Find the Joy in Fitness

Spark Joy in Fitness.

Today we live in a data driven world. We track everything from our food intake to how many steps we take daily to how many miles we swam, rode or ran on our watches then download all the data to analyze our personal improvement. Is this you? If so, you are probably nodding your head, “ Yup, that is me, “ but we know that quantitative data is only one method to assess fitness. In all honesty, how much time do you spend reflecting on how you felt about your workouts? Quantity does not equal quality. As Marie Kondo would ask, “Did your workout spark joy?” According to Kondo’s KonMari method if something does not spark joy, it should be discarded. No, this doesn’t mean you get to sit in front of the TV and eat cake all day, but one can use Kondo’s concept in their fitness journey. Are you tied to a number in the scale, race time or training schedule? How do you feel if you do not get to a goal weight, get a PR or miss a workout? Perhaps, it’s time to get rid of the scale, sports watches or training plans from time to time and ask ourselves are we having fun? Did we find joy in participating in an event or just starting the workout even if it did not go as planned. By now, you are probably chuckling at this, but it is important to ask yourself from time to time, “How did I feel about my workout or race outcome rather than what my sports watch said?” Adding joy to a fitness goal can increase your self- confidence, self- efficacy and self-growth. Embracing these measures may be the very ones needed to keep you engaged in an activity until the quantitative measures meet your newly found enthusiasm. Try to find joy in the journey.

Comments

Fear, Feedback and Fuel

On Sunday, I started the Chicago Triathlon. It was one of the largest in the United States. The goal was to complete 1500m in Lake Michigan cycle 24.5 miles and run 6.2 miles in Chicago. I completed this race last year. It was both challenging and fun. This year the outcome was not what I had planned. I started the race surrounded by wonderful people, Some I knew while others were strangers. We all started the race together. Rough waters awaited. Lake Michigan looked menacing. She churned and tossed us from the moment we entered the water. Here I am at the first bouy. My plan was slow and steady since I was not familiar with this type of water. So I swam. I remembered saying to myself, "Slow is fast". I focused on each stroke and thought of little else. I saw a friend swim by me. It made me feel great as I turned to the straightaway toward the finish. I could see the finish through my Rx goggles. I swam and swam. As I sighted for the tall buildings in the dis...

You Define Success*****

Today I must admit was an extra-ordinary day. I had the opportunity to do something I had never done before. I completed 2 endurance events back to back. I participated in the Maryland Sprint duathlon on Saturday and Olympic Distance on Sunday. This consisted of 39 miles of cycling uphill and 10 miles of running in back to back within 24 hours. For a few, this seemed like a walk in a park. See these events bring out the most talent athletes around. They look fast and have fancy bikes. I signed up for this race because a buddy asked me to do so. There I was. No fancy shoes. A bike that is 11 years old. No fancy outfit. NOTHING. I just said to myself, " Oh well, you defined what you want to get out of this." Oh course, I was totally intimidated by all the racers. I had not planned on doing this event. The course is very tough. I have not trained for much in the past few months, but exercise regularly for sanity. All I could do is ...

Grit- Road to Chicago Olympic Triathlon

Definition Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual's path to accomplishment, and serves as a driving force in achievement realization. Commonly associated concepts within the field of psychology include "perseverance", "hardiness", "resilience", "ambition", "need for achievement" and "conscientiousness". This is who I am. Stacy the Grit. Yes, I could spend a lot of time talking to you about my finish time and what I could improve upon yadda yadda yadda but anyone who reads my blog knows that I rarely focus on the outcome. I focus on the process. I focus on how did I arrive at a specific point and time. I focus on the jour...

The Journey

Search This Blog