Has your fitness lifestyle led to fragility?
Yeah, yeah, you are fit. We get it. You are still fragile.
A fragile life is one that degrades in response to stress. The COVID-19 lockdown has left many trainees close to tears without the comfort of the gym environment. The fragility of one's life is suddenly realised.
Up until now, you have fostered dependence. Dependence on the gym, on perfect circumstances, a single environment, even a single hobby/interest...
Your mood is low. You don't know what to do. There are only so many training videos and full days of eating you can watch before you realise you are furthering your fragility.
The antidote to a fragile life is an antifragile one, or at least a robust one, a la Nassim Taleb.
It means that not only is your life "okay" when stressors come your way, but it actually improves. You get better. It's like the simple laws of physical training; [appropriate] stressors applied to the body drive adaptation, not degradation.
What might this look like in lockdown terms?
Gym closed - GOOD. You get better at bodyweight training. You work on your conditioning. You get smarter. You work on your business rather than in it. You plan for future stressors. And so on...
Don't just "GET THROUGH" this. Let it be a lesson. How can you restructure your life so that it moves closer towards antifragility?
As a caveat, I understand many of you have been laid off work and that your concerns venture far beyond the realms of training. Understood. It is a tough time and I empathise with those who are not in a position to view this situation as a positive one, but if nothing else, take lessons away.
- Gary
