The perfect body is a straw man.

It's a distraction from health. It's a shiny object.

The desire for the optimum is perfectionism cloaked in a pretty dress.

Do not be deceived.

When you're on a fitness and health journey, don't look to the top-performing athletes. You are not just comparing apples to oranges; you're comparing completely different life circumstances.

Fitness and health are not your job.

Health demands integration and coherence in your life. It is not about getting the hottest body, the 8-pack abs, and all the unspoken proxies of desire—attractiveness, acceptance, status, you name it.

The next time you look to a fitness influencer for advice, ask yourself: is what they offer a path to where they are when what I need is a path to my best self?

There are analogues in any profession or craft. I am a musician. I've spent thousands of hours, dedicated my university years, and traveled the globe to deepen my craft. When people see me perform, they ask if I can teach them to become as good.

The issue isn't that they can't. The issue is that the demands to become so good are all-consuming. Unless they're obsessed, unless they're willing to dedicate their life to the craft, they won't progress to the same level.

Instead, I try to teach people to grow in the joy of the craft. To challenge them but to make the priority enjoying music, not becoming better at it.

I think the same is true for fitness. I exercise daily and intensely—but I am not an athlete. I don't have 6-pack abs. I am not eating chicken breast and broccoli for every meal. Pareto principle at play, I know that to make health and fitness coherent in my life, I cannot make it my life.

Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you see that hot influencer and think to yourself, "Man! I wanna have a body like that." I invite you to challenge that thought. Why? Is all the work it takes to reach that level of perfection really worth it?

Maybe showing up to exercise 15 to 30 minutes a few times a week is enough—at least to get you started. Maybe showing up for your health, even if it doesn't make you a sexy beast, is worth it because it actually fits into the frame of your life.

Here's my invitation: challenge that instinct to compare and yearn to be the best level of fitness. Laugh off those chiseled six-pack abs—you don’t need them!

You may find yourself showing up with less baggage, more energy, and getting on the path to a healthier, happier life.