This week, I spent 12-14 hours training. This consisted of 3 runs (5km, 10km, 21km), and 6 gym-based sessions that consisted of either weight training, cardiorespiratory training (assault bike, skipping), or both.
Is this motivation? Discipline? Commitment?
I mean, there is certainly some of that. But, I think there is also a lot to be said for the fact that doing more is easier as you get fitter. This goes for both training and non-training tasks.
I remember the first time I ran 5km years go. I recall feeling like I had just completed a huge task, and I was wrecked for the remainder of the day. This feeling of being useless for the rest of the day after hard training can often deter people from exercise.
However, I ran 21km yesterday and was able to go for another 8km walk just an hour or two later, and continued to work as normal for the rest of the day. Sure, I was tired, but probably less so than when I completed that 5km run all those years ago.
This can actually have a potent effect on your day-to-day life. When I was 15, I worked in a hotel as an accommodation porter. I had that job until I was 20. This involved quite a bit of manual labour; carrying beds, linen, moving furniture, etc. At the beginning, I didn't even go to the gym, so these tasks would really tire me out. But, over those 5 years, I got into the gym, gained strength, got bigger, and these tasks were no longer as
tiring.
What does this mean for you?
Many people think getting into fitness will simply tire them out. They worry that they won't be able to do what they need to in their job everyday. This can be true at the beginning (hence the importance of smart programming), but as your fitness increases, so too does your available energy to allocate to different tasks in your life. Through training, you are quite literally increasing the size of your engine and the amount of fuel that engine can store, so
keep this in mind when planning your training.
Getting fitter almost always makes your life better.
- Gary
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