I love watching the biggest loser. The show helps people lose weight and live healthier lives. This is a goal of mine and I am always inspired by these men and women that have usually struggled with their weight for most of their lives. They seem to accomplish things that I don't feel like I could do.
Last night while watching, some of the contestants were asked to run sprints, which is a very common thing on the show. What caught my attention was how fast the sprints were for some of them. When I run i frequently do interval training but my 'sprints' are set at an 8 on my treadmill and when I am done I am left wondering how anyone could run that fast for any extended period of time and I feel proud that I pushed myself that fast.
Last night however, I was humbled that a woman that weighs more than twice what I do, could run sprints at a 12. For those that aren't runners a 12 setting on a treadmill works out to be about a 5 min mile. Now she wasn't asked to run a mile at that pace, but running any amount of time at that pace is hard, but obviously not impossible. Jillian then made the comment after realizing that all along they could have been pushing harder " Think about it, What else in your life are you doing half assed?" This made me think.
I pondered that question this morning after I slept in and didn't get to workout when i wanted and considered, because I was just grumpy, not even going at all. Then Jillian's words came to my mind again and I decided that i was not going to let being grumpy stop me from getting out there and changing my self perception.
I didn't have a lot of time but I got out there and ran. After finishing a 5km i decided I would put Jillian's words to the test and not do my work out 'half assed'. I also thought that if they could run that fast then there was nothing stopping me, and I even decided I would go one better. So, instead of running 20 second sprints I decided I would try 1 min sprints at a 12, just because I can.
I let the treadmill warm up and i was a little afraid to jump on it with people around (I imagined not being able to keep up with it and flying off the back) but after about 30 seconds of watching it I jumped on and did it, twice!
This isn't going to win me any medals or even make me a faster runner, not right away at least. But i had a revelation today. If i believe that I can do it, then i can. In the words of Jillian Michaels "You have had a life changing moment, because now you have had a glimpse of your potential. Nothing has changed, except that you got out of your own way and excepted that you could do it. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, with the right attitude."
2 comments:
After she said that, I looked at Mike and said, "She's makes a good point!" We don't care for Jillian, but my view on her change a little after she said that. If there was ever anything to quote from her, that's it! I need to put her words into action in my own life. When it comes to exercise, I always go half-assed, usually using my asthma as an excuse. I need to push myself more. Kudos to you for trying a 12 in front of people. When I saw how fast the treadmill was going, my jaw dropped. Kudos to you for doing it, not once, but twice! Inspiration!
Thanks Laura! No more excuses for either of us. WE CAN DO IT!! :)
Post a Comment