FIRST THINGS FIRST, I’d like to thank you for your comments and commendations on the previous article. I think the best suggestion I received that appropriately replaces “consequences” was – wait for it – results. It does bring a whole other different twist to the feel of the article, doesn’t it? “Working Out: The Unintended Results”. Awesome, thanks a ton guys.
Delving into what could arguably be considered Part 3 (if you include the article on the difference between you and a Lambo), let’s talk about that feeling you experience as you complete your workout – again, not talking about mathematics! Then again, if it does apply to you in this case, well and good. I have nothing against Mathematics, especially since I am a maths teacher as well as a Physical Educator…but I digress.
I wonder, why does no one ever talk about that euphoric feeling during a workout? I mean, yes, we all have that long-term goal of gaining bigger biceps or increasing the power produced by the muscles (strength multiplied by the speed) or whichever other long-term goal that you may have; and it is usually this elusive goal that seems to be so(ooooooooo) far in the future that leads us to quitting along the way.
“I was aiming to lose 10kgs by end of the month, but I have only lost 2 and the month ends tomorrow! Gosh, this is a scam and it’s not for me. Looks like they lied to me. Better seek out pills that could help me get there faster”; “I have been going to the gym for the last 2 months, and when I look at the mirror, there is no discernible difference in the size of my muscles. Is there really any point in going again today? I should just sleep”; “I have been running for the past week or so, and I can’t seem to be getting faster. If anything, it feels like I slow down with each effort. I should probably just quit and go count sheep instead”.
Wait! Hold it right there. What you are saying is true (perhaps), especially if you are using a measuring scale in the first example…and perhaps slightly biased if you are using your own eyes in the mirror. Lol, even if there are four eyes in the mirror (can you see it?), that vision may be slightly biased…especially since you see your own reflection everyday! Think about it this way: you get into a foul-smelling room and you immediately cringe at the scent, only to stop noticing it a minute later, yet it’s still there. I wouldn’t trust my own eyes in this case.
Hold that thought.
I have recently been reading the book by James Clear titled “Atomic Habits”, and one of the things he talks about is making a habit attractive for it to stick. Remember when I earlier mentioned that we have our goals when we begin our workout programs (even if that includes doing it because your friend or neigbour is doing it)? Well, that objective you had was super attractive at first, but as you got into it, it started becoming tedious hence leading to the monologues advising you to go do something else.
Quick question: okay, so you have been at it for a month (or 2) and your goals just don’t seem to be coming to fruition. As frustrating as it is, would you say that for that period you really had nothing going well for you? Did you not feel anything after you finished your workout and hit the shower? Did you not feel anything after you completed your first set and felt your heart pumping throughout your whole body (as if you’d become a nightclub sound system)? How did washing off the sweat in the warm/hot shower feel? What about your breathing after you had finished cooling down or freshening up, did you also not feel a ka-something? A ka-sweet feeling that would have tempted you to jump back into action?
Let’s call that ka-sweet feeling euphoria, because really, there is no better way to describe it. It’s a really sweet feeling that you feel deep inside you; one that you can’t exactly pin down, and if you’re sexually active (in the right context, of course), it really raised your game or increased your craving, right? Sometimes it’s such a high that you feel like you want to bite into something before it consumes your entire being.
I suppose this is what authors tend to describe as ‘hot blood’ whenever they write about warriors in a battle, and their blood going up – a blood lust of sorts. Well, I can’t vouch for that seeing as I have never been in a battle, and would rather be miles away from one…but maybe, just maybe that’s what they were referring to: the ka-sweet something.
Imagine you are doing your push-ups, and it hurts as you get to a certain number, but you decide to push on. 5 more to go…4…3…2…you stop and hold that high plank knowing that you have one more to go, and you’ve got to do it else you will have to repeat again from 5. You think about it, sweat beads forming on your forehead and your arms glowing with the glistening sweat. You lower your chest to the ground, and manage to come up to complete the remaining one. Done!
As you lie there or stand on your knees and hands (is that called standing?), there’s a ka-something you are feeling. Perhaps a relief of having completed that set of push-ups, or maybe your heart is going berserk within your chest…there is definitely something going on that makes you feel like smiling and patting yourself on the back, irrespective of how small the achievement was.
Oh, and by the way, let me put it out there that your workout is your workout because your body is your body. Just because your pal can complete 20 burpees doesn’t mean that you are a failure if you can’t do those 20 when you have never even done burpees in your life. Run your race! Or in this case, do your first burpee and smile; sooner or later you will be pulling 25 burpees if you keep up the consistency :).
So, instead of focusing on the goals that you had started with – losing 10kgs, getting bigger biceps, joining my mate in the morning run – try focus on the ka-feeling after your workout effort…and before you know it, you won’t even remember why you started because you will want to go on forever, making it a lifestyle.
Disclaimer: it doesn’t always hit you after every workout, and it also stops having an effect after you can comfortably do a particular workout. Instead, it comes as you keep pushing your limits, provided that you are following the correct progression formula. For more on this, you can visit the article about the Lambo. You know, between us, I feel like I am sticking to its short form because I am unsure of its long spelling, but okay, bora you get it :). You could always spell it out for me in the comments :).
As you change into your workout gear next time, focus not on the elusive goal that gets you so frustrated; instead, see if you can gain that euphoric feeling as you take a shower after the session. It really is a high of its own.
All the best!
Cheers!
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