Recently, a client who wanted to do some resistance training with me asked: Is it normal that I never ever feel sore after a workout? I took a moment to contemplate the word “normal” and then answered her question with a question: Do you want something to change? She said that her hope was to get stronger, keep her metabolism firing, improve sleep, mobility, and general well-being as she moves through perimenopause. I have known and worked with her for a number of years and felt comfortable crafting my reply.
“I believe you are someone who generally likes to stay in her comfort zone.” (Agreed) “If you continue the routine that isn’t quite working for you, then you won’t see the results you want.” (Acknowledged.) “It’s going to be my job to take you safely out of your comfort zone.” (Light bulb!)
There’s an expression that goes: “If nothing changes, nothing changes.” In other words, if you continue to operate in the same way you always have, you will continue to get exactly what you’ve been getting. If you want to make change, change something.
The truth is that change is uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it’s important to court discomfort, to realize that discomfort is not fatal or disastrous but survivable. It’s critical for human development and personal growth to find ways to push yourself out of your comfort zone so that you feel excited and challenged – perhaps uncomfortable, but not imperilled.
This is one of the basic truths we come to understand and accept on the mat: you can, with practice, breathe and maintain your mental, emotional, and physical equilibrium even when you are uncomfortable. Do so repeatedly and your nervous system learns to accept challenge without shifting into high gear. You become more resilient. Stronger. More resourceful.
Breaking patterns isn’t easy, but I feel that, given the too-often failed attempts at New Year’s resolve, perhaps the way to go is to try for change. Even small changes. Take a good, hard look at the habits and patterns you repeat; are they yielding the results you truly want? Is binging Netflix eating into your focus time? Cancel Netflix for a month until you replace it with a habit that leads where you want to go. Have you plateaued at the gym or on your mat? Change up your program, find a private teacher, or practice the poses that you dislike or fear. Shake it up and step outside your usual narrow box.
What are the changes you hope to make this year? Please share with me, and let me know if I can support you in any way.
