Did you know that winter is coming?
No, not in the Game of Thrones kinda way, and yes, for many it’s already here. But still, winter is coming.
Next year. The year after that. The year after that. Winter will always come.
It’s obvious, it’s predictable, it’s consistent. It may vary in severity and length, but every year, there it is, WINTER!
I’m thinking about this because I heard it in a podcast I was listening to this morning. Tony Robbins was talking about it in a financial sense, and I will put it in a fitness sense.
Beyond its literal fact, the concept of “Winter is coming” is this:
Winter is going to come and it’s going to be cold. That’s a guarantee and to deny this fact would have severe and potentially life threatening consequences. However, if you prepare yourself for its inevitable arrival it won’t be so harsh. You can stock up on supplies, you can gather warm clothing, you can buy firewood and build shelter. With preparation, winter will be bearable. It will still come and it won’t exactly be comfortable, but you will survive.
So how does this relate to fitness?
The term “winter” can be exchanged for any non-ideal situation or period. In exercise, fitness and health, this can be anything that is setting you back or hindering your results.
It could be getting a cold, getting busier at work, going on a vacation, having an injury, losing motivation, hitting a plateau, or anything that sees you not able or wanting to do your exercise.
The reality of pursuing a fitness journey is that some if not all of these things WILL happen. Just like the winter season every year, you will have periods of difficulty and challenge.
The key is to use that to knowledge prepare yourself. However, unlike getting blankets and building shelter for a literal winter, this preparation is often more mental. Preparation comes from accepting that these times will come AND by knowing that they will pass. No winter has ever lasted forever (even the ice ages) and the same is true in your journey. No setback, struggle, loss of motivation or plateau will last forever. You can use this knowledge to bear the storm no matter how rough it gets.
If you’ve ever given up at any point in your journey because things got difficult it’s because you didn’t prepare for it. You didn’t consider that the “winter” would come and you probably didn’t realize it would pass.
Looking ahead, how can you use this knowledge to prepare for the next challenging phase of your journey?