In the gym, I have a few “go-to” conditioning circuits that generally work to get my engine going. I can usually rely on these circuits to get my heart rate into the right zone to trigger the dopamine and endorphins that help fuel my energy and focus for the rest of the day.
Sometimes, however, those circuits fail to produce the intended stimulus — even when I’m applying the same effort.
I used to think that this was a problem that I could fix with more effort or by ramping up the intensity.
But I’ve learned that pushing harder isn’t always the answer.
The “failure” to rev up isn’t necessarily a “problem” to be fixed; it is often the body’s way of communicating that it needs rest, or it’s a result of other load placed on the system.
Our culture promotes a myth that consistent effort yields consistent results, but the reality is more nuanced.
Human bodies are not machines. Even when you show up consistently and put in the same effort, the body doesn’t always react the same.
In fact, sometimes you can’t put in the same effort. Your capacity is different every day.
Sleep, stress levels, fatigue accumulation, time of day, being under the weather, injury, hormone levels, and other factors can impact the performance and the outcome.
Acceptance of where you are on any given day is often a greater virtue than trying to push through.
I’ve had to learn to accept that when my body isn’t rising to the demand, it’s a signal that I need to try a different approach. Maybe it needs more rest on that day.
The same principle applies to the mind.
Here, too, our culture conditions us to believe the myth that showing up consistently is all it takes to produce results, and that failure to execute means we aren’t trying hard enough.
The truth is that the mind is subject to the same influences as the body. Some days, it may not have the capacity for the demands you’re placing on it.
This isn’t a problem that can be fixed by pushing harder. It’s a signal that your system needs a break.
When a road is closed, you don’t try to drive down that road anyway; you take a different road. The same is true in the mind and body.
The signals we get from our system that tell us the “road is closed” aren’t signs to push harder; they’re signs telling us to find a different route.
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