In my article, Leveraging the ripple effect
, I talk about how working on one aspect of your life, inadvertently has a positive impact on all other aspects of your life. Movement, working out, exercising have been an inevitable part of my life and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I have learnt the most about life, approaching a challenging task, progressing and measuring growth from my fitness journey and today, I would like to share them with you.
- Progressive overload: If I have to write about just one important principle of exercise that fits perfectly well in life, its the principle of 'Progressive Overload'. The principle of not dwelling in the comfort zone long enough for complacency to set in. It is about introducing yourself to newer challenges in order to strengthen yourself and adapt to higher loads (at the gym and in life). An important part of this principle is also challenging yourself consistently and gradually & NOT all at once.
- Rest to recover: Another gem of a principle that is applicable to life as well is that if you want to be able to go on for a long time, you have to rest. Even the best of the athletes take time off training once every week, they have a schedule that incorporates rest and recovery sessions. Similarly, as individuals from any field, taking time off work (no matter how much you enjoy being called a workaholic) is extremely important to fuel productivity, creativity and to avoid a burnout. In order to be able to work really hard, one needs to be able to understand the importance of resting to avoid injury. The very basics of sleeping adequately, taking a break, movement and recovery are applicable to everyone, irrespective of what they do.
- Nourish well: Nourishment is an important pillar that is often overlooked and while nourishing one's body is often discussed, nourishing the mind is seldom the first thing that comes to our mind. Due to the amount of social media presence in our lives, it has become practically impossible to filter what one absorbs. In this day and age, nourishing our systems with valuable, positive, useful and meaningful content becomes all the more imperative.
- Focus, patience, discipline and consistency: Well, it goes without saying that in order to be able to push through the pain and show up every single day, knowing that you will experience discomfort requires a lot of discipline and focus. This has been my most favorite takeaway from my fitness journey. It is through my workouts that I have learnt that I have it in me to put myself through the grind it takes to become a better version of myself. Working on any goal (physical strength, endurance, career goals, setting up a business), everything takes time and effort & more often than not, you will NOT see results immediately.
The beauty about investing in oneself is that the effort is your own, the risk is your own, you own your shortcomings, you learn by yourself (majorly) and everything you achieve is on your own terms. For me, working out is one of the first tasks of the day and it is an activity that assures me "If I can handle this, there is nothing in the day that I cannot handle". Apart from the obvious health benefits, there are additional life changing benefits that set the tone for the entire day and it will continue to be a non-negotiable part of my routine, no matter what life brings on.
Hope you are enjoying my articles. When I started writing, it was for the sole reason of being able to make way for my thoughts, but the number of beautiful comments and messages I receive in my inbox, almost everyday make me show up and write even on my worst days. Thank you for always taking time out to like, share, comment and DM me. It means the world to the writer in me.
