Fitness, like any industry, cycles through trends. When I first went full-time as a personal trainer, breaking out of one’s comfort zone was a hot topic…but is it still a thing?
Comfort zones are indeed comfy – daily habits, healthy and not, the same old thought patterns, things that are known and safe, even if they aren’t the best for us or the things that set our souls on fire. Comfort isn’t always a bad thing, especially after the last few years of upset and uncertainty. Maybe you’re just now feeling safe again after all of the unexpected changes.
But how do you know when your comfy walls have become a jail?
Are your “no”s and “can’t”s boundaries or fears?
This is still a health and fitness issue because changing one’s relationship with energy management and muscle mass requires a change in how time gets used…we gotta do different things, like making it to training sessions, hitting step goals, swapping couch time for movement that we love, and getting back in the kitchen some days and out of the delivery apps. If we have a special health circumstance to manage, we indeed have to manage it well to stop it from impeding our growth. And that’s kind of an identity issue: so much of who we are is what we do, so these changes can feel like an attack on the basic constructs of our existence.
But it’s nuanced.
I believe that fitness is for everybody, but that doesn’t make everything anyone does into a healthy choice. I respect boundaries, but as a trainer I also have to hold open the door to the next level and invite you up with me when I think you might be ready. Or that you might be ready to be ready. Or when your health says that you need to try to be ready – that the cost of staying where you are is greater than the risk of taking a step forward.
It’s how we make a lot of decisions, isn’t it? We have to wait until the shoes we’ve outgrown pinch so badly that we can’t imagine putting them back on. We wear the shirt until it’s mostly holes. But when we practice making tiny changes and upgrades, those change muscles get stronger, and the steps become less scary.
We donate the shirt when we realize it doesn’t feel great.
We buy new shoes before our toes pop out the sides of the old ones.
We take a step forward before a crisis pushes us to do it – after all, we can always retreat. Just because we change doesn’t mean we can’t change back. Just because we try something once doesn’t mean we have to keep it on the schedule. Just because we stretch one fingertip out of our comfort zone doesn’t mean the zone isn’t still there – and that the zone won’t grow with us as we grow. (Imagine having the whole world as yours!)
Bonus points: how do you know if your comfort zone is holding you back from reaching your fitness and wellness goals?
If you train with me, just ask me!
If you don’t train with me, train with me! But for now, ask yourself some questions and get honest:
- Do you really care about the goal you’ve set (“be able to walk comfortably on my vacation” or “look the way I want to in this specific outfit” or “live to 105”) or is it a “should” that you don’t connect with (“lose 15 pounds”)?
- Are you able to spend 10 minutes a day, every day, doing something toward your goal? If not, do you need to leave yourself a reminder? Do you need to someone to help you figure out what to do with those 10 minutes? (Hit me up, I’ll help!)
- Do you automatically say NO to any change that crosses your path? Do you cringe and break down about the smallest inconvenience, or hold on to negative emotions and fears (like fear of success, fear of failure, both at the same time…) long past their expiration dates? Neither of those traits are terminal – we can work through them, one tiny step at a time, and I promise that if you’re alive to read this post, you can indeed take steps toward your goals right now!
- Do you really want to work on your goal but you’re scared you’ll make mistakes along the way? Let me tell you now – you’ll make mistakes, but they’re part of the whole process!
- Do you really want to work on your goal but the people in your life are “holding you back”? It’s time for some boundaries – start with just 10 minutes a day working toward your goal, just for yourself, even all by yourself. It’s enough to see some big results!
- Do you really want to work on your goal but you feel like you can’t believe in yourself enough to get started? I believe in you enough for you to borrow some of my belief magic – I really mean it – so even if we’ve never spoken, reach out any time and I’ll be here for you!
You’ve got this! xo
