Audacity and Vigor

Don’t look now but we are almost out of time. Three days left in 2018. If you are considering a new year’s resolution and plan on hitting the ground running with it come Tuesday, the time is at hand.

Interestingly, the odds are very good (a solid lock) that you are among the unofficial 85% of Americans whose resolute commitment for 2019 will fall into the category we call TBT, The Big Three. For your review the three, and in order of importance, are:

1) STRESS MANAGEMENT

2) DIET

3) EXERCISE

Big enough for you? To recap, the reason stress management now sits atop this lofty list is recent medical findings stating that when one is under habitual stress, the body, that miracle of sacred hi-tech engineering, releases chemicals known to have benefit during situations normally connected with the infamous fight or flight syndrome. The two most dominant hormones, adrenalin and cortisone, while dialing up your metabolism for temporary bursts of speed, power and sensory awareness, conduct this emergency response at a cost. That cost has a negative impact on our ability to repair muscle tissue, recover from trauma, it limits optimal access to fuel reserves, mostly fat, and significantly reduces our ability to rest and recover. A heightened state of emergency response to stress takes a lot out of us. Put in simpler terms, it has long been an accepted premise that one cannot out train a bad diet, now however it appears that one cannot out train chronic stress. No matter how much you run, ride, swim, lift, row, race and attempt to recover, and with even the best diet possible for your body type, if you are suffering (as many are) from the ravages of chronic stress, you are doomed. 

Maybe not literally doomed, because certainly there exists hundreds of examples of people succeeding while under continuous stress and strain, but if you are serious about pushing your health and fitness as you mindfully attempt to ‘do everything right’, this could be the one missing piece of the big puzzle.

Manage your stress and everything else will fall into its proper place. For those of you making the same attempt to reduce or stop your dependency of liquid toxins (cleverly disguised as stress relievers) as you did last year (and the year before), consider how reducing alcohol would play a positive role in all three areas. We just need something, a good habit, to replace this one bad habit.

In another article I listed several options. Do your remember when you smoked? How did you kick that habit? Most former smokers will tell you that they just quit, cold turkey, and yes struggled for a time, but found sufficient courage to see the benefits and tough it out until it was no longer an issue. 

Imagine the possibilities if you found a way to reduce, or better supervise, your stress. That alone impacts the quality of your exercise and the very purpose of your fueling. 

I have long practiced a method of dealing with the nagging impulses to sabotage my fitness, training and racing efforts with a two step process. As we cannot keep thoughts out of our heads, the process peacefully acknowledges their presence. “Oh, you think an ice-cold IPA would be tasty, and relaxing right about now?” Thought acknowledged. The response as part two must be immediate and in your best commands voice. “I don’t do that anymore.” Repeat as often as necessary. 

Part three could be your reciting the myriad benefits resulting from your on-going dance with stress management and the new way you envision your success playing out.

For about thirty years it was sufficient for me to hear four words. At the Ironman World Championships held every October on the Big Island of Hawaii, the voice of Ironman Mile Riley would greet every finisher with words that still give me chills, “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.” I knew exactly what I had to do to hear that voice. 

Please give this serious consideration as we head down the final approach to the 2018 finish line. If you want to see the sunrise you must be up early. 

Plan with audacity and execute with vigor.