Behind the Name

August 13, 20190
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I was asked recently if there was any significance behind the name Adaptive Transformations. For those curious, or interested in the origin story, please continue reading.

If your current state of being is defined as what is normal, then it can be easily understood that a change in process or what is normal must occur to achieve a different outcome. These new outcomes are commonly referenced as goals. Goal achievement occurs through a process. Terms have been coined around this in relation to health and fitness, most notably having “patience in the process.”

Whatever your end goal is, in any aspect of life – career, physical, relational, mental, emotional – you must go through a process of change, dedication, struggle, and transformation to reach it.

If the process is skipped, necessary fundamentals needed for the end goal will be missed.

A quick anecdote on this… Back before kids, when I frequently played video games, I was into competitively playing Halo. For those that are not an old gaming nerd like me, Halo is a first-person shooter that involves a good deal of skill and experience (time) to move up in rank and ability. Anyways, I worked my ranking up close to the top which was a 50 back then. The way match play worked is that you would be paired against other players at a similar ranking.

 

This both served to make things fair and enjoyable. The loop hole in this process was that some people would buy an account that was already ranked up to 50. In other words, another player achieved the higher ranking and sold their account to an individual whom did not want to put in the work. Well, those who paid for accounts didn’t have the necessary fundamentals or experience to thrive at that level. As such, they were very easily dispatched in match play and I wouldn’t expect it to be much fun getting crushed by the competition every time you played. Perhaps the reason rank was used in the first place??

Moral of the story …quick fixes and paying for someone or something (supplements) to skip the process is not advised.

Anyways, we have now established that a change or transformation is required to achieve goals in life. That is the second piece of the name, so what about the Adaptive part? As humans, being able to adapt is critical not only for survival but to optimize quality of life. There is often more than one way to approach change, and that will look a little different from person to person. We are unique individuals and what works for one person may not garner similar success in another. I have had to refute that AT is not simply a “macro coaching” program. Do we utilize macros as a tool? Yes, but only if it fits the individual and aligns with their lifestyle, goals, and is sustainable. If ever a coach tells you their program is the only way for success, or that you MUST follow a standard template, walk away as fast as you can. I’ve used many different approaches and tools to help clients achieve their desired outcomes; macros, fasting, carb-cycling, ketogenic (closely monitored and with a set time frame and tracked outcome), intuitive eating, etc. I understand that my coaching practices need to be adapted to the specific client. Further, I know that new studies and evidence-based information are a constant in the health and fitness arena. As such, I need to continue educating myself, and my coaches, to ensure we are positioned to offer the best service to those whom we work with. Knowledge is power, and I feel AT staff needs to be informed and current in order to best serve our clients. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, our bodies adapt over time to any given stimulus. They adapt to training regimens, dietary protocols, supplements, etc. This is where a template-based program comes up short, it cannot adjust along as the client progresses. Continued change will take tweaks to the plan over time.

And so Adaptive Transformations was chosen to embody this approach to change and philosophy of what it requires.

 


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