July 2, 2010  

Monthly Fitness Journal

This Monthly Fitness Journal serves several purposes (which also tie in to the overall purpose of the Integral-in-action Article Series):

• To share what I’ve learned during the month; changes in my practice and mindset, ups and downs experienced along the way, and skills I have adopted to help support sustainable change.  You might want to apply some of these to your own practice.
  
• As a way to honor my responsibility to improve myself in service to others (and so that I do not get so easily winded walking up the stairs).  Also as a form of self-motivation, since publicly committing to a fitness practice is one way to help keep us on track!
  
• To demonstrate an integrally-informed approach to fitness.  Integral-in-action!

Month 6: Green Eggs and Ham

Although there are dozens of machines and other equipment available at the Fitness Center, I found myself using less than 10 of these on a regular basis.  Then I dropped out of it altogether out of boredom and lack of interest.  I found it very curious that out of all these choices I would be drawn to so few, so I began looking for additional evidence of this in my life.  What I found was incredible.  I drive the same routes from place to place, tell the same stories of my past, order the same food when I go out to eat... the list goes on forever!  Just looking at my habits of how I had been showing up in the world made me realize how they limit my potential.  

As an experiment, I started leaning in the opposite direction of my habits by trying completely different ways to stay in shape, tasting foods I would never think of eating, and taking alternate routes (while also keeping in mind my phenomenal ability to get lost).  From all of this I found that I didn't really enjoy my old routine, so now I have found activities I enjoy to replace the ones I was struggling against.  Since I couldn't find a way to love what I was doing, I decided to do what I love instead.  It is in this way that I hope to better develop the discipline necessary to stay with any required task regardless of how I feel about it.  I am finding that developing discipline takes commitment as well as reflection and forgiveness for those times that we fall short of our goals.  It is the perspective-changing aspect of reflection and self-caring quality of forgiveness that allows us the flexibility to bounce back from our setbacks.  

In what ways can you broaden your perspective and thus increase the possibilities in your life?  Integral Life Coaching can be a tremendous help in opening up possibility.

Next month will focus on resistance. Until then, stay fit, friend!  

All the best,

-- Jim Arsenault