Assumptions, assumptions…

In her latest novel, “The maid”, Nita Rose tells the touching story of Molly, a maid who works at a fancy hotel.  She lives alone because her beloved grandmother has died, and she’s constantly struggling to make ends meet.   Those around her think she’s odd, amongst other insults, which leaves her socially isolated.  Molly’s social skills differ from the ‘norm’, and without her grandmother to interpret things for her, she finds herself in a vulnerable position. 

People ASSUME that she’s stupid because her social skills are less honed, but it’s so not the case.  In this top-notch story ignorant Molly often uses the old adage: “ASS-U-ME – Don’t ASSUME, you’ll make an ASS out of U and ME…” 

But don’t we all?  Make assumptions, about things and people and situations?  Yes, that’s what we all do – we judge the books by their covers. Why?   Because we live in a complex world.  We are all confronted with ambiguous situations, incomplete information, and unclear messages.  In our attempt to understand and make sense of the world, we fill in the gaps in our understanding by making assumptions about everything.

Assumptions are decisions we make, consciously or unconsciously, based on previous experiences, stories we have been told, and sometimes based on fear or ignorance.  The problem is that we believe our assumptions are the truth…

Here’s a silly example – For many years I had assumed that pineapple joining ham on pizza was a bad choice…fruit on pizza?  I just assumed my favourite fruit on pizza would taste nasty.  But how could I think such a thing without proof?  My bias against Hawaiian pizza was completely unfounded.

Then one day I found myself in a do or die situation – it was Hawaiian pizza or no pizza at all.  So, I bit the bullet.  I tried it.  And damn, it was good!  Assumption dissolved.  I had spent years with this fixed assumption, only to find out that I was wrong.  How long did it take me to discover this?  One bite.

…When it comes to fitness, people are especially prone to making all sorts of assumptions about what’s good for you, what’s bad for you, and what you should and shouldn’t do.  Sometimes it feels as if everyone just seems to know better!  But I have learned from many years of experience that in the end, you should find out what you really like doing, and what works best for you.  That’s the only way you’ll keep on doing it and succeed in the long run.

For many years women had been bombarded with the misconception that working with heavy weights would make them bulky.  Today we all understand and know that we simply don’t have the testosterone levels to easily achieve this, and that building muscle plus losing fat equals a toned body.

An assumption in the fitness world that, unfortunately, seems to stick, though, is the one of spot reduction.  Oh, wouldn’t it be great if we could just order fat reduction like we were going through a fast-fat-removal drive-thru?!  The fact is that the human body is only capable of losing fat from the entire body as a whole.  When you do a push-up, for example, the fat cells in your arms don’t automatically give up their fat.  The body will just mobilise its energy from wherever it needs to.  Of course, working a specific area will tone and build muscle, but the fat loss will only occur when you are in a calorie deficit. 

Last, but not least, the fitness assumption that breaks my heart, is the ‘all or nothing’ approach – this myth does the most damage to the fitness industry…and to our fitness self-esteem!  Making huge changes and changing habits drastically often leave us feeling disappointed.

But think for a moment about an Olympic athlete – They didn’t start as elite athletes – they took many small steps, over time, that added up to success.  It’s no different for you and me, says Olympian Jeremy Rolleston: “Small steps may appear unimpressive, but don’t be deceived. They are the means by which toned bodies are created, perspectives are subtly altered, mountains are gradually scaled, and lives are drastically changed.”

The famous American writer, Isaac Asimov, once said: “Your assumptions are your windows on the world.  Scrub them off, every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” 

Here is my list of top 20 things I think we should never assume:

1. Don’t assume a woman is pregnant when her belly looks big.
2. Don’t assume asking for help will harm your credibility.
3. Don’t assume that a small portion of almonds has fewer calories than a bag of Salt and Vinegar Simba chips.
4. Don’t assume gossip is accurate.
5. Don’t assume all social media influencers are people with integrity.
6. Don’t assume everyone will enjoy Cardio Fun!
7. Don’t assume you’ll never be able to lose weight in winter.
8. Don’t assume your idea will motivate others.
9. Don’t assume people over 50 are old.
10. Don’t assume they won’t value your opinion.
11. Don’t assume your family knows how much you love them.
12. Don’t assume the challenge members will see this extra point and notify Mirna with a WhatsApp before 20.00, saying “I saw nr 12…”
13. Don’t assume the person next to you is better off.
14. Don’t assume things will never change.
15. Don’t assume you can’t start over.
16. Don’t assume you’re in good health.
17. Don’t assume you’ll have another day.
18. Don’t assume the members of your team feel valued.
19. Don’t assume it will never happen to you.
20. Don’t assume everyone will read your Blog!

In a perfect world, there are no assumptions…But, alas, we ARE going to make assumptions, again.  And since most assumptions are flawed, let’s try this week to err on the positive side, and assume the best!

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507