My Celebrity Fitness Role Model

As I started on the road to making a healthier lifestyle for myself, I realized that one of the reasons why I wasn't so successful before with my first few attempts was that I had no image of a result in mind. I didn't have some kind of analogue or realistic visual model form to look like, to aspire to, or to compare myself to for setting an achievable fitness goal. There was nothing on the "vision board", if you believe in that sort of thing. I realized that I wasn't above needing such a figure as an example. It's kind of challenging though to figure out how to do it when firstly, I don't find much pleasing or attractive in any male body or form to begin with; secondly, I don't even come close to being equated with or resembling anyone notably famous, real or fictitious, living or dead, who is a quality specimen of optimal health. I decided to be practical about this. My focus is just on getting healthier for starters; if I get better looking through the process somehow, well, it would be just an incidental bonus. Picking a person featured on the front cover of Men's Health magazine (as much as I find the material helpful) would not have been applicable for me. These guys are in their twenties or early thirties. That's not me. Most of them are full-time athletes, or have careers in kinesiology, committing most of their waking hours to doing physical activity, or fitness training. That isn't me either. My interest in fitness is not that amped up, plus, I don't have that many hours on my clock to spare on working out. My goal is to become leaner and more noticeably toned; not to bulk up to a great degree. It's hard enough for me to shop for clothes as it is, never mind adding to it a very disproportional size differential, between my arms, chest, legs, and waist to my height. I asked myself, "Who are the guys who generally have the toned and lean body type, but didn't spend all damn day in a gym working to achieve it?" The only answer that came to my mind was...actors.

I should hope that there'd be very few instances when I'll lower myself to use anything of the Hollywood news and gossip on the Internet as some sort of oracle in answering tough (and strange) questions for the purpose of doing something life enhancing; this, however, was one time that I did do just that. After doing some research, with practical questions in mind, I arrived at the conclusion that Daniel Craig, Hollywood's current James Bond (007), should be my fitness role model. The reasons are listed as thus:

• Age and height: The most important and practical aspect I could think of for finding a muse, for the lack of a better word, was to select someone who was the close to the same age and height as I am, and who was in fit form. Except for the form, I most closely matched up with the profile of Daniel Craig with those criteria. Although Daniel Craig is slightly taller than me (by an inch or so), and slightly older than me (by about six months) he is, so far, the best one that had come up after reviewing some vitals of several potential candidates. The same age aspect helps me to defeat any excuses and negative thinking that I wouldn't be able to do all this because of my particular count of years. The same height aspect is helpful for comparison, to gauge what proportions I would really be working towards, more or less, as I get fitter.
  
• Lean and toned looking, but not a professional athlete: Daniel Craig has to obviously use some gym-time to stay fit for the role of 007, but of course has to use the majority of his work day as an actor with scripting, rehearsing, filming, etc. Therefore, any workout plan that he uses for strength training would necessarily have to be kept brief time-wise, and be very efficient to accommodate for his day's schedule. I pre-selected some routines that give me a full body workout in a short period of time before I even looked up the workout stats for Daniel Craig. It pleased me to see that when I did come around to reviewing his workout routine, I already came close to what he was doing, although he uses an actual gym facility more than I would.
  
• More average looking; not outrageously handsome: Some people, especially some women, may disagree with me about this, but Daniel Craig, in my mind, is not an exceedingly handsome man. In fact, I dare say that if he had my hair and eye colour, and we both stood together for comparison, he would actually look worse than I do from the neck up (and likewise; I wouldn't look any better if I had his eyes and hair colour). I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, since my focus is on physique, and not facial features. It's just that it would be easier and less intimidating for me to have a role model with looks more equally on the 'humble' side along with me than ones that are way above average. As far as it goes for all those actors who've been cast as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan probably wins hands down as the most handsome one. Oh yes, I will admit Craig is distinctive, but not in a 'pretty boy' kind of way. That's why I think he is the best Bond so far. Could you seriously imagine someone as freakishly good-looking as Pierce Brosnan, with any convincing measure of resilience and defiance, being able to take the pounding, beating, shit-kicking, and torture the way the character of James Bond in Casino Royale did? It would almost be laughable to see that happen. For this tougher and more intensified version of 007, there needed to be a tougher, more intense looking, rough-around-the-edges looking actor to play him. They made the perfect decision in casting Daniel Craig for this round of Bond films. I'm digressing a bit though; this isn't film study. Back to fitness role model business.
  
• Working strange, variable hours: Being an actor would demand having to be versatile enough to work long hours at all hours of the day, just like a healthcare worker's lifestyle. I figured that if a workout is to be squeezed into any day given these conditions, there must be a fitness plan that accounts for the ways that working weird hours can physiologically mess you up; and would still be effective enough to produce results, even throughout the times when the body is put under pressure of having its daily rhythms scrambled up all the time. If properly consulted, Daniel Craig would probably have a plan that accommodates for this, as he is coping with jetlag from switching set locations, and shooting scenes at night. Realistically, this is what I would need as well.
  
• Adopting the 007 attitude: To be persistent, and to stay focused and disciplined to make all this effort pay off (or to at least help to make the whole workout process a little more fun and entertaining) it's a great boost for me to think in terms of, "What would James Bond do?" as I'm doing cardio or weights. I would guess that it's the same thing going on in Daniel Craig's head as he is performing this role trying to execute a scene perfectly. It serves as the push I sometimes use and need to force myself to go farther, or harder when I'm exercising. Would 007 slow down and stop because he is a little winded after running five kilometres uphill chasing a terrorist? Hell no, in fact he'd run five kilometres more if it served to wipe out a whole terrorist cell. Should I slow down after jogging five kilometres because I'm a little winded as I pursue better health? Same answer, hell no! In fact I should run five kilometres more if it served to eradicate one more tumour cell. Would 007 just quit shoving the head of some rat-bastard informant through to the bottom of a filled bathroom sink because it was a bit of an inconvenience? I doubt it! Should I stop sinking this deviant enzyme level down to a normal level with a proper diet because it's all a bit too inconvenient? No way! Not gonna let that happen. That's the kind thinking it gets translated into for my own use. I figured if I tried and copy that sort of determination and resilience, it wouldn't be long until I eventually and actually adopted it for real.
  
• Other minutia: I find it coincidental that we both have loved ones in our lives named Ella (his is his daughter, mine is my dog). We are both linked in a way with Cheshire (he was born in Cheshire, England; I'm work within the Cheshire Foundation). That's where our similarities end.
  

I'm not so delusional as to think that I'll ever come close to being as tough, adventurous, or built like a James Bond, or even close to resembling a body double of Daniel Craig. Realistically, according to the numbers indicating my comparative muscle and bone density from the InBody 230 readout, I'll probably always be heavier than he is, even with me getting as lean as possible. That doesn't matter. What does matter is knowing and seeing that there are ways and means to get better physically that works for someone of my height, age, and lifestyle; a living example of someone who can maintain it, and a using powerful mindset and attitude to persist at it. All this is to help me look like someone which one should take seriously, be respected, and to look and feel very capable and competent, despite my age, in order that I can enter and take on the next few challenges ahead in my life. Thanks a lot Mr. Craig.