(Spoiler Alert – we are talking about MINDFULNESS here!)
After almost a decade as a CrossFitter and almost as many years as a Coach, my experience tells me that individuals who commit to physical fitness are extraordinary.
The people I have met, who are dedicated to their physical health, tend to be motivated to constantly challenge themselves, to be a better athlete, a better employee, a better spouse, a better friend, and generally a better person. The culture that we live in and then the subculture we chose to immerse ourselves in, supports the constant push for more and better. This journey can be amazing!
Until it isn’t…
The problem with constantly striving for more is that this practice can detract from experiencing (and subsequently enjoying) the now.
Think about the moments that should be joyous – receiving a promotion, hugging a friend, getting a new personal record. Then think about how many times, shortly afterwards, the joy fades and the quest for more continues. The thoughts of what it coming next, how can I do better, how do i get a little more out of it all?
It’s easy to overemphasis what is missing and underemphasize or simply underappreciate what is present. This practice of striving can actually rewire our brains and thus impact our ability to experience positive emotion (nerds – I’m talking about the prefrontal cortex).
The solution is simple: we need to rewire our brains back. We need to expand our capacity for positive emotion, which can lead to a more pleasurable life (and isn’t that all we are really striving for?)
The happiness formula is savoring, experiencing, and bringing a nonjudgmental awareness to each moment of life. It is MINDFULNESS.
What does that have to do with your time at the gym?
As some of you may be aware, there’s little about the movements that we do at the gym where taller athletes have an advantage. In particular, burpees and running. So, as you can imagine doing all of these workouts at home with burpees and running showing up several times a week is my own personal hell.
Round 1 is always a bit of s surprise, I know that it will suck, but I am still a bit disilusioned as to the extent of said suck. During round 2, my brain screams at me to STOP. I have to do more rounds of this nonsense. Ridiculous. Not possible. After round 3, I become acutely aware of my breath, it sucks and it is hard, but I am in fact still able to breath and get enough oxygen. Instead of focusing on the torture I was enduring, I begin focusing on my breath, with the intention of slowing my rapid breathing.
What seconds earlier had been suffering, turns into a tolerable exercise. Mindfulness won’t make me love those movements, in fact, I’ll even say I’m never going to LOVE running or burpees. But the suffering turns into acceptance – and that’s a huge mindset shift.
None of the movements at the gym are really designed for excelling at the gym. Rather, the goal is to remain out of the nursing home. It is to develop skills that transfer to everyday, real life. Life outside the gym.
Think of the suffering in your life. Mindfulness is a skill you can cultivate in the gym that can permeate all aspects of your life.
Happiness is in your control.