This strange thing happens when you immerse yourself in the world of fitness and movement: you start to see training everywhere. You begin to notice that this fitness stuff, this movement and improvement culture, is about more than just what's going on within the walls of a gym. The training we do in the gym is a simple analog for what we do in all aspects of life. I've had countless discussions that go back to this idea that "training is life, and life is training." Yes, it's cheesy, and depending on your perspective, this idea may seem rather dismal or quite thrilling; but like it or not, training is going on all the time.
Every day, you complete hundreds of "reps." These reps come in all shapes and sizes: how you spend your free time, how you present yourself to others, the effort you put into your work, the decisions you make that shape the outcome of your day. Some of these reps are routine and some more unique, some are seemingly insignificant and some rather impactful. But at the end of the day, you've completed hundreds of these reps without even thinking about it. And just like reps completed in the gym, each of these reps contributes to your finished product, and you get to decide what kind of reps you're going to complete.
Reaching for that stale store-bought doughnut sitting in the break room because "well, it's there"? Bad rep.
Setting aside time in your day for mindfulness and meditation? Good rep.
Spending your time mindlessly glued to social media rather than interacting with your family? Bad rep.
Taking the extra step to be excellent in your craft and proud of your work? Good rep.
So the question becomes: how many bad reps will you allow?
This isn't to say that we should live our lives free from indulgence or exception. Rather, it's an invitation to be conscious of the decisions we make every day and how they affect us. Each of those reps is an opportunity to get better or to get worse. What'll it be?
- Preston Sprimont
Sprint - 4x50m
Yoke carry - 4x100' (AHAP)
Posted on 10/13/2016 at 01:00 AM
