big box” gym next door, or any other gyms in the area pose a threat to my business, and I always say no because every gym is different, and each appeals to a different crowd.

With 313 million people in this country and over 1/2 of them are overweight, at risk, or just out of shape, I am not worried there will ever be a shortage of people needing help improving their health and fitness.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

It’s all because we solve a big problem that many people have. Besides, other gyms are on the same mission, and there is plenty of people that need help, to go around.

What I compete with is far more powerful and deadly than other fitness businesses in the area.

Pre-Halloween, I was listening to a commercial, on the radio for a local “smoke shop”.

I was listening half-amused & half in amazement.

 

The narrator attempting to sound scary had a growling voice trying to imitate the grim reaper or the devil. Pretending to be watching over high-risk occupations, such as grave diggers & commercial fishermen, telling them that they were easy prey, he then went on to praise the local smoke shop owner.

Thanks for promoting lung cancer, and heart disease, he chuckled. “I like this guy”, referring to the owner of the smoke shop.

Then it hit me that my competition isn’t other fitness pros, but the addictions, habits, and mindset of the general population.

The things that fight against our mission of trying to get people fit and healthy, by causing sickness and death.

We try to entice people to come to Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, so they can benefit from our HIIT workouts, gain strength and endurance, while the smoke shops are working hard at doing the opposite.

The labels on the package even tell you that you will die consuming this product, yet the addiction is so strong, people do it anyway.

That’s just one element of competition we are faced with.

 

Here’s a list of a few others.

 

Fast food: It’s tasty, cheap, and sure to add inches to your waistline. The signs are colorful, it’s quick and easy, and the mega contributors spend millions on advertising to get you hooked. How do you compete with that? Go to the gym, do burpees, and sweat, or drive your car to a window and buy French fries and a vanilla shake? Easy choice for some.

 

Today’s soft drinks, contain more sugar per serving than you should consume in a day, and again, they are everywhere you look. When you go to a conventional supermarket, 85% of what’s in the store is processed and artificial. Not fit for human consumption in my opinion, yet you see shopping carts heaped with this crap. Some people have healthy intentions, but lack of knowledge and false packaging trick them into buying garbage food in abundance.

 

So, we are battling not only the supermarket that sells the stuff, but the big food companies that produce it, and the government that allows it to be produced. Talk about some stiff competition.

Therefore, we offer nutrition consults and body scans to all our members. We educate them on what to eat and warn them of all the unhealthy food to avoid.  

 

Pharmaceutical medication. You see ads on tv nightly, and doctors pass it out like Halloween candy. Most medication would be unnecessary if people made lifestyle adjustments, cleaned up their diets, exercised, and slept, but why do all that when a pill can make you seemingly feel better? Many don’t realize they are treating the symptom, and not the underlying problem, then they get sicker from the meds. It’s called being reactive as opposed to being proactive.

 

If you think competing with other fitness businesses is tough? Try battling big Pharma.

We have had numerous members decrease or eliminate different medications, due to improved lifestyle, so we are winning a few battles, but still many more to go.

 

Poor discipline: The gym is no match for a warm bed & the snooze button on a rainy morning unless you have unshakable discipline. The path of least resistance is a tough opponent when you are trying to teach people how to create habits and become more disciplined.

 

We try to encourage our members to attend a minimum of 3 times per week for optimal results. When you make it a regular part of your schedule, it not only makes you start feeling better, but it creates a good habit. When you create a habit, you need to rely less on discipline because it becomes part of your routine.  

Excuses are the last opponent I will talk about on my list of competitions and battles a gym faces daily.

Some are valid, and some are not. I heard a saying once that said, “Your excuses may be valid, but they do NOT excuse you from your responsibility”.

 

Everyone is responsible for taking care of themselves, and there is no excuse not to, yet people make them every day.

No time. The kids. Work, blah blah blah. If you want something bad enough, you find a way, if not, make up an excuse.

The resources are there for everyone, so there is no reason to neglect your health and fitness. You only get one body, so it’s up to you to make the time, and find a way to take good care of it.

So now you can see why I don’t consider other gyms my biggest competition. They are actually allies in the big picture, that are fighting the same competition I am. Struggling to get people into the gym isn’t caused by other gyms, it’s the opponents that I listed above that make it difficult to change people for the better.

It’s either join us, or the grim reaper will come calling. We will keep fighting to help you make the right choice, but it’s up to you to decide.

 

Committed to your success,

Coach Matt

P.S. - We have helped hundreds improve their health and fitness, and we can help you too.

Just CLICK HERE, and try us out FREE. No commitment, no obligation. (You will be glad you did)

 

Related Articles

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook