I was reading on LATimes.com about Dr. Jeffry Life, and his prescription for a life long exercise regimen.
One of the things he said made me want to jump out of my seat and shout it from the rooftops…
Find your comfort zone, and then stay out of it.”
If intensity is the key to results, then your comfort zone is your worst enemy.
Your comfort zone comes in many forms: doing exercises you are familiar with, training methods you are used to, the same time every week, pushing yourself just as far as you think you can go, or as far as you went your last workout. 40 minutes on the treadmill because you did 40 minutes the day before- sound familiar? Routine, routine, routine. Staying in your comfort zone is going to keep you in the same size pants and with the same body fat percentage.
Doing the same thing each time and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone also takes many forms: trying new exercises, new ways to break a sweat, doing more and lifting heavier than you ever thought you could, working out more often, pushing yourself as far as you can go, and then pushing a little further. That is how you get results. You challenge your body. You continue to grow, change, improve.
Comfort is complacency. You should not be comfortable when you work out. You should be uncomfortable, exhausted, sweating and out of your element.
How can you grow if you don’t challenge yourself? How can you know what you are truly capable of if you never try?
