Martial arts master, fitness guru, college professor and motivational speaker Phil Ross often quotes a shocking statistic, and that is that only about 20% of Americans are getting the recommended level of exercise for people their age.

This is all the more disappointing considering that moderately stimulating activities like walking or bicycling are perfectly adequate for fulfilling this prescription.This has nothing to do with laziness, however. People are often inspired to begin new and ambitious exercise routines, in a quest to restore their bodies to the healthful states they remember from their youth. But few will follow through on their plans over the long haul, as their pledge to get fit will eventually fall by the wayside. Their intentions were honorable, but those intentions were not backed by a full-out commitment to keep at it even when they were feeling tired, bored, anxious, distracted, frustrated or dissatisfied by their rate of progress.
High hopes followed by disappointment is a familiar outcome for health and wellness regimens. But Phil Ross—or Master Phil, as he is known to friends and admirers—knows how to break this cycle of failure, once and for all.

The Value of Consistency, and of Having a Plan

It is normal to start off a new exercise routine full of enthusiasm. At the beginning it never occurs to the most eager that their fitness plans might fail, given how excited and determined they are at the start.

But more often than not, those plans will fail. This is in part because their enthusiasm wanes, and without that extra burst of energy their willpower will gradually fade away. Enthusiasm at the beginning won’t usually translate to long-term results, since it is virtually impossible to sustain for more than a few days or weeks.

As Phil Ross emphasizes, a fitness program should be meticulously planned, and feature many goals and milestones that can be readily met will ensure incremental improvements over time. A sustainable exercise program requires a commitment that must be renewed every single day, and this will be easier to do when an exercise routine is well-planned and designed to produce progressively better levels of fitness.

The pursuit of excellence in any endeavor requires both planning and a consistent effort. Over time this approach will ensure outstanding results, because of a principle of achievement that Phil Ross often refers to in his writings and lectures.

“If you spend 100 hours on something for one year, you will be better at it than 95% of people on the planet,” is how Phil expresses this principle.

Applied to exercise and fitness this would only require two hours a week of working out, which is well below what most people who want to begin exercising hope to accomplish. And yet real improvements will be experienced if just this level of commitment to exercise can be maintained. Even those who’ve failed to sustain their exercise habits multiple times in the past should be able to meet this minimum standard, and at no point should they feel overwhelmed or discouraged by a lack of progress. In life, Phil Ross declares, repeating successful thoughts and actions guarantees further success. Those who are patient enough to build up their exercise routines step by step, increasing the intensity as their conditioning improves, can avoid burnout while moving forward at a fully sustainable rate.

The 90 Days of Suck and How to Conquer It

It is important to be realistic about the difficulties involved in developing a health-restoring fitness plan. For many people healthy living simply goes against the grain, and the adjustment period for adopting better exercise habits can be surprisingly long.  It is sometimes said that people can change their habits permanently in as little as three weeks. But Phil Ross rejects this notion, and he is very honest with people when explaining how much of a struggle it can be to make the shift to a truly healthier lifestyle. Phil refers to the normal adjustment period as the “90 days of suck,” which highlights just how much work is involved in establishing a successful and sustainable exercise habit.

Too often, people who start exercise routines underestimate how much time and energy they will need to complete their transformation. As a result they will be strongly tempted to quit before their new exercise habits have had the time to fully mature, preferring to retreat into old patterns of behavior that were familiar and comfortable. This is how the 90 days of suck unfolds, in all of its misery. Fortunately self-awareness of the challenges and obstacles it creates is the best defense against them, which is why Phil Ross constantly emphasizes how important it is to be patient after adopting a new exercise routine. There are no shortcuts, he confirms, and only a firm commitment to persevere despite the struggle can keep new exercisers on track to achieve their fitness-related dreams and ambitions.

Holistic Health is the Best Alternative

When people come to Phil Ross asking for advice on how to establish an effective and sustainable exercise routine, he encourages them to make a total commitment to healthy living.
It isn’t enough to just start exercising, Phil explains. Those who want to become more healthy and fit must embrace a holistic concept of wellness, one that promotes fitness of the body, mind and spirit simultaneously.

To really produce results, an exercise routine should be combined with a healthy diet that features nutritious natural foods, Phil states. This will leave a person feeling lighter and more energetic, in contrast to the heaviness and lethargy that those who subsist on junk food or fast food constantly experience.  Phil also stresses the importance of getting enough sleep on a nightly basis. When people are sleep deprived they will struggle to maintain the energy they need to exercise, and they may also suffer from depression or other mood disturbances that can sabotage any efforts they might make to improve their lives.

Mindset is also essential to establishing a vigorous and sustainable exercise routine, Phil Ross proclaims.

Stress and worry will inhibit the desire to exercise, while an attitude filled with hope and a sense of possibility will generate excitement and optimism about the future. Believing that wonderful things are destined to come will encourage a stronger commitment to healthy living, and that is why those who stay active and fit are generally known for their sunny dispositions.

Fitness, Exercise and the Universal Principles of Achievement, Brought to You by Phil RossFitness habits that are in harmony with an overall life improvement plan will produce the best results, Phil Ross says, and he uses his own accomplishments as an example of this dynamic in action.

Phil has four Black Belts in the martial arts, has demonstrated great proficiency in bodybuilding, weightlifting and other tests of strength and conditioning, and is a highly accomplished self-defense instructor who has helped many people refine their protective fighting skills. On the academic side he holds a Masters Degree in Sports and Health Sciences, showing his versatility and dedication to self-development and self-improvement.

Phil Ross is called Master Phil because he has reached a pinnacle of achievement in so many disciplines, both inside and outside the fitness and sport categories, and he has accomplished all of this while relying on the very same principles for success that he recommends to those seeking guidance on how to reach their fitness goals. His life is the embodiment of the wisdom he shares, and those who are willing to learn from him have a real opportunity to join the ranks of life’s high achievers.