Thursday, March 3, 2011

Choosing a different seat


Have you ever noticed that people tend to sit in the same pew in church every Sunday? Same is true at school. Even when the teacher doesn't give assigned seats, the students tend to assign seats themselves, rarely shifting from the spot they initially chose.

Well, yesterday, I had an assigned seat realization. I walked in the gym and "my" usual elliptical was taken. So were the other seven. I usually start with 20 to 30 minutes on the elliptical. I could have flip-flopped my routine and started with weights and mat work first. But instead I hopped on the treadmill and alternated between running and fast walking on an incline for 20 minutes.

How strange this new world was. I got a side cramp. The arch of my foot ached. I watched the little dot me making its way around the virtual track on my treadmill screen. It was fun! I was surprising my body by doing something new and unexpected.

Apparently, switching it up is THE way to avoid hitting a wall in your efforts because your body adapts to a routine every two months. For cardiovascular activities, your body adapts by becoming more energy efficient (same routine, fewer calories burned). For resistance training, your body adapts by getting stronger, but then plateaus.

Just want to encourage all of you to pick a different seat today and let your body see the world from a different perspective.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the reminder to change things up. It is hard to remember to do different things when you are in a routine.

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  2. This is oh so true. Anyone who is an athlete or training for something see's the value of changing things constantly! They have hard days, easy days, moderate days and even rest days. The cross train, they focus on technique. You will not get the same value if you do the same thing over and over.

    A fit person and have a hard time doing something new because they are using different parts of their bodies!!!

    Way to try something new!!!

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  3. The sociologist in me totally digs on this kinda stuff! Weird that our bodies do it too.

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  4. I love this because I always find myself going to my "assigned seat". Definitely time to mix it up.

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