What? I don’t know about you, but I go through my days trying to avoid the struggles in my work and personal life. My workout life is where I learn to deal with most of my struggles, and today was no different. Sunday my little toe met a couch it didn’t like. We recently got a new sofa and the old one is sitting in the kitchen in a usual traffic path awaiting donation. This little toe has made my week difficult. I can’t put a shoe on my left foot, so how was I supposed to workout? I can’t stand the thought of missing workouts because of a toe – there’s nothing wrong with the rest of me – so I had to figure it out. Well, running wasn’t feasible, so the elliptical with flip flops it is. Weight training with a flip flop was okay because it’s relatively stationary work. Anyway, I made it through and by Sunday I should be able to wear shoes for the next workout. Wearing one shoe and one slipper sock all week at work was a bit inconvenient, too, but I made it work.
Isn’t that how we are supposed to approach all our struggles? Accept that it’s not the best situation, but if we persist, we can usually make it work. My two groups of 6 week challengers here at the club are in their 2nd and 4th weeks. The challenge of taking on a new food and workout program is overwhelming. Changing your schedule to get to those 3 workouts a week, revamping your food shopping routine, preparing your meals for a whole week, etc. is a struggle. My challengers who have completed their programs and achieved great results are also challenged by keeping up their fitness routines. Missed workouts, sickness, injury, and bad food slip ups are what makes the challenge a challenge. Living a healthier lifestyle involves change. Change is never easy because we struggle with giving up what we are used to doing. It causes us to leave our comfort zones.
Leaving our comfort zones and taking that leap into the great unknown is one of the biggest life struggles there is – it is also one of the best parts of life. Don’t miss it. Don’t be held back by hanging onto the familiar. It’s hard? You hit a roadblock? Persist. Don’t give up. You WILL figure it out. I guarantee that when you do, you will marvel at the strength you had that you never knew you possessed and you will find yourself celebrating that struggle.
And so, as another day goes by, let’s approach our current struggles by remembering – “It seems impossible until it’s done.” (Nelson Mandella)
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