Do standards matter?
Some words from a friend
Today I'd like to share a few thoughts from my friend and colleague Jon Yuen, who so succinctly and eloquently spoke on standards, exercise, and shifting our perspective when we don't feel like working out in one of his recent newsletters.
I found this very valuable, and hope you catch a few nuggets from it as well!
The Big Picture
There are days when I don't feel like working out.
This doesn't mean that I'm inclined to wither away in the depths of my couch because the alternative (moving) is so much worse. Rather, it's because I don't feel like doing a "workout".
On these days there's one thought that, without many exceptions, have gotten me into motion:
That I move > how I move
It's obvious, it's simple and it's true.
Our bodies do not directly benefit from our goals or our idea of how we should work out. The body benefits from movement. Unfortunately, our expectation of what a "proper workout" should look like, is also the thought that hinders many of us from shaking our groove things/tailfeathers.
We let our standards get in the way.
Do we blame our standards? No. We blame ourselves and our inability to be as disciplined, motivated and passionate as our standards need us to be. It's not a productive mindset - which is why I find it so helpful, on those lazier days, to remind myself of how doing something "half-assed" is infinitely better than.. No ass.
More Standards
When I look at the people in my life who I consider to be among the healthiest, it's clear that they've managed to make movement a natural part of their everyday lives.
Sure, they work out - but they don't always do so vigorously every day. They're not former Navy Seals who frequent the Joe Rogan Podcast, nor do they talk or think about movement as if it's a religious duty.
They just move about. They think of movement as equal parts nourishment, entertainment, and challenge, not merely as an exception to everything else they might do in a day.
In other words, they have more standards for what "good movement" is. This just happens to let them move in more ways, with a greater range of intensities, and for various lengths.
They might not be associated with discipline or motivation, but they operate with more freedom and options - and it's not like they suffer because of that.
How can we create the same relationship to movement?
Well, we're going to have to get comfortable with the following:
* To be okay with moving without getting fatigued
* To be okay with moving for a shorter period of time
* To be okay with moving in a way that feels good
This change of perception can't truly happen just by thinking about it.