How often do we find ourselves becoming excited and feeling pumped about a new diet or exercise, begin it with a bang, and fall off the wagon a few days or weeks into our new trend due to injury or just the inability to continue doing something so drastically different than what we were doing before?
I have always prided myself on being the type of person who is dedicated enough to stick by a new "thing" I decide to adopt. When my friend dragged me to a hot yoga class for the first time, I did it with the understanding that if I found it to be a challenging yet positive experience, it was going to become part of my life. When the same friend convinced me to get off my lazy bum and start running to train for a half marathon, it took me a couple of weeks to commit because I knew that if I was going to run that race, I was also going to stick with running until my legs or my heart give out. Or, you know, until I get hit by a speeding bus... whichever happens first. The truth is, I always wanted to be a runner, but I was afraid of it after being such a weak teammate on my high school track and cross country teams. Learning that I have a minor heart issue, which limits my speed, was a frustrating diagnosis, but it also shed light on why I struggled with running so much when I was younger despite how hard I trained. It also lit a fire in me to press on in the face of adversity.
Yoga and running were both activities that, because I knew I was going to stick with them, I took the "slow and steady wins the race" approach. I started with a once per week beginning hot power yoga class. Even though I wanted to race to the top because it was something I felt my years of dance and background of martial arts made it possible for me to learn quickly, I forced myself to take my time. I didn't go daily. I let the next-day burn in my muscles simmer until I walked it off. I spent time trying to understand how each pose worked, how to modify as a beginner, and months later, I added a second hot yoga class each week. I added running to the mix a few months after I felt like I was getting the hang of yoga, and I started with a 3x/week walk/jog method that eventually turned into a slow run.
Despite knowing that this slow approach usually brings me to what I consider success in a new endeavor, I'd like to share two recent "I failed because I overdid it" examples: 1) I fell off the "Iron Strength for Runners" cliff (remember that post from months ago?); and 2) I didn't make it through my March core workout goal. Not even close. When both of these "oops, I fell off the wagon" examples happened, I felt more apathetic about my failures than I would expect. Considering how driven I normally feel when I set a goal for myself, I was kind of irritated by my own nonchalance. Especially because both goals were something I committed to as necessary cross-training for Ragnar and the potential triathlon I may do this year.
Delving deeper into this attitude, I realized something that seems rather obvious now: when I jump into a new activity full-force rather than taking my time, it is because my expectations are out of alignment with reality. I am expecting immediate results despite knowing that they are both rare and unsustainable without constant maintenance, and my practice is ego-driven rather than coming from a place of desiring true self-improvement. I want to look and feel the end result without committing to the good, bad, and ugly of the practice necessary to achieve the goal. When this is my mindset, I will inevitably fail.
True change takes time, commitment, character, and a letting go of the ego that often drives us. With this in mind, I realize now that the only way to become stronger is to start over. Rather than doing the full 60-minute Iron Strength workout or the daily core strengthening workout, I need to back off and start slow.
I have always prided myself on being the type of person who is dedicated enough to stick by a new "thing" I decide to adopt. When my friend dragged me to a hot yoga class for the first time, I did it with the understanding that if I found it to be a challenging yet positive experience, it was going to become part of my life. When the same friend convinced me to get off my lazy bum and start running to train for a half marathon, it took me a couple of weeks to commit because I knew that if I was going to run that race, I was also going to stick with running until my legs or my heart give out. Or, you know, until I get hit by a speeding bus... whichever happens first. The truth is, I always wanted to be a runner, but I was afraid of it after being such a weak teammate on my high school track and cross country teams. Learning that I have a minor heart issue, which limits my speed, was a frustrating diagnosis, but it also shed light on why I struggled with running so much when I was younger despite how hard I trained. It also lit a fire in me to press on in the face of adversity.
Yoga and running were both activities that, because I knew I was going to stick with them, I took the "slow and steady wins the race" approach. I started with a once per week beginning hot power yoga class. Even though I wanted to race to the top because it was something I felt my years of dance and background of martial arts made it possible for me to learn quickly, I forced myself to take my time. I didn't go daily. I let the next-day burn in my muscles simmer until I walked it off. I spent time trying to understand how each pose worked, how to modify as a beginner, and months later, I added a second hot yoga class each week. I added running to the mix a few months after I felt like I was getting the hang of yoga, and I started with a 3x/week walk/jog method that eventually turned into a slow run.
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| I wish I had a "before" photo for comparison. I have come a long way in the three years I have been practicing yoga. Sakura Singlet and Mejiro Shorts by INKnBURN. |
Delving deeper into this attitude, I realized something that seems rather obvious now: when I jump into a new activity full-force rather than taking my time, it is because my expectations are out of alignment with reality. I am expecting immediate results despite knowing that they are both rare and unsustainable without constant maintenance, and my practice is ego-driven rather than coming from a place of desiring true self-improvement. I want to look and feel the end result without committing to the good, bad, and ugly of the practice necessary to achieve the goal. When this is my mindset, I will inevitably fail.
True change takes time, commitment, character, and a letting go of the ego that often drives us. With this in mind, I realize now that the only way to become stronger is to start over. Rather than doing the full 60-minute Iron Strength workout or the daily core strengthening workout, I need to back off and start slow.
"When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful."
- Yogi BhajanNew goals:
- Iron Strength workout for 20 minutes once per week until it becomes habit, then slowly increase.
- Forget about adding a separate core workout for now. Cover that workout with yoga practice and Iron Strength instead.
"when I jump into a new activity full-force rather than taking my time, it is because my expectations are out of alignment with reality. I am expecting immediate results despite knowing that they are both rare and unsustainable without constant maintenance, and my practice is ego-driven rather than coming from a place of desiring true self-improvement. I want to look and feel the end result without committing to the good, bad, and ugly of the practice necessary to achieve the goal. When this is my mindset, I will inevitably fail."
ReplyDeleteThat's the most insightful thing I've read all day. Awesome. Good luck with your revised goals!