Exercise teaches you a lot about life. Here are 5 lessons I’ve learned.
1. Intent Dictates distance.
I started working out because I wanted to prove my ex, who kept picking on my inferior physique, wrong. In the beginning, I progressed fast. Small actions yielded big results.
But I plateaued within six months and stayed there for long. With my ex no longer around, I didn’t feel like pushing myself.
Only when I realized that exercise was a means to self-improvement did I begin making progress again. I turned from the underdog whom pros encouraged (out of sympathy maybe) to one whom they now look forward to training with. They can lift heavier weights than me, but I hold the edge in functional strength exercises.
Likewise, intent dictates results in life. You might start something with superficial desires. But when you plateau (and you will), you won’t be able to dig deep and keep going. Make intellectual and emotional growth your goals too.
2. Everything good takes time.
Most people give up because they don’t get lightning fast results from exercise (here’s to the disciples of instant gratification). Long-term is as out of fashion as landline phones.
But results compound only when you play the long game. The compound effect explains why some people’s stamina and strength suddenly increase in leaps and bounds.
Life is like that. Genuine gratification and progress only come when you play the long game.
3. One thing at a time.
I want to Grow Stronger AND fitter AND gain weight AND get a ripped body.
But I cannot do it all at once.
To grow stronger, I must do heavy sets of deadlifts and squats for at least 12 weeks. If I want a ripped body, I must do more of calisthenics.
Like that, you might want to be an amazing employee, travel thrice a year, stay informed about everything happening in the world, and have a startup on the side. But this is like playing a never-ending game of Whack-A-Mole. You keep using the hammer, but unlike Thor, do nothing remarkable with it.
Cut down your number of goals. Stick to the ones that matter like chewing gum to a shoe.
4. Discomfort makes you grow.
The mind gets tired while exercising before the body does. The slightest sign of perspiration on the eyebrow makes it scream “ENOUGH!” even when you have something left in the tank.
We despise discomfort. But without it, we don’t stretch our comfort zone.
During pull-ups, my mind would whine at the fourth one. But I trained myself to do just “two more reps.” I can now do fifteen to eighteen reps per set.
This trait has helped me in other aspects of life too. If I’m stuck on a problem and my mind screams for the phone, I can stick to the problem for ten more minutes. And then ten more. Until I’m pleased with what I achieve.
Each time you give up, you kill a part of you. You kill what could’ve been. And you allow unhappiness to take control of your life.
5. Don’t ignore the foundation.
At the core of an effective workout lies the technique – the form. The right form stresses the right muscles and protects you from injury.
Leveling up demands attention to technique. It’s the foundation on which you build skyscrapers. Ignoring it means your structure will crumble even before you’ve built the third floor.
When you stick to the right foundation (in exercise and in life) witchcraft happens in the background until one day, positive results startle you.
The gym might look like an isolated part of my life. But the time I’ve spent there has shaped me to become the person I am today.
Life is not what happens to you only at work, on a vacation, or when you fall in love. It happens to you at every moment. Use them to make yourself the person you wish to become.
Credits: Quora.com
