Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone in order to achieve other benefits? Here I am lifting weights, working on this now for the last 15 months. I consider myself a runner, but knew the importance of weight/resistance training on my health as well. I just did not really like it. Also, I was afraid that I could hurt myself, and then may not be able to run. I also know that if I wanted to improve my running, I needed to work on my overall strength. I needed to get “out of my comfort zone”.
With everything in life, there are risk and rewards for everything we do. Sometimes, we may have to sit down and write down the potential risks in things we do, or should do, versus the potential rewards that can come about as well. Weigh your options, but at the same time, be willing to step out on a limb. You never know what other life experiences that may be available for you to experience.
Here is Rich, one of my training partners for the weight lifting. He is looking at the board for what is scheduled for us to do that day. Sometimes, we may look at things and feel overwhelmed. We may even wonder “how am I going to do that?” Even though that work out that morning seemed a little daunting, we did it…we made it…and at the same time, proved to ourselves we could do it, which leads to even more confidence in everything we do, not only when it comes to exercise, but life in general!
Evaluate those risks against the cost, whether financial or otherwise, and also the effort it is going to take. Anything worth taking a risk on is also going to take some effort. Welcome to life! There are risks involved when trying to exercise, or to stay healthy, but there are even more risks involved if you don’t exercise! Everything has a price…money, time, effort, determination, courage, risk!
Sometimes we need to flex our muscles and prove to ourselves who is the boss. Nobody said working out or trying to exercise was easy…if it was, everybody would be doing it, and there would be no challenge. Push yourselves…our minds are much tougher to push things past than our bodies are!
Here I am getting ready to do a back squat. The amount of benefit this exercise has provided me for increasing strength for running has been enormous. Yes, I got hurt doing this maneuver at one point last year, but that was more carelessness on my part than doing the actual exercise. I have to realize now I am over 50 and I can’t do what somebody younger can do, and my body let me know! But, that does not mean I cannot make an effort! I may need to make some modifications on how I do this, but that should be the way it is. I have to listen to my body, just as each of you have to listen to yours. We are all individuals, and the same time things are not equal across the board for everybody. That is what makes us unique!
Realize that we will all face risks with exercise, our health, and life in general. Plan for it, adjust to them, and even though many of those risks may be seen, there are many that are unforeseen. Adapt to them, take them on, challenge yourself. It may surprise you as to what you are really capable of doing. If you are not willing to risk going further than you have had before, you will never know how far you can go!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3096
