Recently I have been listening to a book about a guy who pushes his body to the limits, far past the limits of what seems humanly possible. The big thing he talks about is being able to control his mind and tell himself that he can do certain things.
(If you are interested in reading the book and learning more you can check out his book HERE)
Now the purpose of this bog is not to talk about a book I read. I am challenging you to ask yourself if your body or mind is stopping you from working a little harder.
The gym should be a place where we are able to step out of our comfort zone and work hard. With all of this being said I will always put safety before anything else, when I say step out of your comfort zone I don’t mean challenge yourself to the point where you are unsafe.
I want to share with you a few questions to ask yourself and tips to help you learn how to step out of your comfort zone and see the results you have always been waiting for?
What are you afraid of?
Asking yourself what are you afraid of will help you find out what is really stopping you from stepping out of your comfort zone. You really need to dig deep and be honest with yourself and ask what are you truly afraid of. It’s okay to have some fears but if we can find out what they are we can address them and try to overcome them.
Are you affraid of getting hurt? Are you afraid of not being able to do something and feeling like a failure?
These are both reasonable feelings but they should not hold you back completely. If you are afraid of getting hurt maybe the goal is a little too hard, but I guarantee you there are things you can challenge yourself in that will not put your health at risk.
If you are afraid of feeling dumb because you couldn’t do something and think people are judging you that is completely normal too, however, if you do feel that way you should consider finding a new gym. A gym should be a place of encouragement where you can try things outside of your comfort zone. Your gym should have a warm environment full of supportive people, not people judging you. After all, if we cant try things because we are afraid of what other people will think how will we get any better?
Failure Is Okay!
If you are truly challenging yourself you are going to fail sometimes and that is perfectly okay! If you do everything perfectly without ever messing up you are sticking with you are comfortable with and you will not get any better. Remember that I am saying this with safety in mind, failing while remaining safe is cool, failing to the point where you get injured not so much.
Let’s put this in the context of a workout. Let’s say you are doing a deadlift with a 32kg kettlebell for 10 reps, you are contemplating going up to a 36kg but don’t know if you can do 10. You’re feeling good and want to challenge yourself so you try. You’re getting towards the 6th rep of your deadlift and don’t feel like you have any more left in the tank and stop, that’s cool, you still got 6 reps with a greater weight! That is a win, not a failure.
Believe In Yourself!
How often do you find yourself doubting when yourself you are about to try something out of your comfort zone? Saying things like “I can’t do this” or “This is too hard”. Again these feelings are completely normal but let’s try to rewrite the script in our heads.
Next time you are going to step out of your comfort zone tell yourself “I can do this” and “I will do this”. You will be surprised how giving yourself that confidence in the begging will help you.
Remember the gym should be a place where you are willing to step out of your comfort zone. This is the only way you are going to get better and see the results you have always dreamed of. I understand that stepping out of your comfort zone can be hard for some people. If you feel like you are struggling to do that remember the three simple tips listed above.
If you feel like your gym does not create a safe environment for you to challenge yourself come check out Core Principles. We help meet rockstars 50+ where they are and provide them with a safe, caring, and fun environment to work on themselves.
