Do “Hard Things” The Easy Way and Get Fit Through Sport Specific Adherence

What does SeaTac and fitness have in common? Nothing. But I start off this episode with a personal micro-rant on the o' so beloved airport and its charming display of "traffic." Nevertheless, the never-ending issues of traffic congestion versus travel efficiency does propose the question, "If one lacks resources, how can one improve?" In today's episode I explore that particular thought through the value of adherence and the ability to stay committed to one's goals. In addition, I discuss the role of specificity and how it can amplify adherence for success. Lastly, I have a confession to make. Spoiler alert: I finally accepted my "sport" with a capital B!

Remember, intention drives progress while adherence maintains greatness.

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Transcript

How’s it everyone, my name is Mike Cabuco, and welcome to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast, your creative space for amplifying greatness through gratitude.

 SeaTac. Oh SeaTac. You’re a delightful bundle of joy. A delightful bundle of...let’s see how our outdated infrastructure can funnel a bazillion travelers during pre-4th of July weekend while not so obviously but obviously sneak in some construction work on top of that. Mhmm. You thought you could pull a fast one, eh?

 Now look all I’m saying is that it was a super chaotic pre-4th of July weekend! I mean, come on man, it felt like I was stuck on I-5 driving through downtown LA. Traffic was hella bad that weekend. No kidding! And at this point, I’m sorry to say. I’ve thrown in the towel and I've pretty much given up on hoping for the best. SeaTac seems like it’ll never improve and I really don't think it's going to get any better. And I'm usually optimistic, but as a frequent traveler through SeaTac, I just don’t see it happening. And here was I, really thinking that I was going to escape Cali traffic when I moved up here to Seattle, yea bud, definitely wishful thinking. Oh well. And I’m trying here. I’m trying to suppress my bouts of grumpiness and my bouts of first world problems, but come on now. Can we like at least try to step it up Seattle? I mean aren’t you like some travel destination? Just saying…

 Yet I should hold back on my complaints because it’s so easy to throw shade when I’m only a little cog in the wheel of gen pop. Honestly, it’s easy to point fingers, do this, or do that! But, I’m sure if the airport could talk like some animated Disney cartoon character, I’m sure SeaTac would fight back and say, “Hey! You little entitled brat! Give me a break, I'm working overtime here to get all these travelers to and from their destination and ain't nobody got time for that!" Woah. Okay. Take it easy. I was just joking…You don’t have to rip my head off. I hear ya dude!

 But realistically, the anthropomorphic airport does have a point. Big ambitious goals often start with a strong punch, but the spark of inspiration becomes fleeting after a few days. Like those sound effects? Anyways and especially If you're so busy with everyday life, we can’t neglect the fact that it is pretty hard to find the time and the resources to improve. I mean, it just seems like a natural lose-lose situation. But, even if it seems impossible, I think it’s doable by satisfying a few requirements.

 First off, if something means a lot to you, you’ll find a way to reorganize your schedule and make the time to work towards it. Same goes for people. I mean, if someone means a lot to you, wouldn’t you find a way to make the time for them despite all the craziness that life constantly chucks at you? I mean I would. No doubt about it! And I’m not saying that from some high place or position of snobbish behavior. I’m just fully aware that time goes by so fast that I ain’t about missing moments with the people I care about.

And second, we love to make life complicated, don’t we? I mean, it’s a very natural human thing to do and we often overlook the value of adherence and the ability to simplify our big goals into smaller ones. I guess, it’s more common in western culture because we were raised with that survival of the fittest mindset and only tough people make it through the day. But have you ever wondered how that tough person got tough in the first place? I’m sure they didn’t out of their mother’s womb looking like Rambo. They most likely went through the same process of adherence and discovering ways to do hard things more efficiently.

So here’s a thought that I’ve been pondering over for the past few weeks. The value of adherence within sports. I’ve been thinking about the connection between the two for the past few months, and in a sense, I guess I was kind of struggling with some sort of identity crisis. It’s nothing life threatening, but I got to admit, I kind of got lost into my thoughts trying to validate my reason for being so obsessed with fitness and training.

Initially, I thought, well, I’m going to the gym to train so I can do X, Y, and Z. Like I was running this “if then else” statement in my head. For example, if I can get stronger and conditioned, then that would give me the freedom to pursue other sports. Else, why do I devote a ridiculous amount of time and effort towards training and nutrition? I mean, sure, I could argue the health aspects. And yea, that somewhat worked out logically, but when I simplified my reasoning, I pretty much came to conclusion that I just purely enjoyed hitting the weights and seeing progress in real time. It was that simple, but at the time I just couldn’t accept simple.

So I ran through my mental experiment once again trying to find a meaningful connection between training and outcome. Like, was I really trying to condition myself to get better at playing soccer or basketball? Or was I really trying to get stronger just because that was a prerequisite to kick or shoot better? And was I really trying to distance myself from the real reason I was so committed to weightlifting and getting my nutrition in check? More on that later…

And sure! If playing soccer or basketball was my endgame, then I’d definitely have to restructure my training protocol, pull back on weights, and focus my training to be more sport specific. But did I really want to pull back on weightlifting, which was the thing that I actually loved to do?

The answer is no. Simply put. No. Because I’m happy with my current stimulus to fatigue ratio primarily driven and coming from weightlifting and to be honest, right now I’m just not that invested in running the “if then else” routine anymore. I’m done with that.

And I’m now I’m ready to accept that my main reason and drive for showing up to the gym 6 times a week, purely to lift weights, purely to blast PRs, and purely to be obsessed with tracking my nutrition like I’m some sort of AI machine built sent back in time from the future is because I simply enjoy bodybuilding. It doesn’t get any simpler than that!

I used to mask my passion for bodybuilding by saying, “Oh well you know, I lift weights because I’m trying to get stronger for my “sport.”” And “I lift weights because it’ll make me more competitive in team sports.” And here’s the best one, “I lift weights because I’m a straight up powerlifter. I don’t do that dog and pony show stuff you know that’s start with a B. A capital B!” And it’s all ridiculous and it did come from a place of insecurity and a fear of being represented incorrectly. I was afraid that me being associated with capital B, Bodybuilding would place this stigma on my forehead that the only reason I wanted to get fit was just purely for aesthetics.

But the more I got into it, the more I realized that bodybuilding was more than just a game of aesthetics but a game of creativity, building habits, developing confidence, and designing one’s physique through specialized training. And it’s a sport that takes a lifetime to master and understand and when I look back at my history, I now realize why bodybuilding was so attractive to me. It was a sport that supported my creativity and built upon my art education.

 I remember, way before I went down the rabbit hole of bodybuilding, when I was learning to be a professional 3D digital sculptor and I would take all these classes, a plethora of sculpting and drawing classes that revolved around drawing and understanding the human figure. I took so many anatomy and figure drawing classes that I’d probably could’ve used those credits to pursue medical school. I mean I loved drawing the human body and how the muscles intertwined and created this sense of gesture and flow. And I knew that anatomy was just something that I was kind of passionate about. It was really cool. It was like science and art all combined into one. And I remember I got to a point where I memorized all the muscles that made up the body from head to toe. For me, it was all about the art and I knew deep down inside, if there was a way to materialize my art education into real life then I would do it.

And then there was bodybuilding. 

As a kid, I was fascinated with the sport of bodybuilding and how there was a group of radicals out there just training purely for the contest of combining art, creativity, and aesthetics. It was so counterculture, and it drew me in as an artist. I was constantly impressed by the Golden Era guys such as Arnold, Surge Nubret, Frank Zane, and Steve Reeves. They all looked like figures that I was drawing and sculpting in art class, and it made me realize that I was already bodybuilding through pencil, paper, and pen and digital clay way before I even touched the weights. And that was the simple connection I was looking for through all those crazy iterations of the if then else statement. And that was the point that I finally accepted my purpose and I was happy to finally solidify my stance on it.

So there. My friends. My folks. My countrymen and women. I said it. I’m a bodybuilder with a capital B! Proud to eat. Proud to lift. Proud to train. And proud to repeat! I’m owning it and I’m happy to get that off my chest like a barbell loaded with 205 pounds. Gotta be careful with that. And identity crisis solved.

Now, I could go on and on about what bodybuilding means to me, but I think the number one most important thing that I gained from bodybuilding was the value of adherence. If bodybuilding didn’t exist, I think I would’ve overcomplicated my original fat loss and fitness goals. I mean, back in 2021 when I really started getting serious about fitness, the Olympics, primarily soccer, inspired me to reclaim my fitness. I loved watching our national teams play and while that source of inspiration was amazing in the moment, it wasn’t enough to keep me going because here’s the thing:

Inspiration sparks motivation. Motivation fuels intention. And Intention drives action.

The Olympics inspired me to get fit, but bodybuilding was the primary driver for my motivation. It motivated me to take my fitness further and create intentional goals that I could act towards. It was so accessible, and it was so easy for me to fit into my schedule. I could simply get off work, head straight to the gym, which was only a few minutes away from my workplace, and get a great training session in. And as the weeks and months progressed, it was so rewarding to see how my physique evolved from all my adjustments towards specialized training.

Adherence wasn’t a magic pill for success, but it gave me the much-needed assistance when I first embarked on my fitness journey. And it’s not uncommon to hear the phrase, “Do hard things kiddo because hard things will make you stronger.” Sure, there’s a lot of truth in that, but I think it’s important to recall that not everybody at the beginning of their fitness journey is ready to do the hard stuff. Let’s be real. Getting fit after years of a sedentary life is an extreme shock to the beginner athlete. Yea, maybe your crazy uncle taught you how to swim by throwing you into the deep end, but nowadays, if you try that crap, someone is going to call child services on you. But anyways, what I’m trying to say is that not everyone responds well to the “Be tough” mantra and even someone like me, who flourishes in stressful environments, needs help occasionally and if you give me a useful tip to make things easier, I’m going to gladly accept it!

Getting fit doesn’t have to be overly complicated when you discover the value of sport specific adherence. For me, that was bodybuilding. It is a sport designed for me and I loved how I could customize my training and nutrition to fit my goals and lifestyle. However, it’s not for everyone and not everyone enjoys lifting weights and being so crazy with their nutrition. Also, not everyone enjoys voluntarily cutting fat mass through a 12-week mesocycle just to achieve a super lean physique. Yea I’m still working on that. And while It isn’t for everybody, that’s totally okay.

That’s why it’s important to find the sport or activity that energizes you. Don’t copy what I do or your friends do if it’s just not for you. Be open to trying things, but at the end of the day, if you like cycling then cycle. If you like swimming, then swim. If you like playing pickleball rather than playing the proper sport of tennis which you should be playing, I’m just kidding, then play pickleball! At the end of the day, make fitness work for you not against you.

And trust me, bodybuilding is not the only path to getting fit, getting healthy, and designing a great physique. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to look fit. Think of it this way. Let’s say, you’re a big fan of CrossFit. It’s fairly easy to identify and comment that the top CrossFit athletes look amazing. They all have great physiques, but do you think they went into the gym and said, “Hmmm, today I need to work on my delts to make my shoulders pop at this posing angle.” Or hmmm, I need to do more barbell rows to get my back thick for that rear double bicep pose!” No, probably not. Rather, they train because they need to have the strength and endurance to kill it at the CrossFit games. And what’s even more remarkable is that their physique is a creative reflection of their identity and a byproduct of their sport specific adherence. It’s kind of like a badge of honor that they get to show off and be proud of which I think is fantastic!

The same goes for other sports such as soccer or tennis. If that’s your thing. Great! Go for it! If you enjoy playing team sports, joining in on pickup games, and not being couped up all the time in a weight room, then that’s the alternate path for you. And don’t even worry about building a physique because your favorite sport will design the physique for you. I mean, have you seen tennis and soccer players? They’ve got great physiques and very different physiques as well. I mean that’s the beautiful part about fitness, the diversity of sport specific adherence drives a dynamic landscape of different type of body types of athletic physiques. It’s super cool.

So my friends, adherence is a beautiful thing and it really drives the point home that we, as beautifully imperfect human beings, thrive when we learn to minimize the moments that make our lives super complicated. And if you’re one of the rare folks that have mastered the art of simplicity through adherence then congrats. However, if you’re like me, still learning, still progressing, constantly stumbling through life, and finding every opportunity to overthink any given situation then yea, sometimes you just need to tell yourself a design principle coined by the US Navy in 1960:

KISS. Keep it simple stupid.

Goals are hard. They’re meant to be hard, but they’re not meant to be impossible. So, in the rare chance that life throws you a bone, a midfield assist, then take it and follow through with the goal kick. Treat every day as a learning experience and find ways to go beyond resilience and take advantage of intentional adherence. Embrace an engineering mindset and develop the tools to make your goals much more attainable. Remember, use inspiration as a spark for motivation, but learn to lean on habits and adherence to create sustainable motivation.

So, the next time you find yourself in a situation that seems impossible, keep it simple because sometimes, the most obvious solution is sometimes the best answer.

Thanks, y’all for tuning in to another episode of the Love Notes for Life podcast. I look forward to continuing this conversation of awareness and amplifying greatness through gratitude. If you’re enjoying the Love Notes for Life podcast, please subscribe and leave a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, and other major podcast platforms. The Love Notes for Life apparel and book is now available at lovenotesforlife.com. For the latest updates be sure to track the mindset by following me @mikecabuco on Instagram or Twitter.

Thanks y’all for the support and always remember, “There is beauty in knowing that there is only one of you.” Take care.