If you don’t press past your perceived limits you will never know what you are capable of.
This morning was my first day back to a rigorous type workout having taken a few days off over the Thanksgiving holidays. It is rare for me to take a day off from some type of exercise. My typical routine is an hour of aerobic exercise first thing in the morning, followed by an hour of some type of resistance work. I usually do this 5 or 6 days a week and on the days I don’t do resistance work (usually Sunday) I still do an hour on my exercise bike. Usually when I take a day off, it is based on bizarre scheduling abnormality or I force myself to not do it. It is usually six weeks to two months between days off.
In this case, I skipped a workout completely on Saturday, and did no resistance work on Saturday and Sunday. For me, this was a big break from my normal disciplines. Now couple this with the fact that I consumed copious amounts of good things for four consecutive days and we get to the point of today’s post. I knew today would be hard for me. Several days of not so healthy food choices and relative inactivity make me sluggish and less energized. So I decided on my way to the gym at 5:45 this morning, that I would do my normal hour of aerobic and then I would do a blended workout of 100 push-ups, 100 dips, 100 pull-ups, 100 chin-ups, and 600 crunches. I decided I would do them in “super sets.” In this case, I started with pull-ups/push-ups/crunches. So for example, I would do 15 pull-ups, drop down and do 15 push-ups and then do crunches before a minute break….this was a set. I did this until I had the 100 pulls and pushes done. Then it was time to move on to the chins and dips. I did the same thing with these in that it was a blend of chins, then dips then crunches before rest.
On one hand I didn’t think I could do even one more, but on the other hand, I KNEW I could.
By the time I was finished the pull-ups/push-ups I was very tired. The idea of doing the chins/dips was daunting. I had every excuse running through my mind about how what I had already done was plenty. My body was saying enough, but my WILL said more. By the time I was passing the 50 mark for the chins/dips I was completely physically drained. On one hand I didn’t think I could do even one more, but on the other hand, I KNEW I could. I knew this because I KNOW we can always do so much more than we think we can. In all things in life.
When you reach the point where you don’t think you can do any more, you can’t take any more, you can’t give any more….this is when you gather your resolve and you take the next step. This is where the best fruit is.
I knew I would complete this group of exercises regardless of how much I didn’t want to or didn’t think I could. I just kept going. This is the magic to most things in life. When you reach the point where you don’t think you can do any more, you can’t take any more, you can’t give any more….this is when you gather your resolve and you take the next step. This is where the best fruit is. This is the where the fruit of excellence grows. The bland fruit of mediocrity is found at the first point of “I can’t do anymore” because this point comes way to soon for most people…those who have learned the lessons of pushing on, they go much farther before even the hint of these thoughts come.
resolve that when things get challenging, this is the time to really bear down.
There is plenty of fruit for all if you just step beyond. Whatever you are doing, resolve that when things get challenging, this is the time to really bear down. This is the time when you begin to separate yourself from majority, from the mediocre. This is the beginning of the magic. You will be so excited as you begin to really see what you can do. This is what lays beyond. By the way, I did finish and it feels great having done so!
