This week’s edition is based on the switch that many of us may have experienced in the past few weeks, from the ‘easy’ holiday period to the harder daily reality of a return to work. It also links to last week’s content on the magic of movement as I detail in the opening section below.
Steven
Make Your Day Harder
How hard do you want your day to be?
The default answer for all of us I think would be not very. Yet, in the context of physical movement that we looked at last week, it’s probably in our best interests to make it harder.
In many of my talks the past several years I’ve shown a video from Canadian medical practitioner Dr. Michael Evans called Let’s Make Our Day Harder. You can watch it here, or by clicking on the image below.
In the video, Evans stakes aim at our societal attitudes towards movement and the dangers of a sedentary life or ‘sitting disease’. It is a powerful call to action, which makes you think differently about your everyday choices.
We are encouraged to look at the ‘hard things’—physical labour and activities as opportunities rather than inconveniences. Exercise therefore doesn’t need to be dedicated time set aside from your busy day—it can be the means by which you live your life, every day.
There are several great messages in the video including the approach of ‘tweak the week’ and the commentary on where you park your car. It’s another powerful reminder of the magic of movement with a broader message on how wellbeing should be integrated into the normal flow of our lives rather than something that is separate.
Doing Hard Things
We can deepen a reflection on hard things from the physical realm to any tough ask. I think it’s in our best interests to electively do hard things. Here’s why.
I rode the Tour of Flanders cycle event in Spring of last year. It was a brutal experience. 9 hours in freezing rain in what people said were the worst conditions in a decade. You might get a flavour of that from the photo below.
But the great thing about the retrospective view of human experience is the filter you apply.
It’s not that the negative things no longer exist, or that they’re forgotten. I still remember not feeling my fingers or toes after only 30 minutes, the taste of dirt in my mouth and blinking gravel out my eyes.
Not pleasant. Still very real. But faded into the background.
What comes front and center are the highlights. Maybe only minutes or even just seconds long. Elevated by the hours of the negative stuff.
So, when you have a choice, do you pick the easy way or the hard way? I think most of us would pick the easy way, myself included. The faster, more comfortable option. One that doesn’t take much effort or pain.
But what about, now and then, choosing to do the harder thing?
I’m not too keen on experiencing my Flanders level of suffering on a frequent basis, but I know I can do it if I need to. And now and again I want to, too.
Doing hard things by choice will supercharge our resilience. And when you don’t have a choice, when life throws you a hard thing, you’ll do it with aplomb.
“Hard Choices, Easy Life. Easy Choices, Hard Life.”
The above quote comes from Weightlifting Champion and author Jerzy Gregorek. It’s a powerful reflection on the results of our everyday choices — the easy thing to do, the thing that gives us quick reward or pleasure, or doesn’t take much effort, may not be in our best interests in the longer term.
Easy choices that require no willpower in the areas of health and wellbeing may result in us becoming more unhealthy and unhappy. The hard/easy choice of physical movement and convenience from Dr. Michael Evans is a case in point.
It links to the whole domain of habits and sustainable behaviour change. All habits require conscious effort and energy, yet on the main, the reward from ‘good’ habits takes time and the reward from ‘bad’ habits is often instantaneous!
Not fair at all is it?! Yet one thing that helps is to change our notion on what the reward is. Rather than focusing solely on the outcome or result, think about the value in the doing and the process itself. It’s not quite as impactful in the moment, but more deeply satisfying, even over a matter of days.
What easy and hard choices have you been confronted with this week?
Which of these have related to your wellbeing?
Which of these have related to your working life in general?
I don’t think we should be too hard on ourselves all the time. Take the easy path, the instant reward. Just make sure it doesn’t become all-encompassing. It can be an easy trap to fall in to.
So, take care with your choices over the coming days and hit reply if you’d like to share or discuss.
Hard Things
This week’s edition is based on the switch that many of us may have experienced in the past few weeks, from the ‘easy’ holiday period to the harder daily reality of a return to work. It also links to last week’s content on the magic of movement as I detail in the opening section below.
Steven
Make Your Day Harder
How hard do you want your day to be?
The default answer for all of us I think would be not very. Yet, in the context of physical movement that we looked at last week, it’s probably in our best interests to make it harder.
In many of my talks the past several years I’ve shown a video from Canadian medical practitioner Dr. Michael Evans called Let’s Make Our Day Harder. You can watch it here, or by clicking on the image below.
In the video, Evans stakes aim at our societal attitudes towards movement and the dangers of a sedentary life or ‘sitting disease’. It is a powerful call to action, which makes you think differently about your everyday choices.
We are encouraged to look at the ‘hard things’—physical labour and activities as opportunities rather than inconveniences. Exercise therefore doesn’t need to be dedicated time set aside from your busy day—it can be the means by which you live your life, every day.
There are several great messages in the video including the approach of ‘tweak the week’ and the commentary on where you park your car. It’s another powerful reminder of the magic of movement with a broader message on how wellbeing should be integrated into the normal flow of our lives rather than something that is separate.
Doing Hard Things
We can deepen a reflection on hard things from the physical realm to any tough ask. I think it’s in our best interests to electively do hard things. Here’s why.
I rode the Tour of Flanders cycle event in Spring of last year. It was a brutal experience. 9 hours in freezing rain in what people said were the worst conditions in a decade. You might get a flavour of that from the photo below.
But the great thing about the retrospective view of human experience is the filter you apply.
It’s not that the negative things no longer exist, or that they’re forgotten. I still remember not feeling my fingers or toes after only 30 minutes, the taste of dirt in my mouth and blinking gravel out my eyes.
Not pleasant. Still very real. But faded into the background.
What comes front and center are the highlights. Maybe only minutes or even just seconds long. Elevated by the hours of the negative stuff.
So, when you have a choice, do you pick the easy way or the hard way? I think most of us would pick the easy way, myself included. The faster, more comfortable option. One that doesn’t take much effort or pain.
But what about, now and then, choosing to do the harder thing?
I’m not too keen on experiencing my Flanders level of suffering on a frequent basis, but I know I can do it if I need to. And now and again I want to, too.
Doing hard things by choice will supercharge our resilience. And when you don’t have a choice, when life throws you a hard thing, you’ll do it with aplomb.
“Hard Choices, Easy Life. Easy Choices, Hard Life.”
The above quote comes from Weightlifting Champion and author Jerzy Gregorek. It’s a powerful reflection on the results of our everyday choices — the easy thing to do, the thing that gives us quick reward or pleasure, or doesn’t take much effort, may not be in our best interests in the longer term.
Easy choices that require no willpower in the areas of health and wellbeing may result in us becoming more unhealthy and unhappy. The hard/easy choice of physical movement and convenience from Dr. Michael Evans is a case in point.
It links to the whole domain of habits and sustainable behaviour change. All habits require conscious effort and energy, yet on the main, the reward from ‘good’ habits takes time and the reward from ‘bad’ habits is often instantaneous!
Not fair at all is it?! Yet one thing that helps is to change our notion on what the reward is. Rather than focusing solely on the outcome or result, think about the value in the doing and the process itself. It’s not quite as impactful in the moment, but more deeply satisfying, even over a matter of days.
I don’t think we should be too hard on ourselves all the time. Take the easy path, the instant reward. Just make sure it doesn’t become all-encompassing. It can be an easy trap to fall in to.
So, take care with your choices over the coming days and hit reply if you’d like to share or discuss.
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