We all break down at some point – hit a limit and can’t go on. It could be your fitness regime. It could be unrealistic assignments at work that you finally raise to your boss. You can be seen as rebellious, but really it’s that you’ve been pushed to a point where you can’t continue down that path without some form of physical, emotional or psychological injury to yourself (or others).
Our current culture typically teaches otherwise – that you can do everything if it’s your passion or you push yourself hard enough. I get it about working hard. I also get it about focusing on those things you do well and engage you. Makes sense. Not complicated.
Recently on a Zoom session, I heard a presenter discussing fitness-related issues for people as they age (after age 50, more or less) and was struck by the realism in his approach. He discussed the need for variety. He focused on injuries and how to rehabilitate. He touched on eliminating exercises that aggravated specific muscle groups and changing routine to bring another part of your body into shape as you rested those strained parts of your body.
A lot of common sense in his approach that can be applied to other parts of our lives. Those of us who strike the type of rational approach he advocates swim against the mainstream of “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.” Signs like “Impossible Is Nothing” or “Find Your Limits, Then Shatter Them” adorn the walls at my fitness facility. They’re unrealistic and counter-productive.
I liked a car analogy used by the Zoom presenter. I’ve always appreciated the fact that cars break down, as do human bodies. He spoke about this, and the need for tune-ups, to drive differently to ensure the car stays useful, to change the oil, filters, tires, etc. Sure, our human bodies can’t do all those things.
His point was though that we can keep our core in shape with work. We’re going to get dinged, joints wearing out, something breaking down that we can’t prevent. But, if we take care of ourselves, we remain serviceable as athletes longer – stretching, good nutrition, eliminating bad habits, adding variety to our workouts. We reduce breakdowns.
With our weather overnight here at -10 degrees and only expected to reach 1 degree later this after, I broke down today. It was an acknowledgement of what I can’t handle. I’m wearing long underwear in the house all day. I’m running a heater in our basement, so the heat rises to keep our main floor above freezing.
It reminded me of another personal breaking down incident I had years ago, at work, where I started bringing a space heater to put under my desk to keep my toesies toasty. I broke down. My toes were cold that day and for weeks on end, and I’d finally had it. We all get that way at some point.
We’ve exceeded our limits. We can’t take anymore (of something). We react. We do something about it (put on toe warmers, stop doing pullups, whatever). It’s an acknowledgement that, “No, I can’t deal with this.”
We should all be more tolerant of ourselves and others as we come up against our personal limits. We all have them. Do your best. Acknowledge when you can’t do something. Go have a beer. You’ll feel much better and be happier.
Our current culture typically teaches otherwise – that you can do everything if it’s your passion or you push yourself hard enough. I get it about working hard. I also get it about focusing on those things you do well and engage you. Makes sense. Not complicated.
Recently on a Zoom session, I heard a presenter discussing fitness-related issues for people as they age (after age 50, more or less) and was struck by the realism in his approach. He discussed the need for variety. He focused on injuries and how to rehabilitate. He touched on eliminating exercises that aggravated specific muscle groups and changing routine to bring another part of your body into shape as you rested those strained parts of your body.
A lot of common sense in his approach that can be applied to other parts of our lives. Those of us who strike the type of rational approach he advocates swim against the mainstream of “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.” Signs like “Impossible Is Nothing” or “Find Your Limits, Then Shatter Them” adorn the walls at my fitness facility. They’re unrealistic and counter-productive.
I liked a car analogy used by the Zoom presenter. I’ve always appreciated the fact that cars break down, as do human bodies. He spoke about this, and the need for tune-ups, to drive differently to ensure the car stays useful, to change the oil, filters, tires, etc. Sure, our human bodies can’t do all those things.
His point was though that we can keep our core in shape with work. We’re going to get dinged, joints wearing out, something breaking down that we can’t prevent. But, if we take care of ourselves, we remain serviceable as athletes longer – stretching, good nutrition, eliminating bad habits, adding variety to our workouts. We reduce breakdowns.
With our weather overnight here at -10 degrees and only expected to reach 1 degree later this after, I broke down today. It was an acknowledgement of what I can’t handle. I’m wearing long underwear in the house all day. I’m running a heater in our basement, so the heat rises to keep our main floor above freezing.
It reminded me of another personal breaking down incident I had years ago, at work, where I started bringing a space heater to put under my desk to keep my toesies toasty. I broke down. My toes were cold that day and for weeks on end, and I’d finally had it. We all get that way at some point.
We’ve exceeded our limits. We can’t take anymore (of something). We react. We do something about it (put on toe warmers, stop doing pullups, whatever). It’s an acknowledgement that, “No, I can’t deal with this.”
We should all be more tolerant of ourselves and others as we come up against our personal limits. We all have them. Do your best. Acknowledge when you can’t do something. Go have a beer. You’ll feel much better and be happier.