It's hard

Say what you will about professional athletes - they're selfish, immature, irresponsible, bad role models, etcetera - but you can't call them lazy. With the exception of fat baseball players and Eddy Curry, athletes damn near kill themselves to look the way they do. Being that strong and looking that good is about more than protein shakes and lifting weights; it's a lifestyle commitment.

When was the last time you heard about Kobe Bryant's social life? Every day Kobe works out more than some people do in a whole year. And then he eats breakfast. It might be a cliche, but I'll lay 3 to 1 that Kobe is the first person to the gym and the last to leave 90% of the time. Peyton Manning is well-known for his diligence in the film room. He's been married for nine years but has no children. I won't leave out the possibility of him and his wife being unable to conceive, but I find it much more likely that they have decided to wait until he retires. It takes a lot of sacrifice to be the best.

Simply put, greatness requires discipline. I would love to look like a basketball player. I'll crush my body and workout harder than I ever thought possible. But I won't do it every day. I don't have the willpower to do it day in, day out and eat exactly what a nutritionist tells me. In the words of Vincent Vega, bacon tastes good, pork chops taste good. I don't think I'm willing to give up cheeseburgers for that extra little bit of definition. If somebody paid me millions of dollars to do it? I would take all my food in pill form for a year if enough money was on the line. Anybody want to take that bet? I reckon I can make cheese fry pills.