Its not about the SPINACH - A LESSON iN LIFESTYLE

Here is what Popeye The Sailor Man can teach you about getting what you want in life.

​Almost everyone on the planet knows the famous cartoon character “Popeye the Sailor man”. Popeye was known for his love of Olive Oyl (his girlfriend), fighting his bearded and hulking rival Bluto, and most famously for eating spinach that gave him super human strength!
 
Most men also know him as being the cartoon character with massive forearms. This brings up an interesting human trait. It is common for us all to admire certain things about certain people and then try to improve these specific attributes on ourselves.
 
This is so evidently apparent in the way many people go about their fitness goals. Social Media has no shortage of photos and videos of fitness personalities who are in great shape and perfectly toned.

People are drawn and captivated by the aesthetic beauty of models posing, showing off their pristine bodies.  Shirtless guys with huge arms and infinite abs. Girls in skin tight yoga pants or barely there bikinis… sigh… wait what were we talking about? Oh yeah that’s right. We see these attributes and we want to achieve them too!

So with the click of our mouse we begin to look for diets or workout programs that can bring us to the same level of confidence in our own bodies. But this method is seriously flawed. That strategy can lack the depth that it takes to execute real change in ourselves. Think back to Popeye.
 
Popeye was.... a sailor. That’s right a sailor. Sailors have been known to have very strong forearms because day after day, the riggers of being a sailor gave their forearms constant work.
 
This fictitious character was drawn in the 1930s to show the exaggeration of what real life sailors looked like. Men who spent their days fighting to pull wet ropes and anchors with calloused hands as the sun beat down on their backs. Climbing to the main mast, working with hand-tools to repair their ship, and even rowing at times against all the elements of the open seas.

Sailors crafted those muscles with a Lifestyle 

So guess what? One proven way to have big forearms, is to do the work of a sailor. They crafted those muscles with a lifestyle.  Instead, human nature seeks the path of least resistance. We seek to find a shortcut to achieve our goal instead of doing the actual work necessary for that goal.  (More on that later)
 
How does this ‘Popeye The Sailor’ idea help your fitness goals? Good health and fitness is a lifestyle.

It’s not a fad diet, not a popular 12 week workout program, and it does not have a time limit.

Being strong is a lifestyle.

Being healthy is a lifestyle.
 
Being an athlete is a lifestyle.
 
Being hot is a lifestyle.

Popeye is not alone in this hard work lifestyle. Take some modern day, real life examples:
 
1) Arnold Schwarzenegger and his training partner Franco Columbu had a 9-5 bricklaying business they worked at while they competed in bodybuilding.
 
2)  8 time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, worked and trained as a police Officer during many of his competing years.
 
3). 4 time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler worked at his family’s concrete business since he was 11.
 
See the trend? Health, and fitness is a lifestyle.
 
It is YOU, deciding to live your life in a way that leads you down a path where you not only reach your goals, but you LIVE your goals. So stop looking for easy ways to be healthy or fit. The only way to do it successfully is to take a step back and be willing to let go of bad habits before you decide to move forward.
 
But what about the Spinach?! Wasn’t the spinach the real source of Popeye’s strength?
 
Don’t forget Popeye’s arch rival Bluto. He was no slouch. Bluto didn’t have spinach. He too was a strong hardworking sailor. It’s not about the spinach. 
 
The truth behind why Popeye ate spinach is skillful marketing and human error. #facts

Don’t make the mistake of taking the shortcut and forgetting the destination.

Popeye was famous in the 1930' during the Great Depression. Since food was scarce The US Government was actually trying to promote iron-rich spinach as a meat substitute.  Also they were promoting the merits of canned food. So, they decided to hire one of America's favorite celebrities, Popeye the Sailor Man. This plan worked so well that spinach sales grew by a full one-third. Even more amazingly, children actually rated spinach as their third favorite food, right after turkey and ice cream.
 
But here is the kicker; spinach isn’t all that high in iron. The Spinach –Iron Myth was based on the calculations of a German scientist named Emil von Wolf. He published his findings that spinach contains iron. However he made a slight error of forgetting a decimal point. So, instead of 3.5 mg he published 35mg. It took more than 70 years to find this little fact but the thought persists today.
 
The lesson: Don't fall for every new marketing ploy and fitness trend. There is no magic pill except for hard work.
 
Sure, the spinach supplemented Popeye’s strength. But he was a sailor first! Just don’t make the mistake of taking the shortcut and forgetting the destination.
 
Here at Dark Horse Sports we are committed to helping people make lifestyle changes that allow them to live their goals. Not just reach them, for a short time. (Read: be hot all the time, not just fit into that dress for that one occasion, but yeah we can help you do that too of course ;)  
 
If you have been thinking about making changes, take this opportunity to do something about it. Let us help start you down the pathway to a healthy and fit life!

At Dark Horse Sports we do Lifestyle... in and out of the gym 

We do more than just training and nutrition. We do lifestyle. We won't just give you a program and leave you to it. No, we will coach you the whole way through. We will help you with every aspect of your lifestyle in and out of the gym. Sleep, stress, past injuries, hormone imbalances, career, family, environment, etc. From custom practical life coaching for breaking bad habits to fitness fashion and selecting the right training gear for you.

Oh and BTW, we will show you all the legit “Secret Spinach Shortcuts”. Before you know it you be saying "I yam what I yam an' tha's all I yam". You will LIVE your goal!


Cheers!




Reference:
 
Britannica, T. E. (2018, December 05). Popeye. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Popeye

Here Is Every Swole Winner of the Mr. Olympia Competition. (2019, March 04). Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/g26554291/mr-olympia-winners/

Jay Cutler. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.evolutionofbodybuilding.net/jay-cutler/

C., Miss. (2015, October 01). Popeye and the Great Spinach Myth. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.neatorama.com/2015/10/01/Popeye-and-the-Great-Spinach-Myth/
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Press, T. A. (2004, January 18). Where They Really Knew Popeye and Co. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/national/where-they-really-knew-popeye-and-co.html