![“They’ll never take our freedom!” [It’s all relative] | RISE Macclesfield | Group Personal Training gym weight loss programmes](https://myrise.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/relative-1155x770-1.jpg)
Recognise the quote?
Braveheart innit?
The 1995 biopic (kinda) with Mel Gibson.
Just before he (William Wallace) leads the Scottish Army into battle at Stirling:
“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”
Rousing stuff, of course.
And ‘freedom’ has been a big topic of conversation over the last few years.
During which, as a whole, we’ve faced the biggest restrictions to our freedom for, at least, a very long time.
Between March 18th and 23rd 2020 I went from completing purchase of the other half of the business, to having to stop operating in person (I’ve never used the word “closed” – we moved from online and in-person to purely online for a bit) to having to stop going out of the house at all.
It’s been really interesting to see different people’s reactions to everything that’s happened over the last near two years.
Not looking to get into a debate over anything to do with restrictions or COVID related stuff in general.
Just sharing a few of my insights.
Firstly I’ve realised that, at least part of my reason for being less bothered by these restrictions is that this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt particularly restricted.
I’ve always felt I can do whatever I want.
But that, in part at least, has been because the things I’ve wanted to do………..
Have been available to me.
With hard work and effort, sure.
But I’ve never wanted to do anything that the Government or Police or anyone else has stopped me doing (I’ve been told “you can’t do that” and laughed at many, many times, but that’s different and I might cover that tomorrow).
If I’d spent my entire life constantly feeling I was being stopped from doing what I wanted, I would. probably, have felt differently about the last two years.
But that’s not my main insight.
That’s been that “freedom is a relative concept”.
I remember after a couple of lessons of A-Level phycology some of my mates going round saying “Freedom is an illusion”.
And “You could be a brain in a jar for all you know”.
I don’t think freedom is necessarily an illusion.
But it’s definitely relative.
To use an extreme example, do you think you should be free to walk down the street without being attacked or having your stuff stolen?
I’d assume we all said yes.
What if someone else said they wanted to be free to “Sort out anyone who looks at me funny” or “Take what I want. It’s survival of the fittest”?
Just as they say “one person’s freedom fighter is another person’s terrorist “…………
One person’s freedom is another person’s restriction.
Some might say they should have freedom of whether to get vaccinated or not……….
Whilst others might say they should have freedom from restrictions that compulsory vaccination could reduce or remove.
————- Again, no need to reply with thoughts on that. This isn’t what this blog is about ————
Freedom is relative.
As are many things.
What creates a calorie deficit in us is relative.
In test conditions, every one who’s ever been in a confirmed, sustained calorie deficit has lost weight over time.
But what makes that deficit happen is relative.
Individual to us.
Mainly from our body size and composition and activity levels.
Slight variances outside that and tonnes of things that make getting in that deficit really hard, sure.
But, whatever the case, getting into a deficit relative to our maintenance levels, however we achieve that, will lead to weight loss.
What we need to do to get fitter, stronger and healthier is relative.
Not to the person exercising near us or someone we’ve see on the TV or the internet.
But to whatever our current fitness, strength and health is like.
For fitness and strength we need progressive overload.
Just enough to challenge our current fitness and strength.
Not so much that we grind our self into the ground and don’t want to do it again.
But not too little so it doesn’t cause some adaptation in the body.
Goldilocks.
And it needs to be progressive.
Not to make it harder.
Just to stop it getting easier.
As we get fitter and stronger, the same load will do less and less until it becomes maintenance.
All relative.
Calorie deficit relative to our own maintenance levels.
Progressive overload relative to our own maintenance activity levels.
And, if you need any help making those things happen, you know where we are 🙂
Cough ** here –> www.myrise.co.uk/apply ** cough.
Much love,
Jon ‘is my name and I’m the most wanted man on my island’ Hall
