Double post Friday #blogjune #19 #20

Ok so I've been slack again but we had a plumbing malfunction in the house last night so blogging was not high on the agenda.  And tonight I'm writing this on my tablet which limits me a bit.  Anyway, moving on....

Yesterday's mantra: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Today's mantra:  A fit life is a marathon not a sprint.

Ok yesterday I really put myself out of my comfort zone.  I headed out for my run at 5.30am with my stop watch in hand.  I did a warm up and headed for the beach.  I love running on the beach.

Anyway, once I got on the beach the fun began, starting with a 1 minute effort (faster pace then normal) then 1 minute recovery running at normal pace.  I did this 4 times.  I then upped it to 2 minutes effort and 1 minute recovery and did this 3 times.  By this time I was almost at third headland - about 6k up the beach andni has to start heading home.

Note to self, when playing games like fartleks (running term for what I described above) remember you have to run back.  And the further out you run, the further you have to run home.  It was a killer.  But I did it!  Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

The 2nd mantra I'm going to refer back to my transformation journey over the last 12 months, well 15 months.  I have made small changes to my lifestyle and have lost 15kg.  I did not lose 12kg in 12 weeks or make huge sacrifices.  And the weight has stayed off.  The point I'm trying to make, is that a fit life is a marathon not a sprint.  A fit life is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.  This is permanent,  not something I will stop once I reach a certain point.  I am a work in progress, and like learning, it is lifelong.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take #blogjune #6

Sorry, I'm a bit late with post 6.  I was pretty tired by the time I got home from work yesterday and spent quality time with the family so blogging was put aside.

Yesterday's mantra: You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Well this could all be about regrets or the road not taken.  Or it could be about not taking risks.

I try not to reflect too much on regrets or other possibly paths my life could've taken because I believe that the decisions I made at the time were good ones.

I have a beautiful family and I enjoy my job most of the time and I live in a wonderful part of the world.  So really, there is nothing to regret!  Do you feel the same way?

However, it would be interesting if one was to write a biography that was more like a "choose your own adventure."  I loved those books and I did read one to Miss A one day but then we had to choose every possible way to learn of all the different outcomes.  I wonder what different outcomes my life would have if at every cross road I got to see where each would take me!

I don't think it is something we should ponder too much.

Now if the mantra is about taking risks, it's really saying that every risk you don't take, then you've missed out on something.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm probably not much of a risk taker because I really do enjoy my comfort zone.  I sometimes feel that opportunities to take risks are not presented to me that often, but perhaps because I love my comfort zone so much, I'm not seeing them on purpose.

What are your thoughts on risk taking?

I often find the process of blog posting a bit of a risk, depending on what I want to say.  Really I do put myself out there and expose bits of me that perhaps I shouldn't expose or feel that others may think less of me or change their views of me.  But other times I like that I can put things out there that I probably wouldn't talk to others about but would make interesting conversations.

You'll never know your limits unless you push yourself to them #blogjune #4

Today's mantra: You'll never know your limits unless you push yourself to them

I'm all for comfort zones - I love mine - both in fitness and in work!!

I don't find it easy to step out of my comfort zone and I often find my body and mind seeking that comfort zone when I'm trying to push beyond it.

However, this year I completed my first half marathon back in March and I have planned another 3-4 this year.  Each race/fun run, whether it be a half, 10km or 5km, I find myself pushing out of the comfort zone.  I step into my competitive frame of mind and find myself overcoming that physical and mental point where I want to stop and walk and give up on pushing through the pain.

During my regular runs, I find it harder to push through my comfort zone then when I'm completing a fun run/race.  Competitiveness is a wonderful thing when it comes to pushing the comfort zone - well for me it is!

But you can't be in a competitive position all the time, so how can you push yourself out of that comfort zone when there is nothing to compete with?!?

I think I find I struggle with this more in my work situation than in fitness/running.  It is easy to say, well I don't think I will take that risk because everyone is quite happy with the way things are running now, or there have been no call to change the way we do this or offer this service, so why do it?!?

Or I don't have the skills to do that task, so I'm not even going to try!!!

I do think that through accomplishing pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone in my physical fitness, it is having an impact on how I deal with my work comfort zone.  Perhaps I'm ready to take more risks and even try a few things differently!

What strategies do you use to push yourself out of your comfort zone?