Ever felt that the months just flow past and you do not change….. except you get older, fatter and bits of you get closer to the ground?
FACT: if you do the same thing every day – do the same run, walk the same walk, do the same class – to expect to look and feel different is a little nuts.
Think about it. Dress in the same clothes, brush your hair or wear your shiny bald head the same way… to ask yourself “why don’t I don’t look like I’ve had a makeover?” Eh Hello?
Basic principles.
To make changes in your body and your outlook – first you must make changes. By doing something different, changing the fuel you put into your high performance machine (well it has the potential to be one – why treat it like an old banger?), by changing the challenges to the body or the effort levels you put it through – you will see a reaction. Add in the Happy Hormones induced by exercise and its all good.
I do a lot of exercise every week through my work – to mix it up for me I have to add something in or MY year gets away for me.
So I set myself goals of events or races that I want to do in the year, giving myself something to work toward so that my weeks and months and my *** don’t meld into one big blob. I pit myself against myself to keep moving forward, and I try to have a lot of fun doing it with some of the best people I know.
Cycling with these lycra’d lunatics acquiring chronic cyclist bottom, swimming in the lake growing impressive goggle dents around the eyes (no those are not wrinkles – just Aquasphere marks) and the perma-waft of neoprene is just charming, but its great fun. The banter is mighty and it keeps me fit and smiling.
Each race day is a destination of sorts and a transition on to the next thing, my thoughts are always a cross between thoughts of
“WHAT was I thinking…”,
” Oh dear god I paid money to do this”
“HELL YEAH!”
and I always go back for more.
You learn what your body is willing to let you do, and when it says “That’s a NO Ted” but I refuse to give in any time soon.
Hell of the West Triathlon Kilkee 2016. Pre race – happy with the crew. Image by Stephen Kelleghan of TI Media
If you are in the market to make changes, they should not happen overnight – if they do, it means that it can rubber band back twice as fast and will bring extra friends with them!
So take your time, realise that it will take a month before anyone will notice anything different about you but YOU will feel better as soon as you take the first step.
Choose a challenge that suits your fitness and interests ( use your imagination)
Make it something fun! Life is too short not to enjoy every bit of it…including the journey.
A month from now you will look and feel better than you do today…and 2 months from now you will look and feel better again.
How bad.
