Some want to change their fitness because they want to look better. Some because they want to move better. Some because they want to feel better.
It all starts with a motive.
When I began to change my body my main drive was to look better, and feel confident in my skin. That did however change. My thoughts, motives, and drive behind both why and what I was doing took a shift.
There I was, sprinting for my life, the skin tightening around my chest from every lung-expanding breath.
I hadn’t ran since high school and it showed. My breath was exaggerated and my mouth was like sand paper.
I forced the water down my dry-as-a-bone throat. I needed the water so badly, and my thirst just kept on coming and coming. I couldn’t catch up. My friend was light years ahead of me. He was driven.
For some reason I decided to run with a backpack. Stupidly the backpack didn’t fit, it would ride up my back making me sweat more than I thought was possible.
I simply blamed that.
My ego had taken a blow. After all, I was lean, muscular and strong. Worse of all I was young and I was meant to be fit. Never the less my body sure didn’t feel it.
It all started when I decided I needed to get ripped and reach single digits in body fat. A shallow goal I know, but it was my goal.
I had already packed on over 30 pounds of muscle and was overall better than the average joe. The confidence I had craved all my life finally came with the body I had always wanted. Yes, I may of had some deep down fears, but overall I felt better than I thought was possible.
That was until this moment. The run.
I got home, drenched in sweat, bent over, hands on my knees crying inside for a new pair of lungs.
I learnt one thing that day:
It’s What’s On The Inside That Counts.
It sounds silly but things flipped upside down for me.
I didn’t want to be one-dimensional anymore. I needed more. More for my confidence, more for my life, and a bigger dream.
I needed to have the body, mind and soul of a hero, not just one or the other.
I got up and brushed the sweat off my forehead. I waited catching my breath. I needed a plan. I needed to take some steps to achieve these results, and I couldn’t leave it up to faint. This had to be taken into my own hands.
Two Ways To Help You Embrace Change And Follow Your Life’s Mission:
1. Take Pride In That Goal And Own It
I knew this would be hard, after all I wasn’t expecting to be as unfit as I was and that sucked.
I set my goal: To drop 10 pounds of fat whilst being able to beat my friend in an endurance race.
Yep. I had competition. I was ready to win.
Take pride in your goal and know that you are doing this for a greater meaning. I wasn’t doing this just to get ripped anymore, I was making the change to improve my overall life: confidence, health and pride.
Knowing that and where to go made me own my fitness.
2. Where are you now?
I was unfit. But I was the heaviest, strongest and most muscular I had ever been. That was great, I then thought to myself “Well you have only ran once every two weeks”.
That wasn’t the smartest move.
I decided what the next step up for greater results would be:
1. Run daily
2. Run for longer
3. Run at a coincident period.
The third one was the most minimalistic change I could make to reap the best results first.
What is the smallest jump you can take to start with when it comes to owning and dominating your body and life?
List it. Then go and take action.
The Hard Truth
This was all difficult. I didn’t know how much I had to change prior to my long think (or shall I say long, sweaty run).
The idea that being twenty something means you are invincible simply isn’t true.
You have to have a plan at any age.
You’re a twenty something hero. You have barriers, know them, embrace them and break them down.
It’s the only way you’ll grow (up) both mentally and physically.
I want to know; have you been embracing change and what moment in your life made it happen? Let me know in the comments below.
Dean Phillips is a writer, coach and all around dog lover. Dean teaches guys how to become a man, build muscle and crush mediocrity in a fun and humorous way. He also enjoys a good cup of coffee and writing in the third person.The post The Twenty-Somethings Guide To Embracing Change, Running And The Quest Of Life. appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.