On May 6th, 1954, at the Iffley Road Track in Oxford, England, Roger Bannister ran the mile in 3:59.4.
It was the first time in history a human being ran a sub 4-minute mile, a feat that leading thinkers in the medical and sports communities at the time said was physiologically impossible.
Yet, despite in less than ideal weather conditions on a less than ideal surface, he transformed the impossible into the possible on an old, cinder track.
Shockingly, that record lasted only 46 days.
And it’s continued to be broken since. To date, 514 U.S. athletes have run a sub 4-minute mile with estimates as high as over 4,900 athletes worldwide. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see an elite high school athlete achieve a sub 4-minute mile. Five have done it since 2015.
Roger Bannister wasn’t superhuman after all.
A record that was once considered as physiologically impossible as a human taking flight was nothing more than a psychological barrier.
How did this happen?
Belief.
So many well educated and well-respected people held such strong opinions that it couldn’t be done that people started believing it was fact. In the end, it wasn’t the body that set a limit. It was the mind.
So, what does this have to do with you, a member of Ageless?
We’re looking for Roger Bannister’s. We’re looking for, as Dan and Chip Heath in their book Switch say, bright spots – real people with real struggles and real limitations that prove weight loss, health, and happiness can be achieved no matter the odds.
Last year we posted a video of one of our members, Lawrence Price, achieving an Ageless Strength Badge by deadlifting and benching a combined 500lbs. Even more impressive, since starting his health journey, he’s also lost 85lbs and dropped 14″. Like most of us, Lawrence wasn’t blessed with great genetics or an iron will. He struggles with life’s daily stresses just like you and I. But, he didn’t make an excuse or succumb to a psychological barrier. Instead, he became Roger.
And like Roger, his story inspired others who wanted to change but thought it was impossible. After seeing Lawrence’s transformation, people who have never stepped foot in the gym and were handcuffed by their limitations took their first step towards health and happiness. People who thought change was impossible now had hope.
Take a minute and think about your friends and family members. Think about the ones who have struggled with their weight. Think about the ones who have struggled with their health. Think about the ones that just can’t get out of the funk they’re in.
Listen to their excuses. Hear their negative self-talk. Feel their hopelessness.
Can you inspire them? Can someone you know inspire them?
As Dan and Chip Heath said in Switch, finding bright spots, those that have had success, is one of the easiest and most effective ways to create change in those that haven’t had success. People have to SEE things to believe it.
Daniel Coyle echoed that in his book the Talent Code. He set out on a mission to find out why success was often found in clusters that couldn’t be explained with statistics (Think of the success Brazilians have had in soccer despite being such a tiny country). What he found (one of many factors) was that once someone had success, she became a model for those around her, and in turn, increased their chances for success. It makes sense. Once you see someone just like you achieve something, it flips a switch in your brain that lights up a big sign saying, “It’s possible.” What was once a dream now becomes within your grasp.
We’ve seen it firsthand at Gillespie High School. Scott Katich inspired me to go to pharmacy school. He grew up in the same town I did, went to the same school I did and got the same grades I did. He graduated, became successful, and served as a role model for a handful of students younger than him. Although I don’t have access to the numbers, I do try to pay attention to local kids who graduate from pharmacy school. I’d be willing to bet that over the last 15 years, Gillespie High School produced more pharmacists than any other school in our area. I’d even place a wager that we’ve doubled the nearest school and are probably comparable to high schools that are 5-10x the size of us.
It all started from a bright spot. Not facts. Not figures. Not a sales pitch from a
We need those bright spots at Ageless. That’s what we’re looking for.
It doesn’t have to be just weight loss either. We had a member tell us
So, if you have a success story, please share it with us so we can share it with everyone and hopefully inspire someone to make a change. Your story may not seem as inspiring as losing 85lbs and 14″, but you’d be surprised at how many people in our community think it’s impossible to lose 5lbs or walk a lap without needing to sit down. As Muhammad Ali once said, “It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out. It is the grain of sand in your shoe.”
Next month we’re starting our podcast series Tales from the Treadmill, where we interview people who have had success losing weight and have regained control of their health. Our hope is that we can tell the story of real people you and I both know who have
So please, if you have a story to share, contact us via a private message on Facebook, email us at BeTheChange@ageless-fitness.com, or stop by the front desk. We’d love to set up a time to discuss your story in more detail.
Be the Change.
P.S.
I know as adults we don’t like to publicly celebrate our successes. We don’t want to seem like we’re bragging, and we definitely don’t want to be known as the “fitness selfie” queen on social media. However, I would argue that pure, unadulterated joy is often lost in adulthood because we don’t celebrate our successes – big and small. Instead, we hide them. Things we should be proud of we secretly are embarrassed by. In large part, I think that’s because we often stop growing as adults. Because we’re parents and providers, we wear this facade of maturity and authority. Celebrating a success, especially a small one, seems silly.
Watch a child though. How often does she celebrate her success? How many times will you hear, “Watch this dad.” Look at what I can do.” How much fun does she have doing it? Does she do it to brag or show off? Or, does she celebrate because she understands something we as adults often forget – life should be celebrated.
One last note… Famous strength coach Alwyn Cosgrove often says during his lecture after talking about all of the success he has had in the fitness industry, “I tell this to you not to impress you but to impress upon you that if I did, so can you.” Seeing is believing, and you never know who is watching!
