Who Wants to Be Called "Fat"?

Thank you success-searchers and Elvis fans for tuning into Graceland Ontario! Today, we’re going to turn to fitness, how it influences your chances of success and how Elvis modeled this.

I got an email only the other day from a woman who she felt “cheated” when she found a guy she’d gone on a date with had been hiding his large stomach under his suit. She proclaimed no out-of-shape guy would have any romantic chance with her. Of course, she was marketing a fitness product.

Now even if I told you (and I am telling you) there are a large number of systems on creating attraction that have nothing to do with your physical shape, the woman does have a point. I mean, being fit in no way ensures attraction, in business or life, but it can be a nice simple way to spark it. And no one’s going to complain about doing things the easy way (when there is an easy way), are they?

Elvis time! When Elvis was young, he was in decent shape. Not a barrel of bones, like James Stewart, but he was fit. He tried out for football in high school and later took up karate (Elvis was a black belt).

And remember, people weren’t just attracted to Elvis’s singing and music; they were attracted to Elvis. They screamed and mobbed him. Sure this had something to do with his awesome persona, but his looks also played their part.

Elvis was thinner during his stint in the army and heavier during his mid-movie career, but he kept in pretty steady shape.

Between 1968 and 1970, Elvis might have looked his best. He was lean and handsome, exceptionally for a man in his 30’s. But going into the late 70’s, he packed on the pounds fast. Really, he wasn’t even that bad compared to some people in their early 40’s, only bad compared to his old self.

Now I won’t once again point out the correlation between Elvis’s declining body and his declining career, but I will mention something else; you ever notice that whenever someone wants to be mean to Elvis, they never say “that punk who messed things up” or “that has-been who dressed up in leather”. These would reference when he was in the 50’s or 60’s, when he was in good shape. No, they say “‘fat Elvis’, the guy who was so heavy he died of a heart attack just getting up from his toilet”. Brutal, eh?

You know what’s even worse? Even though Elvis was in pristine physical shape through most of his life, they always colour over everything else with the ‘fat’ tag, even in the times when he wasn’t. Heck, even when he was in better shape than plenty of others.

It’s not my place to tell you what to do. I can only advise based on what I see, and that’s it − a bunch of narcissistic hypocrites who rip apart others based on looks and then, like the woman I mentioned earlier, sell products about it.

So what do you do? Start exercising. Doesn’t have to be much (I’m a big fan of walking) but do something. And watch your diet. I don’t mean go on a fad diet; I mean eat wholesome foods with nutrients in portions that make sense. And drink lots of water. When I started getting my health act in gear, nothing helped more than plain ol’ tap water.

You can learn from the past, from others who experienced pain first hand. A good body is not the key to success, but it and the discipline it takes fostering one helps. After all, who wants all their achievements tainted with ‘fat’ preceding their name?

Elvis’s Lessons:

• Getting into shape can help your career as well as your overall lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be extreme; a little walking, watching what foods you eat and drinking water can go a long way to shaping you up.

P.S. If you need some positive and negative inspiration, here's a video of Elvis singing "Jailhouse Rock" when he was in his best shape, in 1968, and another when he was in his worst, in 1977. They're useful for comparison.

P.S.S. When I was getting in shape, this free website was a lot of help. It's called Scooby's Workshop, named after its founder. I hope it can help you do the same.