A Strategy for Change
As the season is changing, though quite slowly here in Chicago, I got to thinking about how I got to this point of being a CRAZY WORKOUT FREAK. I started with long walks that got progressively longer.
I know it can be very difficult to develop a consistent training plan and even more difficult to reach that level of intensity that is going to get you results. I think SO MANY people train too inconsistently and at too low intensity. Something I've heard Jillian Michaels talk about is how people are conditioned to believe that they cannot do this hard work, that they cannot train intensely. I know what happens when you are able to muster the determination to push yourself through that tough period of getting started. It's SO difficult that people give up too quickly. What can you do?
First of all, we need to stop thinking "No Pain No Gain" is a myth. It's not. It's taken too literally by too many people, even trainers! It's not about the pain of injury. The reality is
YOU MUST PUT STRESS ON YOUR BODY TO FORCE IT TO ADAPT AND CHANGE.
Pushing past your comfort levels into a zone of intense work is the only way to make that happen. If you repeatedly take yourself to just below your limit and stop there, how will you ever move past it? You won't.
Embrace the pain! Embrace the effort and work because that's what it's going to take! Look forward and say BRING IT ON!!! Are you getting the idea that this is as much about your mindset as it is your physical condition? YES IT IS!
I can look back now and realize what was really happening when I started walking. I was changing my mind about my physical abilities. I remember as I got into walking farther and farther, I felt very liberated. I felt set free from my limitations. I was far from home but I had no fear that I was going to be stranded by aching knees and lungs that had given out. I could keep going! But you know what? I WAS tired! I did not fear fatigue anymore. I had started thinking about it in a different way!
Working out can make you feel weak and broken down. It can put a glaring spotlight on your physical limitations. You can feel very discouraged to discover how little you are able to do initially or feel downright distressed at how wiped out and completely exhausted you feel. TURN THIS AROUND!
Reaching your limits is where the excitement starts! You WANT to get there and then GO BEYOND! That's the only way to get the results you want so bad! Your limitations can become your strategy for change.
I know it can be very difficult to develop a consistent training plan and even more difficult to reach that level of intensity that is going to get you results. I think SO MANY people train too inconsistently and at too low intensity. Something I've heard Jillian Michaels talk about is how people are conditioned to believe that they cannot do this hard work, that they cannot train intensely. I know what happens when you are able to muster the determination to push yourself through that tough period of getting started. It's SO difficult that people give up too quickly. What can you do?
First of all, we need to stop thinking "No Pain No Gain" is a myth. It's not. It's taken too literally by too many people, even trainers! It's not about the pain of injury. The reality is
YOU MUST PUT STRESS ON YOUR BODY TO FORCE IT TO ADAPT AND CHANGE.
Pushing past your comfort levels into a zone of intense work is the only way to make that happen. If you repeatedly take yourself to just below your limit and stop there, how will you ever move past it? You won't.
Embrace the pain! Embrace the effort and work because that's what it's going to take! Look forward and say BRING IT ON!!! Are you getting the idea that this is as much about your mindset as it is your physical condition? YES IT IS!
I can look back now and realize what was really happening when I started walking. I was changing my mind about my physical abilities. I remember as I got into walking farther and farther, I felt very liberated. I felt set free from my limitations. I was far from home but I had no fear that I was going to be stranded by aching knees and lungs that had given out. I could keep going! But you know what? I WAS tired! I did not fear fatigue anymore. I had started thinking about it in a different way!
Working out can make you feel weak and broken down. It can put a glaring spotlight on your physical limitations. You can feel very discouraged to discover how little you are able to do initially or feel downright distressed at how wiped out and completely exhausted you feel. TURN THIS AROUND!
Reaching your limits is where the excitement starts! You WANT to get there and then GO BEYOND! That's the only way to get the results you want so bad! Your limitations can become your strategy for change.
posted by Dagny at
8:47 AM
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