Many moons ago, I rescued Jess from the clutches of a Christian cult (a tale for another email).
One of the most downright creepy things about them (of which there were many) was their fixation on the sehks.
For example, they had this one pastor who seemed to take an unhealthy delight in answering teenage girl’s questions about what acts were and were not permissible between a married couple.
Then there was their “accountability” culture, which encouraged getting a fellow cult member to monitor your internet activity. The idea being the shame of someone knowing exactly what degenerate slop you consume would be enough to keep you away from those terrible websites.
Now don’t get me wrong, I loathe that filth with a fury greater than that of any Bible-thumping fire and brimstone preacher from the American deep south. But having a “friend” spy on the website you visit ain’t the fix it’s held up to be by sehks-obsessed weirdos.
Why?
Frankly, anyone who needs that degree of “accountability” isn’t remotely serious about changing their behaviour.
The fact of the matter is, if they truly believed looking at that stuff was wrong, they’d pull their finger out and figure out a way to make the exploitative crud inaccessible.
Heck, you don’t even have to ask Google anymore because ShatGPT will spit out a fistful of solutions (some of which are free) in seconds if you ask “how do I block access to certain websites on my devices?”
Anyway, by now you’re probably wondering what on God’s green Earth this rant has to do with fitness.
Behold the link:
If the only way you’re going to train consistently and eat right is to have a third party keep you accountable, then you are going to fail.
And you are going to fail because you’re not actually that bothered about being strong and in shape. It’s simply not important to you, because if it was, you’d seek out the information you need to plug gaps in your knowledge, and, potentially, the specific advice to tailor that information to your personal circumstances.
What you wouldn’t do is get an “accountability partner” in the form of some rent-a-friend PT who follows you around the gym counting your reps and making sure you put in a modicum of effort, a co-dependent relationship with a training partner, or an AI girlfriend without whom you cannot make even simple decisions about your training or diet.
“But Phil your Monday Message is a form of accountability”
You could argue the simple email I send to my paid newsletter subscribers and coaching clients is that, but you would be wrong because, as it says on the sales page:
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Every Monday without fail, I shall email you to check in.
Perfect for people who find they struggle to use support options that require them to make the first move, The Monday Message makes sure (insofar as is possible) you get the most out of your subscription.
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So not so much “accountability” as it is doing my part to ensure all my clients get value for money (even the shy, modest ones who worry about bothering me).
OK. That’s enough for one email.
To learn all about my paid newsletter and maybe become a subscriber, please go here:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/information/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman