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Building emotional muscle |
| Posted on Jun 06 2009 |
When was the last time you felt truly alive? How did it feel? Your heart was racing, the blood pumping through your veins, with a feeling that everything was just right, just as it was?
For me, it was last week, down on the beach next to Jacob’s Ladder.
It was a moderately warm day, with a bit of a breeze, and not the ideal weather conditions for swimming in the sea as far as I was concerned. I may be a Northerner, but somehow I missed out on the gene, which allowed me to go out semi-naked in the freezing cold. I like staying warm and cosy, and tending to only venture into the sea in a very thick wetsuit with a jolly good purpose like wakeboarding.
Last week, I was inspired by my friend, who, in an incredible feat of bravery, casually waded out and swam for a good fifteen minutes, without even flinching. She got out and I could tell from her face, everything about her, that it was nothing short of exhilaration she felt. It had to be worth it. So I took the plunge, and I felt truly alive. I’ll never regret it.
Suddenly, it made sense why all these folk, whom I’d previously judged as being more-than-slightly-eccentric, went and swam in the sea every morning, rain or shine.
The most painful part had been before I made the decision to do it. What was I afraid of? Why would I want to do that when it was stepping well and truly outside of my comfort zone? If I wanted to boost my circulation, I could just wait until I got home and give myself a vigorous yet relatively pain-free body brushing.
That wasn’t the point though, and I got it. It wasn’t the easy way to do it, and that’s what gave me the buzz afterwards.
Maybe that’s how many people feel about exercise. It’s easier to go down to the pub. Or sit in and watch mind-numbing game shows. Or have an extra hour in bed in the morning. When we can, we’ll take the path of least resistance, yet it’s the path that also gives us the least reward. We all want the quick fix; the easy way out, to stay safely where we feel comfortable.
Haven’t you noticed though, how the best feelings in life come when you’ve had a challenge, when it hasn’t been easy?
For me, exercise is a way of life, yet I can’t say hand on heart that I don’t have an internal battle with myself just before I go out running some mornings. Half of me is saying, "What are you thinking? It’s raining outside. Stay in bed a bit longer, have a leisurely breakfast and watch a bit of morning TV".
Luckily the other half knows that the hardest part is just before I leave the house, and once I’m out there, it gets better each minute. I know I’m going to feel better afterwards. I know I’ll enjoy the almost meditative effects of running outside. I know it will lift my mood. I know I’ll have more energy. I know I’m going to feel better when it comes to baring my body on the beach this summer. I know my breakfast will taste so much better after a run.
Sometimes I even trick myself just to get started. I tell myself I’ll just go down to the Goat Walk and back, and I’ll walk if I feel like it. That never happens. Once you get started, you remember why you’re doing it, and the positive feelings come back. As with everything in life, taking the first step is always the most difficult.
Then the more times you take that first step, the easier it becomes. It’s what I call "building emotional muscle". When you train a muscle, it gets stronger each time, but you’ve got to use it. It’s the same with our mind, and using the part of ourselves that motivates us to do something.
We all have the voices in our head helping us make decisions. There’s always one voice saying, "go on, you can do it", and another saying "ah but…" So which one are you going to listen to? Well that depends on what you want to achieve.
If you want to get fit and feel good on the beach, then does it help to listen, or act upon, the "buts"?
It’s a simple exercise of weighing up the "pros" and "cons". What are the benefits of committing yourself to an exercise programme you can enjoy?
You’ll have more self-confidence. Your mood will be better, depression lifted. You’ll have more energy. You’ll be more productive. You’ll be able to manage more physically. You’ll reduce your stress levels. You’ll have a spring in your step and a flush of colour to your cheeks. Your body shape will improve. Your sex life will improve.
And the downside?
Only that 5 minutes of fighting the lazy gremlin in your head who comes up with silly excuses not to.
Hmmm, tough one….
Last changed: Jun 06 2009 at 5:27 PM
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