A personal training & food journal. Read about our weight loss progress at Train With Ron in Chicago, our nutritional habits and the life changes we're making to get in shape and stay healthy!

I started out writing about cheating last week but chickened out after I noticed that I started to sound judgmental and kind of like a hall monitor. That was not my intention, so I erased it and wrote that short about my workout instead. Here’s the deal though, I am not here to start handing down judgement or tell you that I am the example of all things correct. Let’s get that straight right now, I certainly am not. I try to do my best and I share my attempts at that, with you.

Now, there are several things you may think of when I say cheating; Tiger Woods, blackjack, a high school math test or maybe even an ex. While those definitely qualify in the cheating department, I am referring specifically to cheating when it comes to working-out. You know, just to keep in line with the theme of our journal . So it’s cheating like, you’re supposed to do 30 push ups but you only do 25, then instead of 100 on the jump rope, you do 80. Just shaving little bits off here and there. Next thing you know ta-da! You’re at the head of the class.

So a confession before you think I’m some sort of an angel. I’ve had workouts when I spent a little too much time chatting and forgot where my count was and probably ended up doing less than I was supposed to. There have also been days when I wasn’t feeling 100% and did fewer reps than I was supposed to just to take it easy. Or I went slower than I really could have. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m referring to calculated cheating that has become almost an art form to some. Now while I do think that this is a rare find, I wonder, why would someone cheat at the cost of their own progress? I had no idea so I thought about it and came up with the following:

One reason may be for appearances. Would the workout be less successful in their eyes if they weren’t ahead of everyone? To be seen weak is worse than cheating? Possibly it’s the potential for praise that gives them the boost. So the cheaters intentions are not necessarily malicious but maybe it’s a need for praise or approval. It could also be that they don’t really want to be there but feel that they have to be, so they’re not giving it their all. That last one I would put in the same category as the person that cheats on their diet when no one’s looking. I mean, it’s still going to end up on your back side what does it matter that no one’s looking? Shame always has an eye open. I know this unfortunately. Bottom line, I think, there are lots of reasons why people cheat and although it may bring some level of satisfaction it cannot match the satisfaction you get from doing the hard work and then getting the results you seek.

I can only speak from my own experience and I know that if I cheat myself, whether that’s by not showing up, being negative, complaining or shorting myself, no one will suffer from it as much as I. And yeah, it can be really tough sometimes, working out with someone that is so much better at everything. But that’s when you have to ask yourself … How do I want to proceed? Do I want to dishonestly be seen as better or faster or do I want to take the time to actually improve and get ahead that way? The latter may take more time and it may even be a little humbling but in the long run, it will yield the results I’m after. So I will just focus on my own workout and not the person next to me. I’ll do the best that I can and be honest and realistic about my expectations.