As I pushed against the pedals of my bike during a recent bike (spin) class at the gym, I observed my personal discomfort rise as the intensity of the class increased. Confronted with both actual and emotional agony, I became consciously knowledgeable that I got a couple of primary alternatives in response to my agony.
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Placed under pressure, my physical entire body reacted by ‘heating up’ – my breathing turned shallower and more rapidly, my legs began to hurt, and beads of sweat erupted over my body, slowing dripping off my face in steady drops onto the floor beneath. As I reached for a towel to clean my face and momentarily recover, I noticed that I was now going through emotional agony at the same time.
As my physical displeasure become more intense, so did my emotional displeasure. I experienced emotions of uncertainty as to regardless of whether I could keep going using the level of intensity, and emotions of desiring to disconnect and/or stop from the actual discomfort I was suffering from.
In reaction to getting pushed outside of my convenience zone, my 2 alternatives or reactions to this circumstance became immediately clear.
One selection was to ‘back off’ or slow down, and thereby decrease and/or minimize my discomfort. If I took this choice, I knew I could encounter returning to some location of actual comfort and ease, where my entire body ‘cooled’ down and relaxed, and also to a place where my emotions would return to some calmer state.
The other choice I faced was to notice and accept my discomfort, but to decide that I would continue regardless. In this decision I understood I could continue to experience discomfort (for a temporary period), and perhaps even face the possibility that the intensity of discomfort would increase.
To determine my selection, I asked the question: “What is my intent in taking this class? What are the outcomes I’m looking to accomplish?”
Relative to my short and long-term goals for the class, (which in this instance was to improve my fitness), making the selection to ‘push’ through my discomfort and persist with that temporarily, was more likely to produce the result I was after.
I decided the ‘uncomfortable’ selection was a lot more in alignment with my intention, so I chose this in preference to remaining ‘comfortable’ throughout the class.
In my opinion, there was no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer faced with the above choices. Rather, merely an awareness of whether the selection made was in alignment using the end outcome I wished to encounter.
So why would you want to step out of the own comfort and ease zone?
When you’re next exercising – be it walking the dog, exercising at home or at the gym – why not ask yourself this question to provide you using the answer.
‘What is my intention by participating in this specific exercise?’
If your personal intention is purely for pleasure or recreation, then you may be quite willing to produce the experience where your physical exercise is comfortable and painless.
If however you are looking to create change at a physical or fitness level, think about the possibility that experiencing some discomfort may be necessary in order for you to achieve these results.
Choosing a state of ‘discomfort’ or ‘comfort’ isn’t a judgment exercise, merely a choice you make relative to creating an outcome a lot more in alignment with your desired result.