ANIMAL PAK has been apart of my Supplement Regime for years, and from time to time , I find Inspiration from their list of writers. These boyz of Steel have a nac of putting things into perspective. Yes, they are focused on the Hardcore aspect of lifting, but make no assumptions until you read the plethora of articles spanning from daily athletic life, to major health issues, and how they overcome the grind. I actually printed out most of them, stuck them in a binder, and read, and re-read every page during my cardio sessions to get Pumped up! Not all here is pertinent to the Fitness/Figure athlete, but sometimes, us ladies need to get a slap-up-da-head to get ourselves thinking straight again. Get us out of our heads and see a different path of emotion. Simplify our feelings.

I wanted to share this article from their site.

No B.S.

No Fluff.

No Apologies.

Just straight words that everyone can understand...

Discipline
by Big Al

Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement. 

Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control. 

Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order. 

A systematic method to obtain obedience: a military discipline. 

A state of order based on submission to rules and authority: a teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom.

Punishment intended to correct or train. 

A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order. 

A branch of knowledge or teaching.

We all learned discipline from our parents and our teachers. We all learned that if we don’t behave we will be disciplined or punished. And we know with the growing popularity of MMA fighting that there are different styles of teaching called disciplines. I’m not talking about any of these. I want to talk about self-discipline. 

This is what we need as bodybuilders and weightlifters.The self-discipline to go to the gym on Friday night when everyone else is going out to the club or a party. We also need self-discipline to eat our next meal when we really don’t want it, or to not eat extra food when we really do want it. We have to say, “I’m going to win that show, so even though I feel tired and hungry, I’m only going to eat the 4 oz. potato that’s on my diet plan.” We have to live like this year round to improve. This isn’t a sport with a true off season. Our off season is working harder than the year before so we can improve. I can’t just train for three months to do a show and take the rest of the year off. This is why most people could never do what we do. Most people don’t have the discipline that we have. I am proud of my Animal family and the discipline that we all have. 

Each year, I see less and less discipline at shows. You have to look inside and ask yourself if you have what it takes to do a show before you think about starting a diet. There’s always one person on stage that you can tell has great shape but just didn’t WORK hard enough to get super lean. And they are always the one crying after the show saying they should have won. They should be saying that they should have worked harder. I have more respect for the guy with poor genetics that has the discipline to get up every morning and do 45 minutes of cardio, makes sure he gets in every meal and never misses a workout. That’s the discipline that I’m talking about. Do you have it? Because if you don’t, you better find it or find a new sport.