Doing More

Up late talking with a close friend about some frustrations he's having, and so my morning Spark and MNS are coming in pretty darn handy today...

All in the same day, I read a good post from Luke Halls and had a good conversation with Capital City CrossFit owner Brian Chandler about doing more in our fitness lives. That most people don't actually do enough physically to reach the goals that they might be seeking. And that they start out at a good certain level, but don't increase their work capacity over time to match the initial improvements they make.

This past week, I have really been doing more--way more. I am concurrently following increased workload routines from both Luke and Tuck, which they have both been very gracious in sharing with me. At first, they both seemed daunting, but as I have been taxing my body doing them, I feel that I am making some discernible gains and holding up just fine in the process.

I am certainly not advocating overtraining, and a person should not wildly increase their upload without some guidance and without taking some precautions in the areas of stretching, rest and recovery days, etc. But I know that sometimes I talk myself into believing that I can handle less than I really can... And then, I am lucky to have friends who nudge me out of that and push me to go harder. So, just a couple tips on how to increase your workload:

• Diversify: Too much work in one particular area limits our progress. Endurance strength, brute strength, cardiovascular work, body weight management, and low-impact movement are all part of a well-rounded fitness approach.
• Do it together: I can tell you for sure that fitness and training is much more fun with your friends. Gives you accountability and helps you measure progress and celebrate gains together. I should know, since I have the best training friends in the world.
• Turn the TV off: Time is the major obstacle to most people increasing their fitness workload, but turning off the TV in favor of a walk/jog or just some pushups and situps can be the start of making your increased fitness regimen a priority. And moving around is more fun than reruns anyway. (If you must watch TV, start with some pushups at the commercials...)

I guess today is tied to yesterday's entry in that God has enabled us to do so much more than we might think possible. If being in elite shape is something you've dreamed about, incorporating a little extra work over a few different time intervals could be one of the keys to having it.

Today's challenge: Examine your own fitness routine. What could you be doing more to look and feel better? Pick something out and get on it--what better day to start than today?