Checkpoints

Welcome back to my blog!  I have had quite a busy month with some important work deadlines and a vacation all thrown in together.  Now that I’m back and into the swing of my routine again, it’s time to write a new blog posting!  Today I participated in an orienteering race in Minnesota and as I thought about each checkpoint, it became a metaphor for health and fitness in my everyday life.

My race was “interesting.”  I was both pleased and frustrated at the same time.  Most of my checkpoints took on average about 4-6 minutes to find.  However, checkpoint 4 took me 29 minutes and checkpoint 9 took me 22 minutes to find.  Those setbacks nearly ruined my feelings about my race.  Yet, I finished around the top 5 and my time didn’t seem so unreasonable from other finishers.  I likely made up time by running as much possible between checkpoints.

While driving home, I thought about my mentality at each checkpoint.  I remember very quickly finding checkpoint 3 and I was screaming inside with excitement because the first few points had been easy enough to find.  That quickly changed to frustration, desperation and fear of failure as I spent my 29 minutes trying to find the fourth point.

And thus the analogy to health and fitness was born.  We all have our ups and downs when it comes to health and fitness and well, pretty much everything else in life.  No matter where you are on your health and wellness journey (frustrated and afraid to take action, maintaining as best as possible or preparing for your 100th marathon), the highs and lows are inevitable.  You know those feelings.  The triumphant feeling of saying no all day to the office snacks and desserts in the break room; the disastrous feeling of realizing it’s been two weeks since the last time you broke a sweat.

The challenge isn’t the fact there were missed workouts or extra sweet treats, it’s understanding and accepting that the ups and downs are normal.  It’s how I react to it that will make or break my goals.  That realization is tough to accept.  I’d like a “free pass” or something when I simply do not end up giving my best.  Since it doesn’t work that way, I’ve tried to focus on the little things that I hope will have a big impact.  I can build on the small successes and spend less time worrying about small slipups.

How do you handle your health and fitness ups and downs?  What moments give you the drive you need to push towards your big goals?  What frustrations push you to the edge?  What strategies do you employ to pump yourself up?

A few of the strategies I call upon include:

• Registering for a race.  Putting a date on the calendar means I have to put a plan into place in order to prepare and complete my race.
• Enjoying the ride.  I like riding my bike and running and crossing a finish line so simply being in the moment and enjoying it makes me happy.
• Finding intrinsic motivation.  Intrinsic motivation comes from within; external motivation comes from an outside source.  If I find a reason that I want good health and fitness, it pushes me harder and helps me focus more clearly.  

Feel free to share your up and down moments in working towards your best health and wellness and what you learned from each of those experiences.

Miss FitGab