Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 43

“Lifestyle tech”
is a relatively uncommon job title in the music industry (or any-
where else), and so I very often get the question: “What is it that
you do?”
Simply put, I help artists maximize their creativity and per-
formance by addressing aspects of their lifestyle like exercise,
sleep, stress, and nutrition. I coach on movement, nutrition, and
mindset techniques to really bring out the rock star in all aspects
of their lives.
In this article, I want to clear up just what it means to be “fit”
as it relates to you as an artist, industry member, or supporter of
music. There are a lot of opinions out there and it’s my mission to
help educate the industry and encourage people to embrace a
healthier lifestyle.
Stick with me as I debunk three of the most common mis-
conceptions surrounding physical well-being. They just started
calling me the “Rock Doctor” in Australia, so I suppose I’m going
to give you a dose of the medicine that’ll allow you to become
the best version of yourself in no time!
First things first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page with
our terminology: what does it mean to be “fit?” According to the
top definition in the Oxford English Dictionary, it’s anything “Of a
suitable quality, standard, or type to meet the required purpose.”
So out of the gate, it seems that what it means to be fit
is entirely subjective. Fitness means more than just physical
well-being. I conducted a Facebook poll, just to see what the
general consensus was on what “fitness” means to others in
the business. I was blown away with the amount of engage-
ment. Here are some of the responses:
Deb Grasley: “Fitness means life to me. I have figured out
that this body was meant to move.”
Ann Blackwood: “A higher quality of life.”
Teresa Cirillo: “Health and peace of mind.”
Joshua Whiteley: “A clear head.”
Justine Vandergrift: “Energy and mobility.”
Matt Burgener: “Aging gracefully.”
Monte Ashley Mader: “Fitness means stress relief, internal
strength, and self-love to me.”
Olivia Street: “Being able to eat all the cheese I want.”
Kirby Sewell: “Fitness means my mojo to me.”
Sean Gallagher: “Squats.”
I think a lot of people get set in the “all-or-nothing” approach.
If they can’t make it to the gym four or five times per week, eat
“clean” (don’t get me started on that), sleep eight or nine hours
each night, drink a few litres of pure, mineralized water each day,
and enjoy an evening run and yoga class, some feel there’s no
point in even starting.
Whether you believe this is true or not, you’re correct. Think
about that for a sec…
What I recommend to maintain a healthy relationship with
the word “fitness” is to focus on progress over perfection. When
we compare ourselves to anyone, including ourselves (think
middle-aged dudes wanting to be fit like they were in their col-
lege athletics days), we’re setting ourselves up to fall short of our
expectations.
Anyone who has heard me present on this topic is likely fa-
miliar with one of my favourite phrases: “One per cent each day.”
When thinking about your well-being and making im-
provements in your life, concentrate on making one per cent
progress each day. As a precision nutrition coach, this mantra is
a staple in our coaching method to improve lifestyle habits of
the folks we are working with in an effort to maintain a positive
association with the idea of being “fit.”
Remove the expectations! For most of us looking to
improve our lifestyle, let’s use weight loss as an example. We
likely didn’t put on 20 lbs. of body fat overnight, so it isn’t fair
to expect to correct those issues in that same time frame, is it?
Be patient. This is a lifestyle.
Now let’s crack into some of the common myths I’ve
encountered over the years.
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