The road less travelled

Driving to the gym this morning I decided to take a different route. I had to pay attention since I was largely driving into the unknown. I had to be aware of things like how long it would take me and whether there were any obstacles such as road works that may hinder my progress and make me late etc.

Made me think, as I was driving that our health and fitness is pretty much a parallel.
We are free to make choices. We are free to to set up our own program based on the available knowledge coupled with our own experience.

Fact is we are going to get bored at some stage and if the stimulation of a new routine is going to get us to the same destination, hey, go for it. Just make sure that it is going to get us to the same destination.

That's where the road obstruction thingy kicks in. Not much good doing a ' functional training' (mimicking body movement) session if you have been using a split routine to train specific body parts for a body building competition.

Mental stimulation is as important as the physical and make sure that before you head out to do the session that you are ready to give it everything. There should be a sign outside every gym that says " Park your ego and troubles at the door" and put on your 'training' head. The one that allows you to focus fully on what you are doing.

That way you get full value for your effort. Nothing worse than walking walking out of the gym and thinking " well that was a waste of time."

Go out of your way to " find a new route " if the old one is making you flat and you'll soon find your enthusiasm retuning.