The 5 Principles of The Domestic Athlete…
Principle #4 – Be Uncomfortable
As our health gets addressed enough to take on new challenges we gain physical and mental assets to test progress. In a training context quite often this involves occasionally ramping up intensity or raising the stakes in some measurable way.
There is a number of ways we can challenge our comfort zone. At a day to day training level in a given workout we may see if we can push out a few more reps than last time. Perhaps every month we may decide to time our 5 km run on a day we feel good to accurately TEST our speed and endurance threshold. Whatever the method, this invites us to enter the space of walking the line between that familiar comfortable place and that unfamiliar uncomfortable place.
What happens when we dip into discomfort in a safe manner is we get to also push our body and mind to a level that asks it to adapt to greater FUTURE challenges, thus making us better over time. If we mingle in a gentle and familiar place all of the time we never really get to know a little bit more about our bodies and ourselves.
Trying a new skill-set we know we are not great at is another way to see if our ego can be set aside in order be a little bit more humble.
Domestic Athletes will occasionally encounter moments in their lives when they may need to juggle many tasks at once, get the kids somewhere on time, or encounter some unpredictable circumstances, all of which pose a certain uncomfortable amount of stress. By allowing some of this to happen in training, we gain the confidence and attributes that allow us to apply this at times when it may really count.
A jump in intensity does not have to happen that often. It just needs to be often enough. The frequency depends on what you need and how easily you handle new situations. The best place to start is in a controlled and safe environment without putting ourselves at risk. Trust the fact that when it’s over, you will know its worth!
Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Up next… Guiding principle #5.