As an exercise physiologist, I perceive wellness and life through a lens of physiology (e.g., Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social well-being as “well-centered fitness”). As such, I apply physiological principles to matters that are of the “psycho-social” parts of “bio-mechanical-psycho-social.” Thus, I discuss the challenges is life—the stimuli for personal growth—relative to the “principles of adaption” (i.e., overload, progression, specificity, reversibility, and individuality). The latter of these—individuality—if a principle that is often neglected. It is nevertheless important to consider that we are not all the same and we don’t all experience the same stressors in life.
It is wrong for any of us to say “this (or that) generation doesn’t have it as tough as I/we had/have it.” This is paramount to the strongest guy at the gym looking at the newbie and saying, “you’re not working hard enough because you are not lifting the same weights as me.” Overload (the principle that for a body system to grow it must be stressed to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed) simply suggests that we do the hard things in life to grow (Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially)—that we do the “heavy lifting.” We are not all at the save “fitness” level. Hard is relative. What is a struggle for you may not be a struggle for me and vice versa. Hard is not absolute. Don’t judge yourself by what others can or can’t do. Likewise, don’t judge others by what you can do.
In the gym, we “spot” another lifter. For the newbie, this is the service of keeping another lifter safe from injury and giving motivation and support. It is preventing the lifter from being crushed by a weight and helping complete the lift. It is not lifting the weight for them. (A sure-fire way to piss off an experienced lifter is to put hands on the bar when they “got it.”) We need to do the same in life. Watch out for one another. Help others to grow without judgement, without carrying the load for them, and not letting them be crushed by the weight of life.
We shouldn’t seek the easy path. We need to be challenged to grow—to become increasingly “well-centered.” We need to….
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!