Philosophy
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“First say to yourself what you would be;
then do what you have to do.”
Epictetus
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As you enter KC’s Fitness and ascend the stairwell to the third floor, you will see artwork, a few inspiring quotes, and some questions on the walls. The questions invite you to check in and hold yourself accountable for your own experience. Good people get in their own way all too often in life; we ignore the need to do the hard things while they are still easy. “I’ll eat that donut, have that second helping, and the whole bag of cookies, but tomorrow I’ll start my exercise program.”
Aristotle said the worst type of deception is self-deception because it is always with us. We look away at things we deem unattractive, but why are they unattractive in the first place? Yes, exercise requires an expenditure of energy and hard work, but what will it give to us if we put the time in? We like the idea of a better quality of life but we do not adequately embrace the necessary steps to get there. Why is this the case? Habits, lethargy, and various amounts of apathy may account for much of it, but I believe fear is a part of the stew.
The painted dragon near the third floor is a reminder of all those manufactured thoughts, actions and ways of thinking that do not serve us. “I’m afraid to work hard because it hurts.” “I’m afraid of lifting because it might make me big.” “I’m afraid of getting hurt.” “I’m afraid of how I look in front of others.” “I’m afraid that the work I put into this exercise program will not pay off.” Fear can be a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. We teach our bodies how to push and pull weights to successful completion or exhaustion. Why not teach ourselves to manage and vanquish our fears?
Perhaps the fear is that you’re not good enough, and the fuel that drives you to excel will never be sufficient. Yes, your fitness can be vastly improved, but you will always find your reflection inadequate. Parts of your body will never measure up, and if this is the case, then what other parts of you will never measure up? Self-judgment does not stop at the body, but travels much further to the core.
A yin yang symbol greets you in every room of KC’s Fitness. It is there only to remind us of finding balance in our lives. Some of us do not work hard enough, while others work too hard; many of the latter do it for the wrong reasons. The ancients remind us to seek balance by following the middle way; “all things in moderation” is a difficult philosophy to argue with, but following this course requires reflection. To ponder why you do or do not do things demands honesty, and the latter can be an invitation to change. This can often require strength and courage.
The late Justice Delores Denman once described KC’s Fitness as “a thoughtful and intelligent place.” Others might beg to differ, and identify it as a place where they simply bust their butt on various days of the week. Some describe KC’s as a place where they have transformed parts of themselves and discovered a diverse community of welcoming people. Many feel it is a place to learn more about wellness and how your body moves through time and space. It is, in fact, all these things and so much more. We at KC’s Fitness may not be able to provide you with all of the answers, but we might have some of the right questions—and the latter demands answers. We can assist good people by motivating and educating them to take better care of themselves, but in this way we are only coaches or navigators. We trust that you are your own best captain and can steer your way through this challenging process.
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The benefits I received from this program were greater than anything that I could have imagined... any athlete would greatly benefit from this training program.”
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Jeff State,
Professional Hockey Player,
Charlotte Checkers
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As a exercise physiologist and former college football player, I can definitely say that this is a conditioning program that will yield powerful results for competitive athletes, and anyone else for that matter, who wishes to improve their fitness level.”
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Jake Barkley, PhD,
Exercise Science,
SUNY Buffalo
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