LOTR: 5 Fitness Lessons from Samwise Gamgee

1. Appreciate The Power of Starting

“It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish, as my old gaffer used to say.” 

The old gaffer was right, once again. If you don’t know where to start, just start doing something . . . go for a run and track how far . . . swap overly-sugary yogurt for a low sugar greek yogurt . . . set up a routine. Whatever it is, take that first

step and make that small change . . . you never know how big that seed can grow. 

2. Track Your Progress to Appreciate How Far You Have Come

“If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest from home I’ve ever been.” 

I have been lifting weights for a long time (over 10 years now . . . wow, I feel oldish). From all this time, I have learned how important it is to track progress, especially when you are first starting toward a new goal. Get a baseline of your weight, see how far you can run, see how much weight or how many reps you can do for a given exercise. Write it down in a journal, on your phone, or even on a napkin . . . it doesn’t matter. Get a baseline so you can see how far you have come and let that motivate you even more towards the future. Now, a small caution here, especially for the gym-goers . . . I would avoid getting way too detailed with your tracking unless you are competing . . . for me, being overly detailed has watered down my enjoyment and has led to more stress than it was worth. I have planned out workouts and have not been able to complete them based on the available equipment/crowdedness of the gym. Plus, sometimes it is just more fun and freeing to go “on an adventure” in the gym. So, have a plan to track progress, but don’t overdo it . . . the key is to move and to be consistent.

3. Don’t Forget About The Most Important Things

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo . . . and it’s worth fighting for.”

Related to the last one, the key really is to move and to be consistent so that you can have a solid foundation for building long-term health. Of course, everyone will have their own fitness goals, and that oftentimes includes feeling more confident with one’s physique. And that can be a really great thing. But, don’t forget the importance of your own mental health, the importance of the people around you, and treating people well and loving them as you go along that journey. There are indeed good things in the world, and those are the things that we should focus on, no matter what our goals in one area of life are.

4. You Must Accept Your Situation to Find Peace

Near the end of the journey, Sam replies to Frodo saying, “I don’t believe there will be a return journey, Mr. Frodo.” 

This represents Sam’s acceptance of his situation.If your current habits are not helping you get closer to your goals, you have to accept where you are rather than being frustrated at where you think you should be. This goes along with not having unrealistic expectations as well.

5. Don’t underestimate the value of potatoes (or other high quality carbs)

PO-TA-TOES . . . “boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew.” 

Other high quality carbs that can help fill you up and curb cravings include oats, rice, and beans, among many others. Have fun with it and do what works best for you and your eating patterns. As mentioned earlier, the key is to be consistent (not make yourself feel bad every time you feel like you missed an arbitrary mark with your nutrition). 

*All quotes from J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.*