SHOCK AND AWE

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We've all heard that life begins at the end of your comfort zone, right?? Well, guess what? it really does. Reflection time: Bust out your own personal highlight reel. Think about your greatest achievements and favorite moments. Were they maybe a step or two outside of that comfortable little circle in which you usually operate? For me, this much is for sure: Pretty much all of my moments of triumph went down when I bit the bullet and forced myself to do things that made me uncomfortable. I remember being terrified for my first marathon. I'd never run a three-mile race, let alone a 26.2-mile race!! It was my first race ever and it basically felt like baptism by fire. But guess what?!!!!! I DID IT!! And so can you.

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So maybe running a marathon doesn't top your bucket list of dreams. Or maybe you simply have a goal of improving your strength or cardio endurance. Whatever it may be, more than likely, you'll have to step out of that zone. One great example of this is my dad. For years he's been doing the SAME. EXACT. CARDIO ROUTINE. For years. And for years I've been after him to change it up. Why? Because your body gets used to fitness routines and if you don't spice it up every six weeks or so, then it's not nearly as effective as it was the first go-round. Your body doesn't have to expend as many calories, because it has become accustomed to the routine and basically gets bored. Just like with mental fitness: You can't read the same vocab list over and over and over and expect to expand your knowledge and learn more words. Just doesn't work that way, right?? You can spend the same amount of time working out or studying, yet the more you do it, the fewer benefits you'll reap. If you know that list of words, you could spend an hour studying them every day, and really not gain much more. Same concept applies to fitness. You can feel like you're killing yoursef at the gym, and you may be exerting the same amount of effort every day, but the more you do that same routine, the fewer calories your body will burn. Whether you're aiming to be physically fit or mentally fit (and well-rounded!), you MUST keep that body guessing.

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So my dad finally took my advice and has been trying out different cardio machines. Then he really got crazy and followed some more of my advice and has been doing interval training (2-3 minutes hard, 30 seconds-1 minute recovery). I AM SO PROUD OF HIM!!! He commented on how hard it is. My response? "GOOD! Then you know you're doing something right and giving your body the workout it needs." It's so true. Unless it's your rest day or you're injured/sick, your workouts should never be easy. I've been doing P90X for years, but I maintain intensity by increasing weights, adding more reps, switching up the order of the routines, performing hybrid workouts, etc. YOU GOTTA KEEP IT FRESH.

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But keeping it fresh doesn't necessarily mean that you have to go out and find a whole new workout. Like I said, I've been doing P90X for years, yet by changing up the weights and other elements, I'm still preventing complacency. The idea is to keep your body in SHOCK AND AWE. The good news?!! When you constantly switch it up, you don't have to work as hard to get results. Or as long. TRUTH! By forcing your body to adapt every few weeks, then it scorches more calories by just trying to keep up and adjust. However, it's important to note that you should stick with a certain regimen for at least a month (ideally six weeks), in order to allow it to take full effect.

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Some tips for working outside of your comfort zone: 1. Strength in numbers -Especially when you're first trying out something that's totally new to you (i.e. a cardio junkie hitting the weight room for the first time) it can seem less intimidating with a buddy by your side. 2. Remind yourself of your goal -It can definitely be a challenge to do something you're not used to doing, so keep in mind what it is that makes it worth it 3. It's only temporary! -The discomfort won't last forever. So take a deep breath, suck it up, and go get 'em!!

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4. Remember: THIS IS WHEN CHANGE OCCURS!! -If if you're not willing to sacrifice a little comfort for change, then you must not want that change badly enough.

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GOOD LUCK!