Courage Under Fire

I am uber inspired by my boyfriend right now. He has recently begun the process of opening up his own bicycle shop. Well recently is an understatement; he has been working at it for a couple years and the grand opening is in only a couple weeks. As anyone who has his or her own business knows, it’s a bit scary. It’s always a risk but it’s a risk worth taking because it’s your dream, your company, and your livelihood. I have immense amounts of respect for people, the BF especially, who are willing to follow their dreams like that and take a risk. It reminds me of something Eleanor Roosevelt said,

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

I think Eleanor was really onto something with her whole, do something that scares you attitude. It’s good for the soul to face your fears and then overcome them. It’s also good for the body to overcome obstacles that the mind thinks it cannot do.

Pushing yourself to exercise in a way you may not have thought possible is scary. Exercise, even something as simple as walking is a little scary. It’s not scary like, “oh my goodness, I could be mugged or break my leg” but it can still freak you out, because it’s hard. The very nature of exercise is about doing something that’s difficult. Even when you get good at something, you are supposed to make it harder in order to progress. When you can walk a mile, you are supposed to try and walk a mile and half. When you can bicep curl 5 lbs, it is suggested that you try 6. The idea is to do it enough that it becomes easier and then to make it harder. That’s scary. When you are walking up a hill and it seems like you might not make it, that is looking fear in the face. When you power through it and you make it up that hill and you realize that you did it, that is what Eleanor was talking about. Doing that which we think we cannot.

What do you think you can’t do? For me, it is running. I have been procrastinating out of fear all month because I don’t want to go for a run. I signed up for a race on April 19^th and I am supposed to run that race and I am scared. I haven’t been practicing because I am afraid that I won’t be able to do it: that I will get out of breath, or my muscles will be sore or it will hurt, so instead I just don’t run. This week I am going to face that fear. I am making all of you my witnesses and I am going to start running.

I want you to face your fears too. I am not suggesting that you go crazy here. I do not think that if you have been walking a mile once a week for three months that you should put on your sneakers and go for a run. Nor do I think that it is a good idea to do any kind of weight lifting exercise you have never done before with a weight you have never used. If you are doing bicep curls and you’re not challenged, then by all means, up the weight a little. If you have no idea what a dead lift is, then please don’t try it with weights. First learn how to do it and let that be the scary thing this week. Maybe your scary thing is asking a trainer at your gym for help. Or maybe it’s going to a class you have never been to before but have been eyeballing in the catalogue for months. Maybe you should try a new walking route, a longer one. Take a yoga class, buy a fitness magazine and do the suggested workout. Push yourself a little even if it scares you. Your body was meant for this. It is strong and capable and amazing and it deserves a little fear every now and then. That’s the only way it can eventually overcome its’ fear and grow stronger, more courageous and more confident!

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live