LivinGology

Body Languages
Do we really have to lift iron?

Strenght training have always been problematic issues for me. Every time I decide to devote some of my time to it the same thing repeats: the first training is just great. You do a variety of exercises, some of them in such weired positions that you've never thought your body could do. You talk to other people in the gym, perhaps find some new friends. Time passes quickly and in the end you feel perfectly fit. You go home with the nice feeling you've done something really good for yourself. So what's the problem here? The thing is that the same thing repeats the next training. The same exercises, the same people, nothing happenes at all. It just gets boring. I don't know, maybe it's like drinking beer - you never like it from the first couple of glasses but after that you start liking it. Like beer, strenght exercise does show progressive results, especially if you do it on a regular basis. You become stronger, daily activities like doing the shopping become easier, you start looking much better and your self-esteem boosts. All good stuff for you. But what about the hundreds of hours of boredom behind the walls of the gym? That's a big deal of time of you life! There must be other way to get the same results. Strenght training is just one of the many anaerobic activities (exercises at a more difficult pace) you can choose between, like sprinting on your feet or a bike, rope jumping, as well as sports like tennis, basketball, football etc. All of these sound like much more fun and besides are 'languages' other people can speak too - you can compete together with ot agains someone else, unlike strenght training where your only buddies are your biceps and triceps.

A Tennis Lesson

Early in the morning I went for my first lesson in tennis after a long pause. I hadn't played for nearly 5 years and of course it was like starting everything all over again. I had forgotten what the T-line was, everything about service; I had even forgotten to put the upper grip on my tennis racket. Anyway, I knew I wasn't going to be terrific but at the same time I felt I hadn't forgotten some basic things. It's like riding a bicycle, once you learn how to hold yourself on it, you stop thinking about it but just do it. Well, it is like this in tennis with the two basic strikes - forehand and backhand. The thing was I was quite sure I had a good forehand, while my backhand needed some improvement. It actually happened it was the opposite! 'You have a really good backhand', the trainer said, 'but we need to work on the forehand.' I was stunned. After a while after some analyzing of my own game I realized the guy was right. So, how come I have been wrong all these years about something so obvious? Is the same with other things we do as well? We think we are really good at something and proudly show what we can while the truth is that it's all in our heads? Ok, everybody overestimates themselves at certain points, but how about the other way around? Underestimating. My backhand has always been good enough for a game but instead of enjoying that for me it was a source of shame and disappointment. Perhaps there are other areas in my life that are undergoing the same dynamics. Just imagine, there might be potential skydivers, astronauts, cooks, architects etc. hiding inside us and we just don't know it. Even worse, we think we are bad at it! Why? There can be many reasons. What I know for sure is that after the game this morning I'll make a serious reevaluation of many of my assumptions about myself. Perhaps I'll need some help, like my trainer helped me today.