Fire Needs Air

You don’t need a lot of discipline to exercise if you can get this right. 

In the “How To Build A Fire” post, we discussed adjusting your workload to your changing environment to make your routine sustainable. Going along with the fire analogy, the most vital element in the environment to sustain fire is air. A strong wind can bring fresh oxygen into the fire, allowing it to burn more zealously. You can add an abundance of wood into the fire without suffocating it. When there is no wind, the oxygen in the fire replenishes slowly, so you cannot add so much wood.

For your body, that vital element is your energy. When you are low on energy, the natural tendency is to be lazy. It takes greater discipline to get up and exercise. You’ll want to skip a workout. Or you can still exercise but do less. The latter would be the better choice to sustain your fire. Conversely, when your energy level is high, your body naturally wants to expend that energy. You don’t need much discipline to get moving. You’ll be able to push harder without straining.

You can fan the fire to make it stronger. So can you create an environment for greater energy. Your energy level is dependent on everything you do outside of your workout - your diet, sleep, type and amount of work, mental stress, etc. To increase your energy level is quite simple. Just do less of the things that sap your energy. For example, consume less alcohol and stimulants that take energy for your body to recover from. Have less late nights so you can have quality rest to replenish your energy. Practice meditation so you don’t waste energy with unnecessary thoughts.

A change of habit requires energy too. Start with one small change of habit. Once that habit is ingrained in your DNA, it no longer requires energy to sustain. Then you can work on another habit. A bunch of small changes stacked together can produce a powerful boost to your energy level. The more you can conserve your energy, the less of an issue discipline becomes.