Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 271 – The Sweet Spot

Mahler · 08-31-2009, 09:15 AM

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 271 – The Sweet Spot

The Sweet Spot (08-31-09)

The breeze coming through the open door was fresh and cool as I quietly got out of bed so as not to awaken my wife. The sound of rushing water was soothing and oh, so pleasant, and made one want to languish there in the stillness. The darkness beyond the balcony was a betrayal of the day that was about to unfold. In that darkness a faint light cast upon the water from the numerous unknown sources revealed the foam rushing by the hull of the ship as I peered over the railing. It would have been easy to stand there for a while in expectation of the sun making its appearance over the flat and featureless horizon that was the sea. Instead, I made my way quietly back into the cabin and as quietly donned some workout gear.

I slipped out of the room and scanned the long, brightly lit hallway of door after door, trying to recall which direction I had to go to get to my destination. Let’s see. Starboard side of the ship would mean that aft was to my left. And, so, I started off in that direction. I suppressed the devilish desire to change all the “Do Not Disturb” signs and made my way aft in stealth mode. To my surprise, as I reached an area with stairs and elevators and taking a look at a directory, I had come in the right direction. I headed up the stairs, foregoing the bank of elevators that throughout the week would become a little private joke for my wife and me as we watched people wait and crowd in, only to see these same people emerge on another floor as they got off with us already standing there.

Reaching the top of the stairs, to my amazement, I came upon a little hive of activity. I had reached my destination, the ship’s fitness center. And, it was actually a little busy, even for this early in the morning. As usual, there were a number of people doing their rat-in-a-cage impersonations on the treadmill. Several others were mechanically melding with the various machines like so many borg captives, resistance being futile. Still others were on mats, doing their stretching and yoga. All in all, in spite of what they were doing, it was pretty surprising to see so many. The numbers would, as you may have guessed, dwindle significantly as the week progressed.

I made my way to the free weights. Alas, no barbells or cages, but a respectable array of dumbbells and four adjustable benches. There were two other guys there, one of which would be there every time I showed up and doing the same endless dumbbell bench presses for the entire time. He was moving a respectable amount of weight, but did nothing else, ever.

This first day was my lower body day and so I had to put together some semblance of a leg routine using only the dumbbells. Goblet squats and dumbbell deadlifts worked for me as well as a few other exercises, but I got some serious looks, and I mean “what the hell is this guy doing” looks, when I proceeded to do Bulgarian Split Squats. I finished my routine with some ab work and again, the looks came with the use of dragon flags. I picked some tough exercises on purpose, not knowing how often I would get to the gym that week. I would actually make it back two more times with a few days of running the deck thrown in for good measure.

My workout completed, I headed back to my cabin to catch a much deserved hot shower and breakfast on the balcony. As I made my way, I was rather pleased with myself and the thought occurred to me that I had reached a sweet spot in my fitness routine. Now, anyone that participates in a sport using a bat, racquet or paddle, knows that the “sweet spot” is the best place to make contact with the ball. This is a little different, I realize, but somehow, reaching that point in your life where workouts or other fitness activities are a natural part of your day or week and not an intrusion on your time, seems to me to be a sweet spot and a pretty damned good place to find yourself.

The sweet spot is not a place where you begrudgingly force yourself to do something or where you take a ride on the guilt-go-round. It’s that place where it seems only natural to be where you are and do what you are doing. You find it with a combination of commitment and consistency. You have to want to do the right things and do them often. There is no half-assed way to get there. It’s a place where you have to eventually want to be and where everything you do is eventually going to get you there. And, if you are not there already, there is no time like right now to develop the habits that will find you, very soon, in your sweet spot.

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Copyright 2004-2009 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

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Have a Great Week!

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