Are you sitting comfortably? Then let’s begin.
I want to discuss comfort and discomfort, and what these concepts mean for your fitness.
People do not like to feel uncomfortable. Most of us plan our day, our entire lives, in ways in which we can maximize our comfort, even pleasure when possible, it’s in our nature. And as a society, we’ve gotten pretty good at it. No, I should say dangerously good at it. Are you cold? Put on a sweater. Are you hot? Turn on the AC. Are you hungry? Order food delivery right to your front door. Feeling lazy? Order an uber. Need to get to the next town over? Drive in your car. Is your car too small? Buy a minivan. See the pattern... You don’t have to change yourself or your bad habits because you can change your environment to suit you.
Today, people rarely exist in a state of discomfort because we’ve gotten so good at ways of relieving our discomfort. When a person has gotten so used to being in their comfort zone constantly they do not like leaving it. However, staying in our comfort zone too long often leads to weight gain, poor physical performance and, inevitably, health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and joint pain.
When a trainer suddenly asks a client to change how they eat, and to exercise harder, that person must leave their comfort zone, which most people are not willing to do. Ultimately, if a person wants to improve their health and fitness, then need to be willing leave their comfort zone - they must be OK with being uncomfortable.
Many of my clients feel discomfort when I ask them to get up early for a workout (sleeping in your bed in much more comfortable), or when I ask them to stop eating added sugars (not giving into the cravings makes them uncomfortable), or when I ask them to lift heavy weights (the muscle soreness the next day makes them even more uncomfortable). But its very necessary for clients to see through the short term sacrifice while their body adapts, into order to meet the long term gains in performance, health and fitness.
When you stop eating oversized portions, and start burning your fat reserves, you will become hungry and it will be uncomfortable to you. And most people quit healthy eating plans because they are not prepared to be hungry - which is a kind of discomfort. You will not starve on a diet, but you will be uncomfortable until you lose the excess weight. Are you prepared to be uncomfortable? Because that is absolutely necessary for successful weight loss.
When you start exercising you will push your body harder than you’re used to. Your muscles will burn with lactic acid. You will have to focus your breathing patterns. You will be tired. You will be sore. Are you prepared to feel these discomforts? Because these are feelings you must experience in order to be make your body stronger.
When increasing your performance you will be asked to push your body harder then you normally would. Are you OK with leaving that safe comfortable zone and attempting that first and higher box jump? Your mind is not completely convinced your legs will reach that new height, but you have to be brave and try, otherwise you will stay in the same place. Do you want to stay the same, or do you want become better?
Too many people quit when they feel this discomfort. But you have to welcome these feelings, embrace them even, as they are necessary for change.
You may have seen various inspirational meme’s floating around the internet saying things like: “Great things never came from comfort zones” and this is very true. It takes hard work, uncomfortable work, to achieve greatness. Finding the best version of you is not going to be easy. But if you’re willing to leave your comfort zone you can be greater than you are now. A better, stronger, faster, fitter version of you.
So this year, instead of quitting your new years resolutions when things get hard - when they get uncomfortable - change your mind and embrace the feeling. Its good to be uncomfortable. Its quite necessary actually.
Unsure about the process? Let your personal trainer guide you and keep you safe while pushing you hard. I highly recommend picking a personal trainer who has achieved goals similar to those you are working towards, as they will intimately know how it will feel to be working through those tough moments.
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